Riversdale ( af, Riversdal) is a town located on the N2 highway between Cape Town and George on the Agulhas Coastal Plain of the southern Western Cape province of South Africa. It is an agricultural service oriented town, being a hub for shopping and other services for surrounding farming communities, smaller towns, and coastal resorts, like

Witsand Witsand is a small coastal town situated at the mouth of the Breede River in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is a good fishing area and is widely considered to be the whale nursery of the South African coastline. Witsand has seen some of the lar ...

and

Stilbaai Stilbaai, also known as the ''Bay of Sleeping Beauty'', is a town along the southern coast of South Africa about four hours by car from Cape Town. It is part of the Hessequa Local Municipality in the Western Cape province. Alternate spellings of t ...

. It is located beneath the imposing Langeberg Mountains to the north, with Sleeping Beauty Mountain overlooking the town.

History

The town was founded as a church on the farm, Doornkraal, and was subsequently named after

Harry Rivers Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

, the then incumbent Civil Commissioner of Swellendam. It was proclaimed a town on 30 August 1838. Riverdale is the seat of the

Hessequa Local Municipality Hessequa Local Municipality ( af, Hessequa Munisipaliteit, before 24 June 2005 the Langeberg Local Municipality) is a municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is flanked by the lower Breede River to the west and the Gou ...

. It is also sometimes considered the westernmost point in the Garden Route region.

Notable residents

Willem Botha Willem () is a Dutch and West FrisianRienk de Haan, ''Fryske Foarnammen'', Leeuwarden, 2002 (Friese Pers Boekerij), , p. 158. masculine given name. The name is Germanic, and can be seen as the Dutch equivalent of the name William in English, Gui ...

, singer *

Dyan Buis Dyan Neille Buis (born 30 November 1990 in Riversdale, Western Cape) is a South African Paralympic sprint runner and long jumper. He has mild cerebral palsy and competes in the T38 class. In 2012, Buis was a student at Global University G ...

, Paralympic athlete *

Dalene Matthee Dalene Matthee (13 October 1938 – 20 February 2005) was a South African author best known for her four "Forest Novels", written in and around the Knysna Forest. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages, including English, Fren ...

(13 October 1938 – 20 February 2005), writer who matriculated here at Hoërskool Langenhoven * Dr Cecil Moss, Springbok rugby player and coach * Jack Simons, academic and anti-apartheid activist *

Jan Ernst Abraham Volschenk Jan Ernst Abraham Volschenk (20 August 1853 Riversdale - 22 January 1936 Riversdale), was a South African painter, noted for his majestic landscapes of the Langeberg Range in the Western Cape Province. Born of Dutch parents on the farm ''Melk ...

(20 August 1853 Riversdale – 22 January 1936 Riversdale), painter noted for his majestic landscapes of the Langeberg Range in the Western Cape Province * Vera Volschenk (1899-1987), painter born in 1899; eldest of nine daughters of Jan Ernst Abraham Volschenk

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Hessequa Local Municipality Populated places established in 1838 1838 establishments in the Cape Colony

History

Notable residents

See also

References