Lennie Gouws

Others tried and sorely failed to be the first to be able to travel by vehicle from Cape Town to Cairo. 

Major Chaplin Court Treatt and his South African born wife, Stella, succeeded in doing so in 1926 for the first time ever, taking a humongous 16 months to do so.

Imagine the blood, sweat, tears and mosquitos that cover every exposed area on your body like a grey crust. There were mud swamps as wide as 20km that had to be crossed and they got lost in the desert. Christmas was spent in pouring rain under a leaking tent with one member who had a broken arm and another one with an almost deadly insect bite. Sometimes they were only able to cross rivers by dragging the vehicles under water over the bottom of the river.

Maybe they would have thought twice if they knew all this before they departed!

By the early twentieth century the British Empire was at its biggest ever. The route the Court Treatts chose was to stretch only over colonial territory, described as “all red” since maps of the time indicated British colonies coloured in red. Stella Court Treatt wrote in her book, Cape to Cairo, that was published in 1927: “The desirability of blazing a trail through British Africa was superior to every other consideration.” They later acknowledged that another route would have been shorter and easier.

As the crow flies, Cape Town is 7,241 km from Cairo. A current electronic route...

The one building that is synonymous with Potchefstroom is the Main Building (E5) of the North-West University (NWU), Potchefstroom Campus. The distinct style of this building is one of its kind. No other university in South Africa can sport a building in similar style. Over the nearly 95 years of its existence, it not only became the icon of the university, but also of the city.

A long and rocky road preceded the building of the Main Building that was inaugurated on 4 April 1931.

It started with the founding of the Theological School of the Reformed Church on 29 November 1869 in Burgersdorp. The fledgling church (founded in 1859) early on decided that a theological school for the Church is a priority.

With five students and two lecturers, classes were held in the outbuildings of the parsonage of the church in Burgersdorp. In 1877 a literary department was established with the aim to educate students to qualify for academic degrees.

By the end of the 19th century the synod of the Church was discussing the relocation of the school since the congregation of Burgersdorp was strained to support the School.

The trek to Potchefstroom

Shortly after the Anglo-Boer War the Theological School relocated to Potchefstroom. On 13 February 1905 the official opening took place in its newly built premises in Molen Street. One of the advocates for the relocation to Potchefstroom was the minister of the Potchefstroom Reformed Church, Dr JD (Japie) du Toit, later better known as the...

Nowadays it is a very humble building, standing in a place where it does not make any sense. Hundreds of travellers pass it every day where it stands next to the on-ramp to the N12 from Potchindustria, presumably not knowing what it is. This is the gunpowder magazine or store of Potchefstroom, one of the oldest buildings in town (see main image). It was declared a National Monument on 31 August 1973, the third site in Potchefstroom to receive that status. Currently it is a Grade 2 listed Provincial Heritage Site.

The huge demand for gunpowder for hunting and war was a characteristic of the South African pioneer community since the arrival of Europeans in South Africa. Before the use of more modern guns firing a single bullet that became available in the 1870s, guns were loaded with loose powder and round bullets or buckshot.

Gunpowder, or black powder, was used as a propellant in guns and cannons during the 1800s. Gunpowder consists of sulphur and charcoal (fuels), mixed with potassium nitrate (an oxidiser – a type of chemical which a fuel requires in order to burn). It was introduced to Europe in the 13th century by a Franciscan monk, Roger Bacon. One kilogram of gunpowder has the explosive force of about 5 000 horsepower, hence the necessity to store it far away from built-up areas where an accidental explosion can cause harm to people and structures.

This serious danger of explosions and fire caused by gunpowder led to the...

This story is not about Potchefstroom history, but it is worth telling. It is about one of the largest explosions that occurred in South Africa and it was on 17 July 1932 at Leeudoringstad. The tenuous connection with Potchefstroom is that a report on the conclusions of the board of enquiry on the explosion appeared in Die Westelike Stem on 2 November 1932. At the time Leeudoringstad was also still part of the larger Potchefstroom district.

The town Leeudoringstad was founded in 1920 and named after the railway halt that was already there. Today it is part of the Maquassi Hills Local Municipality, which also includes Wolmaransstad and Makwassie.

The explosion of 320 tons of dynamite, loaded onto 30 railway cars, was so huge that it is one of only two explosions in South Africa that feature in a Wikipedia article named “Largest artificial non-nuclear explosions”. The other is the Braamfontein explosion of 19 February 1896 when 60 tons of blasting gelatine exploded at that station after the train wagons stood for three days in scorching sunlight.

The South African Railways immediately sent a photographer to the scene and some of the photos taken are now in the Transnet Digital Library. This is one of those photos and shows some of the twisted metal...

Potchefstroom experienced its post festive season slump in the first week of January 1913 when a Special Edition of the Potchefstroom Herald shocked the residents from their stupor. I wrote an article about this for the Centenary Edition of the Herald, published in May 2008. (Click here to read more stories from Lennie).

"A shocking tragedy occurred on the night of the 31st of December on the farm Wonderfontein 653, Potchefstroom District, situated between Welverdiend and Bank Stations. A farmer named Mauritz Herman Otto Oberholzer, aged thirty-six years, being murdered, it’s alleged, by his wife, a woman of the same age."

This opening statement begins the story of a shocking murder that occurred on New Year’s Eve 1912. To report this, the Herald published the Special Edition on 3 January 1913. This included a thorough report on the events, a report on the initial court proceedings and interviews with a family member and the person who found the body.

It is stated that the woman attacked him while he was asleep, first slashing his head with a heavy axe and then completed the killing by means of an iron jumper (most probably a crow-bar). She then placed a loaded gun in his arms.

The town of Carletonville was only founded in the 1940s and the nearest magistrate’s court was in...

In the article below, author and history enthusiast Lennie Gouws looks at the story of one of South Africa's forgotten Olympians. The piece first appeared on Lennie Gouws's website where she writes about the rich history of Potchefstroom. Click here for more great stories.

Rudolph Ludewyk "Okey" Lewis (12 July 1887 – 29 October 1933) was a South African road racing cyclist who won the gold medal in the road race at the 1912 Summer Olympic Game in Stockholm in Sweden. This, in itself, is a huge achievement, but if you realise from where this man came to achieve this, it seems almost impossible.

Lewis was born on a farm near Pretoria in the Waterberg district and grew up in Germiston. Prior to the 1912 Olympics, he worked a full-time job for nine years underground in a gold mine and in his spare time trained in cycling, boxing and skating.

Okey Lewis in his Springbok colours at the Olympic Games, sporting his racing number “2” (Wikipedia)

Okey Lewis was South Africa’s only entrant in the cycling race at the Olympic Games. The South African trials for the Olympic Games were held in the Transvaal on 30 March 1912. Lewis was the only one of five...

The article belows reveals the story behind one of Potchefstroom's historic parks. The piece first appeared on Lennie Gouws's website where she writes about the rich history of Potchefstroom. Click here for more great stories.

“A delightful resort... very popular with residents and visitors. There are shaded walks, arbours, a rosary and well-cultivated gardens, an added charm being the large furrow which passes through.” This is how a brochure to promote Potchefstroom described the park in 1913, then known as Alexandra Park.

Residents of Potchefstroom will not find this beautiful idyllic park today. The area is still known as “The Park” but the main attractions are the Kenneth McArthur Athletic Stadium and Olën Park, headquarters of Leopards Rugby. The beautiful tree lanes made way for two more rugby fields of the Potchefstroom Dorp Rugby Club and all that is left of the water furrow are bridge railings that seem to be quite out of place, since the water furrow had been filled up for half a century.

When Potchefstroom was laid out, Berg Street (later Van Riebeeck and now Peter Mokaba) was the western boundary of the town. By 1863 Kruger Street (now Beyers Naudé) was depicted on a map made by Fred Jeppe, as the western boundary.

The park was laid out west of Kruger Street. Currently Lombard (now James Moroka) and Piet Bosman Streets are the borders, with the ornamental entrance (which has not been used for decades) in Kruger Street. The southern boundary is the Piet Malan...

When the marathon athlete, Kennedy Kane McArthur, won the Olympic marathon on 14 July 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden, he created a record that has never been broken. McArthur, a Potchefstroom policeman and his Springbok team mate, Christopher Gitsham, won the gold and silver medals in the marathon.

Since then, no country in the world could produce the first and second place winners in the Olympic marathon. McArthur ran the 40.2 km in a time of 2:36:54,8 sec. Although the route was two kilometres shorter than the one of 1908, his time was accepted as an Olympic record.

Another record that was never broken is that he is the only athlete in the world that won all the marathons he took part in.

This photo of Kennedy Kane McArthur appeared in the Potchefstroom Herald on 13 February 1910

KK McArthur was born on 10 February 1881 in Dervock, County Antrim in Northern Ireland. He is the second of five children of Robert Jamieson McArthur and Mary Ann McArthur. Before he came to Potchefstroom he was the local postman. He did not participate in athletics in his birth country, but was often observed running while doing his rounds as a postman.

He came to Potchefstroom in approximately 1901 when he was recruited as a member of the newly founded South African Constabulary.

McArthur in Potchefstroom 

The South African...

Forssman Street (Potchindustria) was named after Chevalier OWA Forssman (1822 – 1899), civil engineer, businessman, Portuguese ambassador to the ZAR and leader of the Scandinavian settlers who came to Potchefstroom in 1864.

Oscar Wilhelm Alric Forssman (1822-1899) was the son of a prominent Swedish family and was a trained civil engineer. He arrived in 1844 in Natal from Kalmar in south-eastern Sweden.

He worked in the sugar industry and then came to the Transvaal. By 1852 he lived in Potchefstroom where he had widespread businesses in the export of ivory, ostrich feathers and wool.

His dream was to establish an irrigation farm at the Vaal River. He bought a farm, which he aptly named “Scandinavia”. This was only a small part of his agricultural empire which he eventually enlarged to 324 220 acres (138 896 ha) spread over all of the Transvaal.

With a view to develop the irrigation farm, he travelled back to Sweden in 1862 to recruit workers. He was accompanied by his wife Emilia Amalie von Landsberg.

Another aim was to convince his brother, Magnus, a surveyor, to also emigrate. Whilst planning this he negotiated with President Pretorius to create the post of surveyor general.

He rented, for 18 000 Rix-dollars, the merchantmen Octavia and loaded it with a cargo of wood, ploughs, iron stoves, hardware, lime, tar, beer, wagons, carts, vats of anchovies, salted herrings and cheese.

The ship left Kalmar on 12 August 1863 with 36 Swedes on board. Fifteen of those were unmarried men...

With the passing of the Dr Alfons Raats at the end of 2021, Potchefstroom lost one of its well-loved physicians. Since the founding of the town many medical men – and women – served Potchefstroom with great distinction. Researching this article about the early doctors of our city brought to light a surprising number of tragic stories.

In Potchefstroom 150 Prof Willie Prinsloo wrote that the first inhabitants of Potchefstroom – as all other Voortrekkers – took care of health matters by themselves. Ernest Jenkins wrote in Potchefstroom 1838- 1938 that it was the wives (whom he calls “Tanta” in general) of these pioneers who took care of medical matters:

Then ‘Tanta’ looked around for that dearest of all possessions – the ‘Huis Apoteek,’ the family medicine chest. What would home be without it in a country that was doctorless? ‘Tanta’ frequently gloried in a well-earned reputation for being able to cure all ailments under the sun, with the aid of her panacea the Huis Apoteek. What miracles she wrought with ‘Ruiters salf,’ ‘Rooi Lavendal,’ and ‘Swart Pillen’ and what consolation she brought about with ‘Besoard poeder’ and ‘Poeder tegen die scherfe’ as well as ‘Harlemmer Olie'.

This Lennon tin was the ‘Huis Apoteek’ and contained the medicaments which were the only defence the pioneers of the 19th century had against illnesses and...