SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY: Outposts of the VOC at the Cape of Good Hope

After the establishment of the first Vryburgers there was a constant trek of new farmers further north and east.

To protect these Vryburgers against the attacks of the Khoikhoi tribes and thereby ensuring a supply of goods for the passing ships, the VOC established a several Outposts during the 18t century.

An outpost was a strategically selected location on which a fort and klip kraal was build to protect the livestock of the Vryburgers against Khoikhoi raids

Along the west coast (northern direction) a cannon was set-up near the current town of Darling on Klipberg in 1734.

The purpose of the cannon was to call up the commandos (which contain out of the farmers) during attacks frorm the Khoikhoi and also to signal when there was a ship in the Cape harbour.

The outposts created in the direction of the west coast were Postdam, Burgherspost, Nieuwepost, Oudepost, Groottepost, Groenkloof, etc. More were located near Saldanha Bay.

This photo was taken on the farm Nieuwepost.

In the front, the kraal is visible with the fort in the back complete with "shooting" holes.

After the outpost was converted to a farm, a typical Cape-Dutch style house was built (piece of the house visible behind the fort) with the date of 1853 on the gable.

Behind the mountain in the back of the photo is the town Mamre which was the outpost Groenkloof. This outpost was created in 1701 and abandoned in 1791.

Unlike the other outposts the Groenkloof outpost was not converted to a farm. In 1808 Moravian missionaries from Europe settle there and started a Christian missionary among the Khoikhoi of the region.

It was subsequently renamed after the biblical Mamre (Gen. 13:18), a name said to mean "fattiness". Till today Mamre is regarded as a Coloured (descendants of the Khoikhoi) only town.