A Walk Through History in Wakkerstroom

By Nicolette Gardiner

On a blustery Heritage Day in 2017, a group of visitors to Wakkerstroom along with a number of locals, appropriately gather for a walk around some of the historical venues in the area.

Wakkerstroom is sometimes called ‘The Jewel of Mpumalanga’. Ths town is set in an area steeped in South African history.

Early History

The San people were the first to settle in the region. It is also where the Zionist church originated. And Swazi and Zulu history abounds. Some of the battles of the Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer Wars were fought in the area too.

Wakkerstroom has more recently been recognised as an international birding site as it is one of very few areas to incorporate wetlands, grasslands and forests. This diversity attracts wide varieties of birdlife with ‘twitchers’ from everywhere flocking in to record sightings.

The Town

The actual town was established in 1859 and the purpose of the walk is to explore some of its historical sights. The group, wrapped up against the cold, meets outside the now Bank Gallery. It began life in 1893 as a branch of Die Nationale Bank van Zuid Afrika, later became Barclays and then First National Bank. It closed, amid much protest, in 2010 and the town now has no resident bank and only one (FNB) auto teller machines.

St Joseph’s Catholic Church

First stop is St Joseph’s Catholic Church. This lovely building, erected in 1904, was originally the Baptist Union Church. It later became an Apostolic Church, then a Hervormde one (1942) and in 1989 Father Bertolini took it over as the Catholic Church. He introduced the owner of the renowned Honeymoon Valley Cheese Shop to the art of cheese making, a skill he learnt in Italy.

The church’s deep baptismal font tells of its Baptist past and it boasts a stunning stained glass window, made by a local artist. Currently it is part of the Volksrust parish.

The Court House

Next stop – the sandstone Court House (1897), which is one of three national monuments in the town. It is a fully functionial court house and most of the furniture and fittings are original. The architecture is unique and the corrugated iron roof displays three Victorian air vents.

The Mosque

In around 1901 a small group of Indian people settled in the town, mainly traders and shopkeepers. They brought their faith of Islam with them and the Mosque, the next stop, is where they worship needs and contains a prayer carpet brought there in 1973. Their community is small in number yet they are an important part of the Wakkerstroom community. Visitors must show respect by removing their shoes and washing their hands on entering.

St Mark’s Anglican Church

St Mark’s Anglican Church is next on our agenda.

In 1879 there were 50 English speakers in the town. This site was procured to serve their community. In 1890 it was consecrated and in 1907 the rectory was completed. This was subsequently occupied by a local priest for 32 years. In 1959 the Bishop of Johannesburg consecrated the church’s beautiful stained glass window and in 1982 the building also became a national monument.

Numbers of congregants diminished. In 1986 the church was deconsecrated.

Subsequently bought by a NGK theologian and then in 2007/8 by a local business couple who allow the local Anglicans to hold services there. Today the church is still active. Every Sunday, there are two services, and one on Anglican lines.

The Wakkerstroom Hotel

Off again and the group now heads for the original Wakkerstroom Hotel (since replaced by the Wakkerstroom Country Inn on Badenhorst Street). There is debate around this but this is said to be one of the oldest houses in town (1904) and an early owner was Charles Hazelhurst. Originally a double storey house, the top storey was razed and burnt down during the Boer War. This might have been because British troops were stationed there at the time.

The hotel building was used as the Circuit Court and Paul Kruger held a meeting there. Today the current owner and his dog are the only residents of the once hotel. Onward ho and the group heads off in the direction of The Paul Kruger Bridge (the third national monument), shedding warm coverings as we go as it has warmed up considerably. The bridge marks the entrance to the famous Wakkerstroom Wetlands area.

The Bridge

During the 1877 -1881 British occupation of the then Transvaal, work was started on the bridge but stopped abruptly at the outbreak of the first Anglo-Boer War. When it ended the application for funding from the government to continue work was refused until Paul Kruger visited Wakkerstroom after heavy rains. His coach got mired in the flooded Wetlands. Funding was soon approved and work continued in 1892/3. The 12m span steel truss girder bridge was one of the last steel bridges erected by the ZAR. It was manufactured by SietzeWierda in Germany and shipped to South Africa.

A very interesting part of the history of the bridge is that this was the site of the first water baptism of the Zionist Church, arguably now the largest church in South Africa. In about 1894 Dutch Reformed Church minister, Rev. Le Roux, came to town as a missionary and, influenced by the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in Zion, Illinois, he and his deputy, Daniel Nkonyane, leaned toward Pentecostal/Zionist teaching. The first Zionist baptisms were held at the bridge in 1904. And the majority of the NG Mission Church members joined the Zionists.

The NG Church disapproved of baptisms and divine healing practices and Rev. le Roux found himself on the street with his family. Most local Zionists then joined the Apostolic Faith Mission, of which Le Roux became president. Zionist churches, such as the Shembe Nazirite Church in KwazuluNatal and Zionist Christian Church in Moria, Limpopo, have flourished.

The Wetlands

We now pass over a cattle bridge and come to a wooden walkway that leads to the Wetland Reserve. Here Kristi Garland, who heads up Birdlife South Africa in Wakkerstroom, waits to tell us more. People can head on foot into the area where a number of strategically placed bird hides are placed. The organisation does sterling work and its mission is to promote the enjoyment, conservation, study and understanding of wild birds.

Kristi is also launching a new Bird Life project. A book called Ringo – the Journey of a White Stork detailed the finding of a bird’s ring locally to tracing Ringo. The book is part of their ‘Spring Alive’ project. The aim of the book is to get communities interested in bird migration.

The Dutch Reformed Church

The much warmer group now heads back into town for the last stop – the beautiful sandstone Dutch Reformed Church.

The history of the church dates back to 1860. The first minute books are no longer in the church, but rather stored in Stellenbosch. Originally a small building, but it grew to be an imposing church and was inaugurated in 1887.

Originally it did not have its own minister and from 1861 – 1874 Rev. van der Hoff would travel from Potchefstroom (a significant distance) to conduct services. In 1874, Reverend Ackerman became the first dedicated minister.

The church serves both the town and surrounding and outlying farms and early Communion services were big occasions. Churchgoers would arrive in their ox wagons and camp around the church for days. This is a reason why the roads round the church are wide enough for an ox wagon to turn around in. Sadly in 1944, it could not be declared a national monument due to significant alterations. The only remainder of the original beautiful woodwork is the baptismal font. The acoustics in the building are excellent. The venue is perfect for the annual Gala Evening of the Wakkerstroom Music Festival.

Greenacres Manor

The end of the walk had been reached and most people were by now ready to head off to one of Wakkerstroom’s restaurants or watering holes for refreshments but, as we were outside an interesting building opposite the NG Church, there was more of interest to find out. This rather elegant building has the appearance of a boutique hotel. We learn it used to be a branch of the Harvey Greenacre and Co.’s chain, a clothing, cosmetic and haberdashery store that was popular with locals and those coming to town for shopping. After it closed it fell into disrepair and became home to tramps. In the 1990’s the Dutch Van Capelle family bought it, restored it and renamed it Greenacres Manor. They now use it when they visit Wakkerstroom annually, having plenty of space with seven en suite bedrooms.

An interesting couple of hours, organised by Wakkerstroom Walks and Trails, spent exploring the history of an intriguing little Mpumalanga town. Both locals and visitors agreed that the walk had inspired them to learn more about the history of the town. The town has an abundance of guest houses and cottages, it is a welcoming and tranquil destination for people (and especially twitchers) wanting a break not far from Johannesburg or Pretoria.

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And for some more travel inspiration, you may want to visit the Northern Kruger Park.