1919

A wealthy white farmer, George J Euvrard Snr (1865 – 1932), offered to donate a portion of his land to the Dutch Reformed Church for the establishment of a coloured Mission station, in order to separate white and coloured living areas in Riebeek Kasteel.

The establishment of a centralised location for coloured people came after a series of grievances from white people in 1916, who complained about having to share communal washing areas with coloured people and wanted to purchase land occupied by coloured residents.

The agreement was that the Dutch Reformed Church would take responsibility for the administration of the new location according to the following guidelines:

  1. Complete segregation of white and coloured people so that no white person may live in the new location and no new coloureds may live or own land in the future in the town or the old location.
  2. White people may become land owners in the new location but may not live in the new location.
  3. White people may become land owners in the present location, but not coloured people.
  4. Coloured people will be allowed to occupy a plot of land in the new location provided that they inhabit the grounds themselves.
  5. No straw or tin housing will be allowed to be stablished. Construction plans should be submitted to the land commission.
  6. The land commission will survey the grounds and fence off each plot.

The Mission Church from its inception was managed by the white Dutch Reformed Church and the Consistory members who were making all the decisions for the coloured congregation, were mainly white. According to Mission Church minutes from 1921 it becomes clear why it was decided that coloured people should not own land in Oukloof.

“Several members are in favour of a new location on the church land, which was donated by Br. Euvrard, on condition that the erven will be let out instead of sold, in case the Church needs to move it (the location) if needed. Deacon van der Merwe says it’s unfair to only let the erven to those living in town.”

Reference:
VGK Archives
Surplus People’s Project Oukloof land claim of 1997