Events and news archive

On Saturday, 17 August, Deon Cloete the managing director of the Winelands Airport addressed the Durbanville Heritage Society.

After an introduction informing attendees about his extensive experience in the aviation industry, Mr Cloete gave a brief history of the Fisantekraal Airport, which is the site at which the planned Winelands Airport will be situated. It was interesting to learn that the current airfield is 80 years old and was built by the Allied Forces for military purposes to protect the South African coastline during World War II. For this reason, the airstrip is quite wide, because it enabled planes to take off in formation.

The airfield is currently used for private and chartered flights. Mr Cloete informed attendees about the privately owned company and the board directors responsible for the development. Furthermore, he showed slides with aerial photographs and architectural drawings of the envisaged airport and explained the different stages that it would be developed. It is important that there is a railway connection from Cape Town to Saldanha Bay close to the airstrip. It was interesting to learn that part of the planning also included a Living Aircraft Museum. For more information on the planned airport, go to https://capewinelands.aero/new-airport/.

Mr Cloete clearly emphasised the numerous economic prospects of the envisaged airport, which is in the planning stages prior to final approval. He informed attendees about the positive outcomes that this development could provide for the community, but made it clear that he could not answer all the questions on impact and environment at this stage and therefore, encouraged attendees to register on the site of PHS consulting soon as comments and concerns from residents are awaited.

Questions and concerns raised at the meeting were about noise levels caused by planes taking off and landing. Durbanville houses orchestral and music activities (Heydeburgh Symphony as well as that of the Durbanville High School, which is one of the largest school orchestras in the Western Cape), Primary and High Schools, Stadio University, places of worship, the hospital, retirement villages and old age homes, tax-paying residents preferring a rural lifestyle which is presently the reason for locating in Durbanville.

The impact of noise and air pollution on the farming in the region: poultry, dairy, wheat, also venues and vineyards which are popular tourist and entertainment sites? How will constant landing and taking off of planes affect these valuable assets in Durbanville?

Concerns about increased traffic in an already overloaded village were partly addressed by Mr Cloete, but residents are certainly not at ease because there is limited access to the planned airfield through the village.

The estimated influx of 1 million people into an already vastly expanding town is a concern. Where will they live? This posed a threat of historical farms being built up to provide residential space for the increasing demand. Valuable agricultural land and historical farms might disappear. Nowhere in the world are airfields erected in beautiful places, why now in Durbanville, which is recognised as a beautiful place?

The fear of squatter camps that often surround an airfield due to hopeful people flocking to the area in search of job-opportunities and that it could lead to an increase in crime, was mentioned as a concern. Will the undertaking of artisan training and a technical school for Fisantekraal be fulfilled?

There was concern about the industrial (aviation) character gradually overtaking the reasonably quiet, peaceful, rural and relatively safe character of the region, which is what attracts residents to the area and members asked how will this affect the value of properties in the Durbanville region?

Concerned Durbanville residents are reminded to register on the site of PHS consulting https://phsconsulting.co.za/proposed-expansion-of-cape-winelands-airport/ soon as comments and concerns are awaited. Closing date for comments is 26 August 2024.

Saturday, 1 June on a bright, sunny winter’s morning, a team of Durbanville Heritage Society committee members assisted and supported Duminy Marais, Jaco Maritz and Mike Mungoni in the cleaning of the Centenary monument on Pampoenkraal plain, Durbanville. The monument was vandalised with white paint some time ago and the team used a pressure spray to remove the white paint from the natural stone structure. It took real hard work for quite a long time to remove most of the white paint, which covered one half of the structure.

The outcome after the cleaning is a monument closer to the original. This small monument commemorates the Great Trek. It was unveiled on 2 December 1938 on the plain where the dam on the Pampoenkraal Outspan had been since 1725. The dam, no longer there, was fed by a strong fountain, which is still flowing. This is where pumpkins grew in abundance, hence the original name, Pampoenkraal.

The Heritage Society would like to thank Francois Keet from Sale’s hire who made the high-pressure system available for us to use on the day.

Quite a large group of members and friends joined the Durbanville Heritage Society on Saturday 24 February 2024, for a very interesting talk by Marius Breytenbach, who is conducting research for a PhD on the first farms in Durbanville. After an introductory talk on his research so far and the history of the farm, Marius Breytenbach led the group on a walkabout, pointing out various sites where archaeological findings were made, as well as the situation of the original homestead and buildings, of which now only ruins remain.

After listening to the fascinating story presented by this very knowledgeable speaker, there were some questions and answers after which the group gathered for a wine tasting and some lovely platters in the cellar of this historical farm.

On Saturday, 26 August 2023, dr Francois Verster presented his research conducted for a book about the Verster family in the Tygerberg area. The talk covered the story of Jacobus Verster, tracing his steps from the Netherlands to the Cape and eventually owning Oude Westhof farm since 1773.

Duminy Marais, vice-chairperson of the Durbanville Heritage Society, thanked Dr Verster for the very interesting presentation.

The next event will be a collaboration with the Genealogical Society of South Africa’s Western Cape Branch. This workshop for novices will take place on 1 July 2023 at the Durbanville Library from 08H00 – 12h00. To book, please contact westerncape@genza.org.za.

On Saturday 20 May 2023, Durbanville Heritage Society offered a really interesting event when Prof Mike Bruton presented a slide show and talk on ‘Great African and South African inventions’.

The occasion was well attended and Prof Bruton kept the audience bound by his research on the inventions from our country and the continent.

The talk started with the placing of the topic in context with an explanation of the difference between discoveries – which indicates exploration, to invention – which indicates a new product, service or technique, not just an idea. Prof Bruton started with the earliest times, focussing on indigenous knowledge and onward to modern times as he enlightened the listeners on inventions developed by people of Africa and South Africa. Many of these are currently in use and further developed throughout the world.

To mention a few, the dolos, radar transmitter, broadband radio, Computicket, Pratley putty, the Bentley belt, Creepy Krawly, CAT scanner, LODOX x-ray, robotic nurses, Oil of Olay and many more as expounded in the several books Prof Bruton had published on the topic.

This was a truly inspirational and informative afternoon.

The next event of the Heritage Society is planned for 17 June 2023.

Please follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2783384495300776

You are invited to join us for a talk at the Durbanville Library Hall on Saturday 20 May at 14.30 to learn more about
Great South African and African Inventions
Most people know about the Dolos and Kreepy Krawly but there are many more!

Presented by Professor Mike Bruton.

Mike Bruton is a well-known scientist who specialises in aquatic sciences. Apart from his research interests in ichthyology, aquatic ecology, conservation and indigenous knowledge systems, Professor Bruton has also been involved in the establishment and development of museums, aquaria and science centres in southern Africa. He has published many books and a selection of these will be on sale after the meeting.

At the Annual General Meeting held on 29 March, the committee to serve the society for 2023 was elected.

• Duminy Marais, Deputy Chair
• Denise Robinson, Library, archives, etc.
• Jaco Maritz, Chair and Treasurer
• Georina Westraadt, News, social media and website
• Lynn van der Merwe, Talks and excursions
• Annemarie Muller, Secretary
• Helen Neethling, Urban planning and development

Absent when the photo was taken there are two more members:

• Petro van Zyl, Talks, functions and excursions
• Henk Lourens, Urban planning and development

Notice is hereby given that the annual general meeting of the Durbanville Heritage Society will take place on Wednesday 29 March 2023, starting promptly at 18:30 at the Stellenberg Dutch Reformed Church.

Other than the business of the AGM, the guest speaker for the evening will be Paul Haupt BA, HDE (PG) Sec, B Ed (PG) retired Head of History and formerly a Vice Principal of The Settlers High School. During approximately forty years of teaching at various institutions, he published three history books, served on several committees and published articles in journals and a weekly blog.

The title of his talk is: Embracing the diversity of local heritage. With particular reference to the local heritage of the Durbanville/Tygerberg/Cape Town region, the subject of reflection will be the diverse perspectives and lenses through which it can be refracted. Issues that will be touched on are: The Khoi and San people, The Settler farming communities and colonial authorities, slaves etc. Embracing previously ignored heritage does not necessitate ‘wiping the slate clean’. The fixation with the concept of decolonisation as opposed to the broader view of ‘Africanisation’, in a perverse twist of logic, captures the narrative and places the emphasis on the very colonialism that is anathema to that branch of historiography. The rich diversity of modern South Africa needs to be embraced, or the citizenry would be left poorer, should the net not be cast wide enough, thereby placing the emphasis on exclusion and segmentation. The array of ‘heritages’ in the microcosm of a particular region, should be preserved and nurtured to instill in all communities a sense of belonging.

Refreshments will be served afterwards.

Membership can be renewed in the following way two ways:

1. Electronic deposit (EFT) into our account, or
2. A deposit at a Nedbank ATM using their envelopes

DHS banking details:

Nedbank Savings account 203 707 4425, Branch 103710, Durbanville

Please use your name and surname as reference, and send the proof of payment to info@durbanvilleheritage.co.za Please do not make a cash deposit at a branch as this attracts a R80 deposit fee.

Alternatively, members can renew their membership at the AGM. The membership fees remain the same:

Member: R100

Couple: R130

The fees and payment details in this 2023 notice are out of date. See Membership for current fees.

On Saturday, 22 October 2022, the Durbanville Heritage Society hosted a very inspiring event. Owen Nel, a retired headmaster and science teacher from East London presented a talk at the Durbanville Library Hall during which he told the audience about a group of cyclists known as Grandads’ Army, who went on a cycling tour from Mapungubwe to Nahoon Point. Owen and his wife Michelle accompanied the group as part of the support team with the task of doing research on the National and UNESCO World Heritage sites along the way. He then provided the narration for a video produced by the media team. The videos were to be used to elicit donations for the Eyabantwana Trust – an organization that provides funding for the Eastern Cape Paediatric Surgery Unit based at the Frere and Cecilia Makiwane Hospitals.

The six cyclists covered a distance of 1500 km in 14 days, averaging 107 km per day.

In an interesting, very informative talk, highlighted with slides, their journey and the sites visited namely Mapungubwe, Masorini at the Kruger National Park, the Blyde River Canyon, the Barberton Greenstone Mountains, the Vredefort Impact crater, the Cradle of Humankind, the Rock Art of the San and the Maloti Drakensberg Park were presented. The tour ended at the site of the 124 000 year-old trace fossils of human footprints found at Nahoon Point in East London.

Of Mapungubwe Owen imparted valuable information on the golden artefacts found on the Hill of the Ancestors at Mapungubwe, indicating that Iron Age trade and that technologically advanced pre-colonial societies lived there.

The other site Owen focussed on was the Vredefort impact crater, caused by a massive asteroid about two billion years ago, which hurtled toward Earth. The impact made a 40-kilometer-deep and 100-kilometer-wide dent in the surface. Almost immediately after impact, the crater widened and shallowed as the rock below started to rebound and the walls collapsed. The world’s oldest and largest known impact structure was formed. More than 2 billion years of erosion has made the exact size hard to pin down. The various layers of upturned rock eroded at different rates and produced the concentric pattern still visible today.

After the talk, which was well attended, members and friends of the Durbanville Heritage Society enjoyed a cup of tea.

On Saturday 24 September 2022, the Durbanville Heritage Society met at Rust and Vrede for a very stimulating morning during which Janine De Waal shared some of her research findings about the former owners and subsequent uses, plans and additions to the building. Ms De Waal published these findings as part of her Masters studies. This unique building is currently utilized as an art gallery, clay museum, studios and a restaurant has a long and very interesting past having been at some stage a homestead, boarding house and a jail.

Ms De Waal’s very informative talk was followed by a presentation by Nigel Amschwand, who led the attendees in and around the structure of the building, pointing out where additions and alterations were made through the centuries of its existence. This pertains to the building materials, the gables, flooring and ceiling as well as the rooms added on at the back and the courtyard.

The presenters were thanked by incoming chair, Duminy Marais, after which the group attended a lovely lunch at Yoko Eatery.

On Saturday 14 May at 10:00 a group of members and guests of the Durbanville Heritage Society met for a presentation by Nigel Amschwand on his latest book: Nineteenth Century Houses at the Cape – a guide to their development and construction.

This book is a very useful reference book with colour photographs and plans of vernacular homes and buildings around the Cape.

During his talk, Amschwand guided the audience through the various chapters in his clearly compiled publication, focussing on plans, building materials, roof structures and styles as well as windows, doors and decorative elements.

This was a Saturday morning well spent and the crowd left enriched by this informative presentation.

Signed copies of the book were available for sale, profit of which goes to Rust and Vrede in Durbanville.