Historical Timeline

1924 to 1934

To view a chronological order of the history of Oukloof and some of the events that lead to the forced removal and the subsequent establishment of Esterhof, please scroll through the timelines below. Archive documents have been provided to add to the narrative of the Oukloof story.

1924

Building regulations for Oukloof (the new location) are established.

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1928

“Lameyer is told not to rebuild his house that burnt down…”

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1929

In a letter to the Dutch Reformed Church Council, the Village Management Board asks permission to receive the coloured location land (erf 216) as a free gift from the Dutch Reformed Church, with the aim of upgrading the housing conditions and establishing a new housing scheme for the coloured people.

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1933

Oukloof is taking shape and growing at a steady pace.
A hand-written letter sent to provincial government from the Village Management Board requests permission to put in place a curfew for coloured people in the town, but the request is denied.

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1934

Plans are put in place to collect money to build a mortuary for the Mission Church congregation. This will be managed by Rev. Bloem who is head of the Mission Church at the time.

With no electricity in Riebeek Kasteel in the 1930s, the mortuary would have been built in such a way to keep the room cool inside especially during the valley’s sweltering summers. The bodies were only brought from the hospital to the mortuary a day or two before the burial.

Reference:
NGK Archives: 2211 GEM-K 1929