On the 26th April 1900, the South African Cultural Historian, Dr Willem Henri Jacobus Punt was born in Elandsfontein (Germiston today). He was the son of Dutch immigrants, Jacob Punt and his wife Cecile Ruwers. They were both born in the Netherlands, Jacob in Amsterdam and Cecile in Hilversum. In 1893, Jacob came to South Africa and was employed by NZASM (Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij). He became the Station Master at Elandsfontein before the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899. During the war he was imprisoned by the British and in May 1900 was deported back to Holland with his wife and son Willem of 6 weeks. The family returned to South Africa in 1904 with an added sibling for Willem, his sister Cecile Punt who was born in Holland.
Willem Punt (Bulletin)
At the age of 14, he had already decided to become an Historian and find where the Van Rensburg Trek had been massacred and where the graves of the Louis Trichardt Trek were in Delagoa Bay (Lourenc̀§o Marques). His research on the Voortrekkers, Louis Trichardt and the Van Rensburg Trek started in 1928 and was completed in 1945. From this date, more expeditions were taken to finalize certain aspects of his research. This research comprised of 14 expeditions through the bush, rivers and the wild to Delagoa Bay. It earned him his PhD at Stellenbosch University in...
