Victoria West

Victoria West is a town in the central Karoo region of South Africa's Northern Cape province. It is situated on the main N12 route, at an elevation of 1300 m. It is the seat of the Ubuntu Local Municipality within the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality.

History
The town was laid out on the bank of the Brakrivier watercourse in 1843, when the Dutch Reformed Church bought the farm Zeekoegat from the estate of J.H. Classens. It was named Victoria in 1844, after Queen Victoria, though amended to Victoria West in 1855 to distinguish it from an Eastern Cape district. In 1859 the town acquired municipal status.

Dutch Reformed Church
The first services of the Dutch Reformed Church were led by Rev. Colin Fraser of Beaufort West in the “Kerkhuis” on the farm Kapoksfontein. The congregation in Victoria West separated from that in Beaufort West during October 1843 when the first local preacher, Rev. W.E. Krige was ordained. For various practical reasons, they decided not to establish the town on the farm Kapoksfontein but rather Zeekoegat. Church services were temporarily held in a house on Zeekoegat. There was a need for a comfortable church building and fund raising was started.


 * 10 March 1850 - Consecration of the unfinished church took place.
 * 8 October 1922 - The restored and improved building was reconstructed.
 * 29–30 April 1967 - The restored building was consecrated.

The history of the Dutch Reformed Church is set out in a display at the Victoria West Regional Museum, consisting of documents, photographs, maps, Bibles, items of the first Communion Service and the church's first organ. The church was declared a National Monument in 1992.

Wool auctions
With the pastoral industry growing, the setting up of a wool market was proposed. The Victoria West Wool Auctions began in 1884 and were well enough supported to justify their being held twice a month. As the market slumped, the activities came to an end. In 1892 an unsuccessful effort was made to revive them.

Municipal Dam
In April 1921, the Municipal Dam, which was approved at a public meeting in 1913 but delayed through cement shortages, was at last completed. A picnic for the benefit for all the children was followed in the evening by a dance. Boats were introduced for the convenience of the public, and a great debate arose as to the bathing facilities. “Proper shelter and protection must be sought and provided by the bathers while dressing and undressing. Bathers must be dressed in a costume sufficient to cover the body decently from shoulder to halfway between the hip and knee”. The Municipal Dam is still in use, but the rules regarding swimwear are more relaxed.

Floods
A severe flood struck the town during the night of 27 February 1871 after a cloudburst in the mountains 15 km to the south-west. A wave of four meters high swept down the dry bed of the Zeekoegat River that runs through the village, overflowed its banks and flooded the houses, causing many to collapse. Many people were swept down the river in total darkness, others saving themselves by climbing into trees and on other stationary objects. More than sixty bodies were later recovered and a number of them buried in the same grave, but the number of deaths was never established with certainty.

Another storm occurred at the beginning of December 1897, with the Cape Argus reporting that the downpour had been so heavy that "no rain equal to it had been witnessed since the great flood of 1871. Many dams in the district was washed away".

In 1909 the river broke loose again, flooding the town, with extensive damage to property.

Railway
The Cape Government Railways oversaw a massive expansion in the Cape Colony's railway system in the 1870s, though the route to Victoria West was only completed in 1881. The railway connection spurred economic development and the town's demographic growth over the following decades.

The railway line from Cape Town was under construction to Kimberley and as it had already reached Beaufort West, fervent hopes were expressed that Victoria West would be the next major halt. The line was carried about eight miles away, so as to traverse the farms belonging to several members of the government. As a result, the line reached the newly built station at Victoria West Road in 1883. It was not until 1904 that the railway line reached Victoria West.

Motor cars
In the early twentieth century the increased use of motor cars meant that the Karoo was no longer as isolated as it used to be. A census in 1924 showed that Victoria West had up to 320 motor cars, including 2 busses and 30 motorbikes.

Air travel
The town has a small airport, used only by light aircraft. Until the 1970s when they stopped operating piston engined airliners such as the Douglas DC-3, it was a refueling stop for South African Airways between Cape Town and destinations to the north. By 1931, the Victoria West Airport was already established and was used by Imperial Airways as a stopover to Cape Town. This led to the first of three of the modern air control towers built here; the other two were built in George and Cape Town. Shortly afterwards, a waiting room was built for passengers, and a new building was built in 1953. Large planes no longer land here, but small and private planes are still used. In February 1985, the agreement of 66 years between the municipality and the Shell Oil Company to supply avgas came to an end.

Library
During the 1860s a number of local institutions came into existence, among them the Victoria West Public Library. In 1874 a catalogue of books contained in the library was printed by the well-known firm of Saul Solomon & Co of Cape Town. The building for the Victoria West Public Library was sold on 10 January 1929 to the Victoria West Hebrew Congregation, who used it as a synagogue. Andries P. Olivier from Ysterkoppe died in 1955 and left R8 000 in his will for the establishment of a new library. The new library was built in Church Street and is contiguous with the museum. The new building was opened on 26 October 1959. Presently there are two libraries still in use in the town.

Banking
The Standard Bank of British South Africa opened one of its first branches in Victoria West, after its foundation in 1862. It is now one of the oldest branches of Standard Bank in South Africa, having been established in 1865. It had a considerable turnover, which, indicated by a balance sheet for the local office from 1865, showed assets of over £30 000. The signatures of the shareholders of 1856 may be seen on a parchment roll several meters in length.

Schools
The Victoria West Public School was established by 1891 and can still be seen at the south end of Victoria Street. Between 1890 and 1900, a special branch was opened for the “poor students” of Victoria West. Students at this school paid three pennies per week for schooling.

On 15 April 1910, the cornerstone for a new school building was laid, and the school was formed through the Education Department of the Cape Colonies. It was done by John X. Merriman. In 1952, the school received high school status. The original school burned down on 9 June 1967, but on 14 June 1969, the new building opened. Since then multiple new schools have been built.

Victoria West Regional Museum
The Victoria West Regional Museum was established in 1969. It is a component of Museums Northern Cape.

A marine fossil was discovered in 1960. The Atherstonia seeleyi is the most complete of its kind in the world and was found on the Blourug farm in the district. The specimens can be found in the Karoo area of the museum.

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Military history
Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902

Gunpowder Magazine

At the outbreak of the war, the keys to the magazine were demanded by the military authorities from Mr JF Steinhobel. He was the lessee of the magazine at the time and was using it for its legitimate purpose. Although the contents of the magazine belonged to him, all war removed by the military to Cape Town. Inexplicably, many years later in March 1984, boxes of ammunition, detonators and a number of coils of ignition fuse were found in the magazine when parts of the roof fell in. Luckily they did not explode, which would surely have caused the loss of the lives of the two men who were working on the magazine at the time.

The land originally granted to a JH Claassen as part of his farm and then transferred to the Dutch Reformed Church Wardens before being sold to James Cowan in 1851. The first reference to ‘Certain ground with Gunpowder Magazine erected thereon’ is dated 30 august 1853 in a Deed of Transfer of the property to William Cowan. General Dealer owners Hanua and Hoffa apparently built a new Gunpowder Magazine in 1904. This Gunpowder Magazine and the ground on which it stands was donated by the directors of JPC Bester and Sons (Pty) Ltd to the Victoria West Municipality in August 1983.

Tragic Story of young Boer, C. Olivier.

Due to a misunderstanding, a tragic death occurred on a local farm during the Anglo-Boer war. A young rebel, C (Jacob) Olivier, who was a member of General Wynand Malan’s commando based at Uitvlugsfontein, received a message saying that his mother was staying with the Theron family on a neighbouring arm, Bulthoudersfontein. As the two farms were relatively close by, he decided o ride out and visit her. A few days after sending the message, Mr Theron and Mrs Olivier noticed distant puffs of dust raised by a fast approaching horse. Simultaneously, two British reconnaissance patrolmen arrived at the farm on their bicycles. They sae Olivier and hid behind the garden wall in front of the house. Theron tried to warm Olivier, by running between the horse and wagon-barn waving his arms, out of sight of the British soldiers. Unfortunately, Olivier mistook the signal to mean that he should approach further.

As Olivier arrived at the house, the two Khaki-clad soldiers leapt up and shouted ‘hands-up’. Oliver jerked his horse around and tried to flee. The soldiers did not give him the chance and opened fire. The bullets hit him in the back when he was at full gallop and he fell off his horse. He lay dead in front of his mother standing on the veranda shocked and horrified by the dramatic event. Olivier was buried on the farm and his gravestone states: Ter gedachtenis aan C Olivier gesneuveld gedurende Oorlog tusschen Boer en Brit 1899-1902. No first name, age or date of death is recorded, but was probably in July 1901.

The story of young Olivier has a twist however. After shooting Olivier, the two British soldiers rode off quickly to their camp in Victoria West, about 35 km away. On a pass called Remhoogte they had the mishap of riding into a Boer patrol. They were captured by the Boers, and relieved of all their belongings including their bicycles, guns, ammunition, food, water and clothes. Stark naked, they were set free to walk the long road back to town! Little did these boers know that the two British soldiers had just killed a young member of their own Commando.

Blockhouse at Fortrug

The entire supply strategy of the Anglo-Boer War revolved around the railways. This period was, indeed, the high point of railway use in South Africa. To protect this strategic infrastructure, blockhouses were built by the British during the war. The main line from Cape Town to Kimberley, which passes not far from Victoria West, became one it the most crucial supply-lines in the war. From as far south as Worcester regular blockhouses can still be seen close to railway brides and other vulnerable stretches of track. The best example of a blockhouse near Victoria West can be seen at Fortrug, some 22km due east of the town.

Small stone forts were also built on many neighbouring farms to spy on the Boer movements and ruins can be seen at Pampoenpoort, Ruigtefontain, Gemsboksfontein, Karenza, Ponkop, Biesiebult and Marthasput.

Commandant (Judge) Hendrik Johannes Hugo

Hendrik Johannes (Henry) Hugo was born in 1877 on the farm Lusthof in the district of Smithfield. Prior to the outbreak of the war, he studied law in London and the Netherlands. He joined the Boers in their conflict and was appointed both as secretary of the Krygsraad (War council) and local jusge over military affairs. On 18 February 1902 he took part in a skirmish at Oorlogsfontein, near the Tree Sisters station. I was here that he received a fatal bullet through his throat. He was buried on a local farm, Stampfontein. On 20 October 1904, General Malan led the ceremony dedicating a memorial on Oorlogsfontein to the memory of Henry Hugo, who had been such a thorn in the flesh of the enemy. On 27 November 1904, Hugo’s body was re-interred in the family cemetery on the farm of his birth, Lusthof.

The War and Victoria West

Victoria West did not feature prominently during the Anglo-Boer War. No major battles were fought here. Nevertheless, local resident could have veen left in no doubt that war was going on.

The early success which the Republican forces achieved led to a rebellion in a large part of the North Western Cape, in which many Boer leaders played a major role. By early 1900, the British had set up large supply depots and military bases in the northern parts of the Cape colony; and Generals Hertzog, Kritzinger and Christiaan de Wet invaded the Cape Colony at the end of that year, a situation which forced the British to place 14 districts of the Colony under Martial Law. One of these was Victoria West, where ‘the step came none too soon’, according to historian LS Amery.

The effects of the Boer War on the daily life of the town was vividly brought home by items in the local newspaper, the Messenger. A notice on 4 January 1901 states: ‘Whereas Martial Law has been proclaimed in the district of Victoria West by Command of His Excellency Sir Alfred Milner, Governor in Council, therefore I, Walter Lamb Philpott, Commandant of the District of Victoria West, do hereby notify that all persons are called upon to hand in to me… their firearms and ammunition by the 15th day of January 1901, after which date should any person or persons discovered to have firearms in his or her possession without a permit, he or they will be severely dealt with. Given under my hand, this second day of January 1901.’ The news of 8 February 1901 was that ‘All persons residing in Victoria West division who allow themselves to fall into the enemy’s hands will be guilty of High Treason, even if compelled by the enemy to join them’. Then there was the warning that ‘The wearing of Khaki Uniform in this District by others than the military is strictly prohibited’.

Farmers were forced to abide by price controls, refusal being punishable under Martial Law. Farmers were also forbidden to show lights between 7pm and dawn. Restrictions were, however, slowly relaxed until a proclamation from the Commandant’s Office on 8 June 1901 informed that, ‘from this date Civilians may be out every evening until 10 O’Clock without passes’.

Even after South Africa’s civil war had eneded, repercussions were felt in the village, some of them of nuisance value more than anything else. For example, a deputation of town’s people was instructed to ‘call on the Colonel concerning the disturbances caused by the soldiers on 6 August 1902’. Nevertheless, the economic impact of the war was evident for many years afterwards due to the artificial prosperity created by large sums being circulated by the Military Chest while little constructive development took place.

Three privates are buried in the Anglican Church cemetery at Victoria West. The graveyard at Biesiesfontein also contain the graves of two British soldiers. There are also Anglo-Boer War graves also found on the farms Bulthoudersfontein and Oorlogsfontein.

World War II and Victoria West

World War 2 left its mark in Victoria West as in most other districts. A substantial number of inhabitants joined the forces, among whom Group Captain Petrus Hendrik Hugo, nicknamed Khaki Hugo. As an ace fighter pilot he took part in the Battle of Britain and in a single day shot down six German machines, gaining the Distinguished Flying Cross with two bars. This was followed by the award of the Distinguished Service Order, the citation of which mentioned that he not only had already completed over 500 hours of operational flying, mostly over enemy territory, but in 1941 did outstanding work against German shipping; in five months he destroyed 13 Nazi planes and damaged seven others. Later, off the coast of Sicily, he shot down 29 enemy aircraft in single combat.

Group Captain Hugo displayed gallant leadership and great skill and he ended the war with a South African, British, American and French decoration. There is an excellent collection of firearms on display at the Victoria West District Museum.

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Victoria West Messenger
The Victoria West Messenger, still one of the oldest weekly newspapers in the country, celebrated its centenary in 1975. It was established on 11 July 1875 by Christiaan W. Zinn. His son, Christiaan Zinn, took over the running of the paper in 1890 and managed it successfully until 1902. D M Olleman joined the publishing company as manager shortly after his arrival from the Netherlands in 1901. He later became the managing director of the Karoo Drukpers Maatskappy. He moved to Bloemfontein in 1908 where he took over the management of the Friend, and started Farmers Weekly, Motor Weekly, Outspan and Personality, and became the driving force behind the Argus Printing and Publishing Company.

Telephone
The first telephone line in Victoria West was set up in 1912.

Notable people

 * Deon Davids
 * Charlie Devenish
 * Tiger Devenish
 * Sandile Dikeni
 * Petrus Hugo
 * Mannetjies Roux
 * Jacobus Johannes Sieberhagen