Merweville, South Africa

The tiny Central Karoo town of Merweville lies in a picturesque area of plains often likened to the desert region of the United States. The similarity is so striking that film makers often choose this sector of the Great Karoo to portray scenes in Nevada and Arizona. One international advertising company filmed a J & B whiskey corporate advertisement on the outskirts of the town. The scene called for a tiny town on the Mexican border, a road which ran off into the sunset and a couple of lovers. Set builders created some adobe huts, cars and actors were imported and the producers proudly announced that when the final product was screened "no one knew the difference." Farms called Montana and Arizona today bear testimony to the fact that early farmers also likened this arid zone the American desert.

Merweville lies in the Koup. The word means "caulfat". The area was named by early indigenous inhabitants. They felt the patches of golden veld grass interspersed by dark brown ground resembled the fat and blood vessels surrounding a sheep's liver. The reason for this name is quite apparent at the onset of winter. Then the veld is less lush. The gold and brown patches become quite evident.

The Dutch Reformed congregation of Beaufort West grew rapidly towards the end of the 1800s. Originally this parish covered an area of 20 000 sq.miles, but there were few church members. By 1850 only 800 of the 3 000 people in this vast area were church members. By the turn of the century the picture had changed. Farmers in the area of present-day Merweville organised a meeting in 1897 under the chairmanship of Beaufort West's Dominee Pieter van der Merwe to appeal for permission to break away and establish their own parish. Their pleas met sympathetic ears. Church leaders were only too well aware that this far flung community had to travel for days to a place of worship for communion, to marry and to baptise their children. The Dominee himself faced regular arduous trips to conduct services for them. It was agreed that an offer be made to purchase a portion of the farm Vanderbylskraal, 80 miles from Beaufort West. It belonged to Johannes Jacobus Le Seur van der Byl, farmer, shopkeeper, postmaster and Justice of the Peace. He built a church, later used as a school. But before further development could take place the world's attention was focussed on rumblings which erupted into the Anglo-Boer War. Plans were shelved and it was only after the declaration of peace that the town became a reality. Ds. Van der Merwe, however, conducted communion services in the little farm church twice a year from February, 1999.

Van der Byl, an enterprising and entrepreneurial frontiersman, not only gave his family name to his farm but to the nearby river as well. His well laid out farm was also well-managed. It became the pride of the district. It lay in a water rich area fed by the river and several permanent fountains. This abundance of water allowed him to developed an efficient irrigation system that ensured his vegetable gardens, orchards and pomegranate hedges always flourished. As Vanderbylskraal thrived so the community attached to the farm grew. This meant that within a few years the nucleus of a village had developed around the Van der Byl homestead. Van der Byl created "pools" in the river, streams and irrigation ditches so that his children could enjoy swimming.

In addition to houses and cottages surrounding the main house, there were store rooms, stables, sheds, a shop and post office. The farm often hosted post coach passengers. There was also a small police station and a jail. As Justice of the Peace/magistrate Van der Byl, heard cases on petty offences and law infringements. He imposed fines, punishments and short-term sentences which were served in the farm jail. Van der Byl insisted that his children be educated. When the eldest of his brood of nine was old enough for school he employed a Mr Coller to teach the child and others of similar age. This school flourished until the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War. Then attendance dropped to 50% due to difficulties of Martial Law and dangers of travelling.

Also during the Anglo-Boer War Van der Bijl suffered the indignity of becoming a prisoner in his own farm jail. On a scouting mission one day it seems that Commandant Wynand Malan and his men arrived at the farm After an altercation with Van der Bijl, they locked him in the little farm jail and rode off with the key. Chaos erupted as no spare keys could be found. Members of the farm community together with labourers had to break into the jail to free the magistrate. The event remained forever a sore point with Van der Byl who was never keen to discuss it.

On the outskirts of town is a signpost pointing the way to "The Englishman's Grave". Nearby in the veld is a tiny marble cross which marks the grave of a lieutenant from Australia, who served with the British forces during the Anglo-Boer War. Walter Oliphant Arnot was a member of the 3rd South Australian Contingent. He served with distinction, but died by his own hand on April 16, 1902, He left a strange note in his Book of Common Prayer for his wife, Eleanor Frederica Rosevear Seabrook, whom he had married in June 1888. He affectionately called her Nell. By 1900 they had four children aged between 4 and 9. On a page, torn from his pocket book, Arnot had drawn a sketch map of the road and across it was written "This was not for the Boers". On the back of the page were the words: "I swear before God, whom I am going to meet, that I am innocent." It was signed W O Arnot. In his prayer book was a photograph of his wife and between its last page and back cover was a picture of his four children. On the fourth page, written in shaking hand was: "I was never in any concern with a Boer or Boer Agent by all we ever had between us good held me and you my darling - goodbye, Walter." Rail tickets to Matjiesfontein and Laingsburg , a quotation from Shakespeare and letters to his wife and children, were also found in his pocket.

Walter Oliphant Arnot, was the son of Dr Henry Arnot, MD RN. He was born in Essex on September 9, 1860 and educated at the Royal Naval School, in New Cross. When he finished college he moved to Australia to take up sheep farming. He was 19 years old. He did well and the following year was approached to manage a large sheep station. During the next eight years he held similar positions on other major stations and was complemented on his stock management procedures during a long drought. He moved to Adelaide in 1888 and joined "A" Battery Field Artillery. Later that year he decided to marry. Arnot was an efficient gunner and was qualifying for a commission when the Anglo-Boer War broke out. He joined the 3rd South Australian Contingent, the S A Bushmen Corps, as a sergeant and left for South Africa in March 1900. This corps, funded by public subscription, was basically a scouting and intelligence force. Soon after arrival at Beira Arnot was promoted to lieutenant. He faced several problems as his unit moved towards the War zone. He later joined the Rhodesian Field Artillery. This led to service pay complications which left his wife financially distressed.

A few days before he died Arnot had left Laingsburg in a mule drawn cart on a scouting patrol. He was accompanied by Private John Sparkes, of the 16th Lancers, who was stationed at Laingsburg and in charge of the Intelligence Department's horse unit. Also in the party was Abraham January, known as Jacob, a scout and resident of Laingsburg. They spent the first night at Blaaubank farm, rode on to Dwars River farm, near Sutherland, to interview Jacobus Adriaan Victor, "the only person in the district who spoke English". At the inquest Victor said Arnot had been in "good spirits and quite jolly". But soon after that his mood seemed to change He sank into a deep depression as the group rode via Modderfontein, Desyver and Van Wyksberg farms to Prince Albert Road. By the 15th as Jacob stated at the inquest "Arnot was not in his usual mood. He was very quiet and withdrawn. He had been particularly disturbed the previous night." Just outside the tiny village of Merweville he took his rifle and a cartridge and walked towards a small hill. His companions thought he was going to shoot a bird as he had done several times before. Suddenly Jacob shouted: "He's going to shoot himself!" Before they could reach him, he pulled the trigger. The inquest found he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound "while in a state of temporary derangement." Arnot was buried where he fell. His wife arranged for the erection of a memorial stone and the people of Merweville undertook to "tend his grave froever." This is a promise which has not been forgotten.

Sadly Van der Bijl did not live to see the town become a reality. He died on New Year's Day in 1904, only a week after his youngest daughter had died of measles. The church then purchased the farm from his estate at the cost of Ł4 500. The ground was transferred to the church in 1905. The first church council meeting to plan town affairs was held on January 5 that year. By March, a minister, Dominee Willem Pienaar, had been called. He accepted in April, and arrived in June. While the town arranged a royal welcome, it had no funds to provide him with a parsonage and he had to take lodgings with the school teacher. Sadly one of his first services was the funeral of the wife of one of his elders.

During the Anglo Boer War a series of tiny coal mines on several farms provided the people of several towns with fuel. The coal was transported to town after dark by wagons with well-greased wheels so that as little noise as possible was made. Normally people in these far flung communities used dung patties for fuel, but as so much of the livestock had been commandeered by the British, these were scarce. The coal was of a low grade, but it nevertheless interested Bernard Israel Nowitz, a Cape Town businessman. He moved to Merweville and applied for permission to prospect and mine the coal deposits. The request was turned down, but that did not deter him from becoming a member of the local community. He set up a general dealer's store, married a local girl, joined the Dutch Reformed Church and declared himself a "Christian Jew". He became a highly respected and dearly loved member of the community and soon more Jews followed. Among them were the Katz, Magid, Samuel, Godliep, Lazarus and Solomon families. Some of these men had travelled the Karoo as pedlars and speculators before they decided to marry local lasses and settle in Merweville.

The town continued to flourish. A parsonage and many other dwelling houses were built. Well-known architects Heese and Heese arrived in 1906 with plans for a the magnificent church which today still stands and has been declared a National Monument. Shops sprang up and in 1914 some men of Merweville answered the call of duty to serve in the fighting forces of World War 1. Then, in October 1918, one of the greatest single disasters ever to hit South Africa, swept through the happy little community, affecting a great many families. Their beloved Dominee and several church members died in this Great ‘Flu Epidemic, which killed 140 000 South Africans within a six week period. When the grieving community met to bury Dominee Pienaar in the church grounds and they also mourned Mrs Snyman, A Kuhn, Jac Le Roux, Miss E van der Westhuizen, Jan Opperman, and Mrs F Turck, also victims of "the Spanish ‘Flu." Medical men appealed to the people to eat salt, take snuff and wear a bag of garlic or "wilde als" around their necks The number of home remedies mushroomed. People were so afraid they were prepared to try almost anything.

Merweville maintains a great deal of old world charm. It is an ideal spot to rest, relax and unwind from the pressures of modern-day city life. There are some guest houses in the town where visitors can look after themselves or arrange to enjoy some traditional Karoo fare prepared by the locals. And, there are farms which offer superb eco-tourism experiences. Also, the village is easy to reach along good quality gravel roads. There is a 40 km scenic drive from Prince Albert Road and those who prefer can drive along the tar road from Leeu Gamka to Fraserburg. Halfway is a turn off to Merweville, near the spectacular Teekloof Pass. Those who enjoy the exploring the bye ways of the Great Karoo will find two other gravel roads offer splendid views over the plains and of the mountains. One of these leaves the Nl at Koup Station and the other is 15km south of Beaufort West. Both meander through farming areas and allow users to enjoy the the magnificence and isolation of the Great Karoo.

Tourists who wish to discover this area, but who do not fancy the drive should contact Cindy Spencer. Owner of Lala Mandzi (Sleep comfortably at the sea) B & B in Cape Town arranges regular trips to the Merweville area of the Karoo. On these weekend or five-day trips visitors are offered a wide range of experiences from a viewing dawns and sunsets to the strains of the Messiah to game and 4x4 drives and lapa braais.

The Banksgate Trails, in the heart of the Nuweveld mountains, offer 4 x 4 enthusiasts a choice of at least six trails. These vary in length from 10 to 66 kilometres and have a difficulty rating of between 4 and 5 as well as a 3 - 5 hazard factor. To add to the excitement and challenge of driving these there are a variety of inclines, deep dongas and loose rock. The route from Kromkolk across the Uranium Ridge Pass is breathtaking. "This is definitely not for the inexperienced, nor faint-hearted driver," says farm owner Danie Blom. "Also for the nature lover we have a canyon filled with ‘sterbome' - an unexpected sight in this area of the Karoo. And, then there is immensely scenic Sterboom Pass. It's a must for video and photographic enthusiasts. Panoramic views from the peaks are unsurpassed. The other routes cover the Dwyka Canyon, and vast plains of the Great Karoo. At Banksgate there are also virgin forest areas in ravines accessible only on foot. We also have some unusual geological formations, including granite pillars, which are well worth seeing." Accommodation is available in a huge, traditional, fully furnished farmhouse which has five bedrooms and two bathrooms. "Those who do not feel up to driving will enjoy our many walks, nature trails and rambles. These too differ greatly in their difficulty factor," added Danie. "And, once visitors have worked up an appetite they can enjoy a braai and Annette's delicious pot bread." This venue also has three chalets each with accommodation for 4 visitors and there are three "wilderness-style" veld camps for hikers and campers.

Suzaan and Andre Theron invite tourists to come and enjoy the tranquillity of a traditional Karoo farm in the heart of the Koup. Their farm, Nova Vita, has challenging 4 x 4 routes, hikes and mountain bile trails for those who wish to get closer to nature. The Rhebuck Trails take hikers to plateaus with breathtaking panoramic views over the plains of the Great Karoo and into the world of the black eagle. Along these trails hikers can over night in an old farm house, primitive hut or simply sleep under the stars. The farm also has several secluded camping places along the river banks for nature lovers. "Visitors who come to share world love to explore for fossils and discover Bushmen art," says Suzaan. "There is also an old store and threshing floor at "Kneg se Kloof" one of the huts on the hiking route. And, there are freshwater fountains, where game and birds drink. We have 14 different 4 x 4 routes, each with its own unique difficulty factor. These range from 5. km in length to 40 km.."

Die Losieshuis (Contact Ds Kallie le Roux) Tel No: 083-255-6931 or 057-899-1142

Lalapanzi (Sleep well) in the Karoo (Contact Cindy Spence) Tel No: 021-438-8922 or 082-375-1285

Nova Vita Farm (Contact Suzan and Andre Theron) Tel No: (02026) ask for 1403

Merweville

Where memories and mountains meet