Krugersdorp

In the article below, Jaco Mattheyse explores the history behind a well-known Krugersdorp landmark: the old Police Station on Commissioner Street. He begins by unpacking the social and political landscape of the town in the 1890s.

At the time, the District Township (known today as Krugersdorp North) was little more than a skeletal settlement with a few streets and scattered buildings. Yet, it managed to avoid becoming a ghost town because it retained some permanent residents and held political legitimacy as an administrative centre. Its existence, however, had minimal impact on the British residents of the Stand Township (today’s Krugersdorp CBD). Local newspapers and archives make few references to the District Township, and most mentions of ‘Krugersdorp’ in historical records refer solely to the Stand Township.

While the Stand Township had a distinctly British character with a predominantly English-speaking population, it remained under the governance of the Dutch-speaking officials of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR), or Transvaal Republic. The Republican police force, the ZARPs, enforced the law, and the local courts were presided over by landdrosts. The key official in the town was the gold commissioner (Mijn Kommissaris), who issued mining claims and stand licenses and, for all practical purposes, acted as the town’s mayor. A small but prosperous Dutch-speaking middle class of professionals, shopkeepers, merchants, and traders also lived in the Stand Township, ensuring a noticeable Dutch presence.

This created an equilibrium between the Dutch-speaking officials who controlled the local state apparatus and the English-speaking commercial elite who dominated the town’s economic and social...

The Krugersdorp Concentration Camp and the graves of its victims are still visible today in the old Burgershoop Cemetery.

Let us go back to eight months after the outbreak of the Second South African War (1899–1902). In June 1900, following the annexation of the Orange Free State, British troops under Major-General Archibald Hunter occupied Krugersdorp without resistance. Magistrate J.C. Human formally handed over administration of the town, and martial law was declared. The Union Jack was hoisted at a public ceremony held in front of the Old Magistrate’s Court on Commissioner Street, signifying the beginning of British military rule.

The British garrison set up its headquarters—according to local tradition—in Kilmarnock House on the corner of De Wet and Begin Streets in Krugersdorp North. A blockhouse was also constructed on the Monument hillside to oversee the town. It was manned by seven soldiers and four Black men acting as servants and watchmen. This blockhouse still exists today, situated in the park opposite Monument Primary School on the corner of Sarel Oosthuizen and Sarel Potgieter Streets.

Under martial law, movement was tightly controlled. Public gatherings were prohibited, and permits were required for anyone wishing to travel or even access the railway platform. Shortages of food and essential goods worsened when shops were forced to close at the outbreak of war. However, a few stores such as Hompes and Seehoff, Harvey Greenacre, McCloskie, and Te Water reopened after the British occupation, providing crucial support to the impoverished townspeople—many of whom had relied on...

The site selected for the post office occupies a corner plot fronting both Kruger and Ockerse Streets, just off Commissioner Street, the main thoroughfare through Krugersdorp. Originally, this site formed part of a block of stands reserved by the ZAR Government for official use. (An exception was made for the corner of Commissioner and Kruger Streets, which was allocated to Mr. Abner Cohen for his Monument Hotel, later known as the Majestic Hotel.) Before the construction of the post office, the precise site served as the Pass Office under the ZAR administration.

To maximize the potential of the plot, the architects opted for an L-shaped layout: the southern wing housed public spaces and circulation offices, while the western wing contained staff facilities and, above, a switch-room.

The main entrance, originally from the private box and posting lobby facing Kruger Street, is of generous proportions. Sadly, this entrance is no longer in use, and the once grand main façade is now neglected.

The Post Office via Street View

The principal public hall—reserved at the time for Europeans—measured 20 by 6 metres and had a secondary entrance on Ockerse Street, which serves today as the building’s main access point. Adjacent to it was a smaller, nearly square room of 5.5 by 6 metres, designated for non-Europeans. This section was accessed through an atrium off...

When selecting a site for a fire station, several critical factors must be considered. Foremost among these is the road network of the town. The station must be easily accessible from all areas, particularly high-risk zones. Ideally, it should be situated near the town centre, along a main road, but away from areas of heavy traffic. If possible, it should also lie between the hospital and the area where the bulk of the population resides.

In Krugersdorp, the process of identifying and eliminating potential sites was a lengthy one, extending over several years. This followed the decision to build a dedicated fire station, as the Town Hall – which had housed the fire department and the library – had become too small by the early 1930s.

The site eventually selected was at the eastern end of Commissioner Street, where this road, via a swan-neck bend, once joined Coronation Road – both parts of the Main Reef Road. The land had originally been an appendix to Coronation Park, but due to its narrow shape and dense stand of old blue gum trees, it was unsuitable for garden development. (This was before any plans existed to widen and extend the road that would later become Paardekraal Drive)

By constructing the fire station on this site and redesigning the surrounding area, several key town-planning improvements were achieved:

• A site ideally suited for a fire station was created.
• Traffic conditions improved with the extension of Commissioner Street beyond the old Coronation Park gates. After...

In 1888, the Volksraad finally responded to several petitions requesting the development of a railway on the Witwatersrand goldfields. A concession was granted for the construction and operation of a "tramway" between Boksburg and Johannesburg. In practice, this was more of a light railway than a traditional tramway, as it followed the standard South African rail gauge of 3 feet 6 inches (1,065 mm). However, to reduce costs and expedite construction, lightweight sleepers, rails, and small rolling stock were used. The conservative Transvaal government preferred the term "tramway" over "railway," likely due to political sensitivities.

On 20 July 1888, the government entered into a contract with the Netherlands-South African Railway Company (NZASM) for this so-called Rand Tram. Keen to demonstrate that the Dutch could construct and operate a railway in South Africa as capably as the British, the NZASM began work in January 1889. By March 1890, the Boksburg-Johannesburg line was open to traffic.

The Rand Tram (Seventy Golden Years)

Due to the rapid development of the West Rand and the discovery of coal in the East Rand, the decision was made, between June and August 1889, to extend the Rand Tram westward to Krugersdorp and eastward to a coal mine at Fonteine (now Springs), which the NZASM planned to operate. The Boksburg–Springs section was completed in October 1890, followed by the...

No other building in Krugersdorp is so closely related to the early history of our town as the one located on Commissioner Street in the CBD. The building houses the newly refurbished Mogale City Museum and is across the street from the Krugersdorp Town Hall.

Krugersdorp was laid out in a manner typical of ZAR (Transvaal) towns all over the old Boer Republic. The Transvaal government aligned itself more closely with continental Europe, where towns are laid out around a central square (we can still see this in Pretoria, where Church Square forms the centre of the capital). Krugersdorp's square was bounded by Commissioner, Market, President and Kruger Streets and was mainly used as the main centre of commerce (another square existed where the sports fields are near President Hyper today.) On the square, one could find a bandstand and a small corrugated iron market building.

Old postcard of Market Square Krugersdorp

As in other towns, the ZAR government kept an entire block of stands for the town's administration to the south of the square, facing Commissioner Street and backed by Ockerse Street. A small corrugated iron building was hastily erected just after gold was discovered in 1887 and the town was proclaimed, to house the magistrate. It was a simple one-storey building with a veranda in front to shield it from the harsh...

In the article below, we take a closer look at one of the oldest institutions in the town – the Krugersdorp Club.

Before we delve into the history of our own Krugersdorp Club, it’s important to understand the broader concept of gentlemen’s clubs as they were in the late Victorian period. This type of establishment was by no means unique to Krugersdorp – it was a crucial amenity found in any self-respecting town, city, or metropolis throughout the English-speaking world.

In the 19th century, the family was considered one of the cornerstones of a man’s life. While a man’s home was his castle, often it wasn’t the refuge of comfort and privacy one might expect - especially for the elite. Their homes frequently hosted dinners, formal teas, and social events, making private life a public affair. Social obligations, and the scrutiny of local newspapers, kept many upper-class lives on constant display. For many men, gentlemen’s clubs offered an escape from these pressures.

Another factor was the way many men were raised - in all-male environments such as schools and sports clubs - which made sharing personal space with women in adulthood feel unfamiliar or even uncomfortable. The club thus became a space for men to socialise freely, surrounded by peers.

Men’s clubs were also hubs of information and gossip. These spaces encouraged communication and the sharing of news, which served not only to build social bonds but to establish one’s identity and reinforce class and gender roles. Gossip wasn’t just idle...

A significant and cherished landmark in Krugersdorp West is under threat. Following recent discussions with the Krugersdorp Heritage Association, it has come to light that plans are underway to demolish the old, unused Old Apostolic Church building located at 31 Windram Street.

In light of this news, it is essential to share the historical background of this unique structure and the church that built it in order to better understand its cultural and historical value to the community.

A Brief History of the Old Apostolic Church

The Old Apostolic Church has its roots in the Catholic Apostolic Church, which was formed in 1832 as a result of the Albury Movement.

The church was established in South Africa by Carl George Klibbe, who was born on 24 December 1852 in Pomerania, near the Baltic Sea. Klibbe was a preacher in the Lutheran Church before encountering Apostolic teachings in Schladen, Germany, where he met Apostle Heinrich Niemeyer. It was only after emigrating to Hatton Vale, Queensland, Australia in 1886 that Klibbe and his family fully embraced this doctrine. They were sealed into the Apostolic faith by Niemeyer himself.

By the time of Klibbe’s passing on 22 May 1931, the Old Apostolic Church had grown to over a million followers. Before his death, he appointed Apostles Ernest Fredrick Wilhelm Ninow, Carl Fredrick Wilhelm Ninow, and William Campbell as his successors, with EFW Ninow taking over as the Chairman and spiritual leader of the church.

The Windram Street Building

According to long-time resident Mrs. Rachel...

The rich and vibrant history of this beautiful school and its buildings can be traced back to the old Transvaal Republic with its dust trodden tracks and open veld teeming with wild animals and small tin towns dotting the rand.

The year was 1895 when the first group of 6 Ursuline sisters under the leadership of Mother Alfonse Schwab, left the Dutch town of Sittard on 27 November 1895 to start an Ursuline Catholic school in the new mining boom town of Barberton in the low veld of the Transvaal. They were accompanied by father Schock who helped them to build the first Ursuline house and school in town.

They arrived in Lorenzo Marques (Maputo) by ship on the 31st December 1895 and it took them another week to reach Barberton. Their luggage, which consisted of some wicker trunks filled with their possessions, only arrived 6 weeks later by ox wagon.

The school flourished in Barberton with many of the mainly English residents attending. But the culmination of a devastating storm destroying the Ursuline house and the death of father Schock in late 1898 made it impossible for the sisters to stay in Barberton.

The sisters decided to move to the new golden city of Johannesburg to start a much needed English school and arrived here in Braamfontein in September 1899 just less than 3 weeks before the outbreak of hostilities between the Transvaal Republic and the British Empire that would become known as the Second Anglo Boer War.

The sisters...

Following the article on the visual history of the Pretoria Railway station (click here to view), I received an email from Germany-based Enno Schlechter (co-author) which contained a photograph of his great-great-grandparents, Theodor and Mary Fiebiger.

The information available to the family, resulted in an initial link made that the Fiebiger couple ran the Pretoria railway station restaurant. What probably contributed to this initial view was the photograph in their possession of the Fiebiger couple by the Pretoria-based photographer, Munro.

A German and an English woman - Cabinet format photograph by Pretoria-based photographer Munro of Theodor Fiebiger and his wife Mary Alice. The couple got married in Krugersdorp in 1897. This photograph shows Mary with a wedding ring. She passed away in 1899. The photograph, therefore, dates from circa 1898, whilst the couple were based in Vereeniging.

Further research, however, indicated that the couple was not Pretoria-based, but rather Krugersdorp,  Vereeniging and Johannesburg based – either involved in mining, or managing a railway station restaurant at one station and a bar at another.

Later, Enno forwarded me another incredible image of Theodor and Mary with the restaurant staff in front of the Vereeniging railway station restaurant. This photograph, proudly displayed in the family home in Germany, assisted in stitching together...