Anna Basson Blog

Who was Mostert of Mostertsdrift?

by 'nDromer | Local News
More than 300 years ago Jan Cornelis Mostert bought a piece of land along the Eerste River.Mostertsdrift was one of Stellenbosch's first farms – a piece of fertile land along the  Eerste River.At the time Stellenbosch was little more than a farmer's community – in the first year eight families moved in and two years later ano...  Continue reading

De Waal street - where does the name come from?

by 'nDromer | Local News
De Waal Street is a small cul-de-sac used mostly for access towards the residences and parking. Although not many people notice it, it has a rich history.Denneoord college movesThe writer Annie Hofmeyr was 90 years old when she wrote a book about Van Riebeeckstraat Stellenbosch - Noordekant (1990).  One of the stories in her ...  Continue reading

The story of Denneoord College

by 'nDromer | Local News
When doing research for my previous blogs I often came across the name “Denneoord” and wondered what it refers to. The primary school I attended, Stellenbosch Primary, once had that name. What is the story of Denneoord and how does it fit into the Stellenbosch heritage?The short answer is that Denneoord was the institution fr...  Continue reading

Where does Endler street and Jannasch street come from?

by 'nDromer | Local News
Hans Endler and FW Jannasch are two of the big names in Stellenbosch’s cultural history.The Endler hall is where most of the big classical music conserts in Stellenbosch are held. Endler street is close to Stellenbosch high and primary school. Fismer and Jannasch are the names of two smaller venues in the conserve, where lunc...  Continue reading

The story of Herte Street

by 'nDromer | Local News
One of our readers inquired about the Hertzog map which was drawn exactly 200 years ago. Historians believe that then name Herte Street comes from Willem Hertzog and not from a deer or wild buckStellenbosch's first town planHertzog's map, drawn in 1817, is truly something special, both for its technical and its artistic quali...  Continue reading

Sir Lowry's pass- where does the name come from?

by 'nDromer | Local News
Pass or 'kloof'?The Dutch settlers at the Cape didn't use the word 'pass' to indicate a route across a mountain, but the word 'kloof'. Hence; the Olifantskloof (today the Franschhoek pass) and the Piekenierskloof, today the Piekenierskloof pass.Sir Lowry's pass, the site of the unfortunate wildfires during the past week, was ...  Continue reading