Stellenberg is a suburb in
Bellville, Western Cape
Bellville is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is situated adjacent to the Koelberg Mountains and also the University of Western Cape where it has its own campus.
Established
It was founded as "12 Mile Post" (Afrikaa ...
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
Name and history
The suburb originates its name from the original farm on which it was developed. The farm were called Stellenburgh (later changed to Stellenburg), and was originally owned by Johannes (Joan) Blesius in 1705. Blesius named it after the
Stellenbosch Mountain
Stellenbosch Mountain (Afrikaans: Stellenbosberg or Die Groteberg) is a mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the town of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The mountain forms part of the Coetsenburg Estate, th ...
which one could see from the farm.
is named after the Governor of the Cape Colony,
Simon van der Stel
Simon van der Stel (14 October 1639 – 24 June 1712) was the last commander and first Governor of the Dutch Cape Colony, the settlement at the Cape of Good Hope.
Background
Simon was the son of Adriaan van der Steland Maria Lievens ...
. Blesius was awarded the farm by
Willem Adriaan van der Stel
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 ...
. This van der Stel was the son of Governor Simon van der Stel. Blesius (b.1656, d.1711) came from
Breukelen
Breukelen () is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is situated to the north west of Utrecht, along the river Vecht and close to the lakes of the Loosdrechtse Plassen, an area of natural and tourist ...
, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. The land felt under the jurisdiction of de Kuijlen. In 1707 Jacobus van der Heijden became owner of the land. The land stayed in the van der Heijde family until JF de Kock bought it. JF de Kock owned it up to 1736, when it was rewarded to Hilletjie Olivier. She died in 1765. On 3 January 1882 it was transferred to John Starke and then to Jacob Jacobus Hamman. In 1883 Charl Marais owned the land. He sold it to Maria Elizabeth Green (b 6 July 1856). In 1898 Hermanus Lambertus Bosman de Waal (b. 21 September 1863) bought it and he sold it to Francois Stephanus de Villiers in 1899. In the 20th century it was sold to Old Mutual and in 1969 residential development started. Stellenburg then became Stellenberg.
Area
In July 1969 this land became available for residential development. It was necessary to develop the area, as the adjacent area in Bellville
Eversdal grew and it was the natural extension of that area.
Modern Stellenberg
Today it is situated next to the
N1, shopping centres and schools.
Stellenberg High School
Stellenberg High School is a public dual-medium (Afrikaans and English), co-educational high school located in Stellenberg, Bellville in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is one of the top and prestigious schools in the Western Cape. ...
is situated in the area, and in the adjoining part of Bellville
Eversdal there is Eversdal Primary School. One of the
Montessori
The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...
school called Beehive is in the suburb.
More development
More suburbs were founded around Stellenberg namely:
Stellenrigde,
Stellenryk,
Ridgeworth
Street naming
*Old Mutual street is named after the last owners of the land
Old Mutual
Old Mutual Limited is a pan-African investment, savings, insurance, and banking group. It is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, the Namibian Stock Exchange and the Botswana Stock Exchange. It was founded in S ...
. The street that divides Eversdal and Stellenberg is named Mountain View as it has a view towards
Table Mountain
Table Mountain ( naq, Huriǂoaxa, lit= sea-emerging; af, Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the ...
.
*The
1969 Tulbagh earthquake
The 1969 Tulbagh earthquake occurred at 20:03:33 UTC on 29 September. It had a magnitude of 6.3 and a maximum felt intensity of VIII (''Severe'') on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. It caused widespread damage in the towns of Ceres, Tulbag ...
centred on
Tulbagh
Tulbagh, named after Dutch Cape Colony Governor Ryk Tulbagh, is a town located in the "Land van Waveren" mountain basin (also known as the Tulbagh basin), in the Winelands of the Western Cape, South Africa. The basin is fringed on three sides ...
in September 1969, at the time of the development of Stellenberg. As remembrance to this event a street was named Tulbagh. This street, together with Vredekloof Street in Vredekloof,
Brackenfell
Brackenfell is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa at the gateway to the Cape Winelands. Organisationally and administratively it is included in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality as a Northern Suburb and is about ...
, is known for the bird
Cape robin-chat
The Cape robin-chat (''Cossypha caffra'') is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It has a disjunct range from South Sudan to South Africa. The locally familiar and confiding species has colonized and benefited f ...
commonly known as Jan Frederik.
*The bastions of the
Castle of Good Hope
The Castle of Good Hope ( nl, Kasteel de Goede Hoop; af, Kasteel die Goeie Hoop) known locally as the Castle or Cape Town Castle is a bastion fort built in the 17th century in Cape Town, South Africa. Originally located on the coastline of ...
were remembered in street names, namely
Leerdam
Leerdam () is a city and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.
The municipality was merged with the municipalities of Vianen and Zederik on 1 January 2019. The name of the new municipality is Vijfheerenlande ...
,
Buren
Buren () is a town and municipality in the Betuwe region of the Netherlands.
Buren has 27,168 inhabitants as of 1 January 2022.
Geography
Buren is located in Gelderland, a province of the Netherlands. It is part of the landscape of Betuwe, a ve ...
,
Katzenellenbogen The surname Katzenellenbogen originated in the Rhineland, Germany. The surname is derived from the County of Katzenelnbogen and the Castle Katzenelnbogen. The origin of the name may come from Chatti Melibokus. Chatti Melibokus is an old tribe who ...
and
Nassau
Nassau may refer to:
Places Bahamas
*Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence
Canada
*Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792
*Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
.
*The shipwrecking of the ''Nieuwe Haarlem'', a Dutch ship in 1647 was remembered in the street Haarlem. The ''Nieuwe Haarlem'' was the frontrunner for
Jan van Riebeeck
Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck (21 April 1619 – 18 January 1677) was a Dutch navigator and colonial administrator of the Dutch East India Company.
Life
Early life
Jan van Riebeeck was born in Culemborg, as the son of a surgeon. He ...
’s trip to establish South Africa.
*
Culemborg
Culemborg () is a municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands. The city had a population of 29,386 on 1 January 2022 and is situated just south of the Lek river. Direct train lines run from the railway station towards the cities of U ...
, the Dutch city from which Jan van Riebeeck originated, is reflected in a street with the same name.
Notable residents
*
Rassie Erasmus
Johan "Rassie" Erasmus (born 5 November 1972) is a South African rugby union coach and former player. He was the head coach of the South African national team from 2018 to the end of their 2019 World Cup campaign, doubling up on his duties as ...
rugby coach of the
South Africa national rugby union team
The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jerse ...
*Braam Hanekom, the moderator of the
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...
Notable events
The Kyknet produced television drama series named “Sara se geheim (Sara’s secret)” was partly filmed in the suburb. They made use of a local fishery in the area to do the film shoot.
Dutch Reformed Church
The Stellenberg Dutch Reformed Church (NG Kerk Stellenberg) was founded on 2 August 1971. The church seceded from Durbanville congregation as Durbanville became too big. It moved to the existing premises in Stellenberg on 3 May 1975. The cornerstone was revealed by Reverend JJC Visser. The church was one of the first (in 1995) in South Africa to have an annual Fest Market (Stellenberg Feesmark). It is held annually between end of October to middle November.
References
{{Cape Town suburbs
Suburbs of Cape Town