Tot Nut van het Algemeen (''trans.'' 'For the good of all'), commonly known as Tot Nut, was a Dutch-medium school in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

from 1804 to 1870.

Description

The school catered for all nationalities and played an important role in educating the Dutch-speaking children of the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

. Its curriculum included modern and ancient languages, literature, mathematics drawing and vocal music. The school also maintained a preparatory section for infants. Staff were drawn from scholars, divines of different denominations and eminent professionals. The precise location of the school has been a matter of some uncertainty. A recent study, however, has identified its original location as being in Strand Street, on the site of the present Cape Sun Hotel. In 1833 the school moved to a new building in Queen Victoria Street, a site which is today occupied by the annexe to the

Cape High Court The Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa (previously named the Cape Provincial Division and the Western Cape High Court, and commonly known as the Cape High Court) is a superior court of law with general jurisdiction over th ...

Schröder Schröder (Schroeder) is a German language, German surname often associated with the Schröder family. Notable people with the surname include: * Arthur Schröder (1892–1986), German actor * Atze Schröder, stage name of German comedian Hubertu ...

's memento states quite categorically that it was in New Street. The school remained on this site until its closure in 1870.

Alumni

* Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr (''Onze Jan'') (1845–1909), South African politician. * Sir

John Gilbert Kotzé Sir John Gilbert Kotzé KC (5 November 1849 – 1 April 1940) was an eminent South African jurist. Early life Kotzé was born in Cape Town and was given the Christian names of Johannes Gysbert Blanckenberg, but he used the anglicized form, ...

(1849–1940), Chief Justice of the High Court of the Transvaal 1881–1898,

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

in 1900, appointed judge of the

Supreme Court of the Cape The Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa (previously named the Cape Provincial Division and the Western Cape High Court, and commonly known as the Cape High Court) is a superior court of law with general jurisdiction over th ...

1913, becoming Judge-President in 1920. Judge of Appeal from 1922, retiring in 1927. * William Howard Schröder (1851–1892), cartoonist, caricaturist and publisher of the humorous weekly, 'The Knobkerrie'Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa - NASOU (1973) *

Jeremias Ziervogel Jeremias Frederik Ziervogel M.L.A. (26 April 1802 - 2 July 1883) was a founding member of the Cape Parliament, in which he represented Graaff-Reinet, South Africa, and was prominent in fighting the Eastern Province Separatist League. Early life Z ...

(1802–1883), founding member of the

Cape Parliament The Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope functioned as the legislature of the Cape Colony, from its founding in 1853, until the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, when it was dissolved and the Parliament of South Africa was establis ...

. *

Jan Christoffel Hofmeyr Jan Christoffel Hofmeyr (8 May 1829 – 17 February 1898) also known as Stoffel Hofmeyr was a notary, financier, benefactor and Mayor of Cape Town. Early life and career Hofmeyr was the second son of Hendrik Johannes Hofmeyr and his wife Antonia ...

(1829–1898), notary, financier and

Mayor of Cape Town The Mayor of Cape Town is the head of the local government of Cape Town, South Africa; currently that government takes the form of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality. In the past, the position of Mayor has varied between that of an ...

Notes

Bibliography

Case Study of the 'Tot Nut van het Algemeen' School - Sigi Howes, University of Stellenbosch
{{Cape Town, education Dutch-South African culture Schools in Cape Town Educational institutions established in 1804 1804 establishments in the Cape Colony