Oudtshoorn

For the historic Dutch village, see Oudshoorn.
Oudtshoorn

View of Oudtshoorn
Oudtshoorn

 Oudtshoorn shown within South Africa

Coordinates: 33°35′S 22°12′E / 33.583°S 22.200°ECoordinates: 33°35′S 22°12′E / 33.583°S 22.200°E
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District Eden
Municipality Oudtshoorn
Established 1857[1]
Area[2]
 • Total 37.6 km2 (14.5 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 61,507
 • Density 1,600/km2 (4,200/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
 • Black African 12.5%
 • Coloured 70.9%
 • Indian/Asian 0.4%
 • White 15.3%
 • Other 1.0%
First languages (2011)[2]
 • Afrikaans 87.8%
 • Xhosa 7.4%
 • English 2.6%
 • Other 2.2%
Postal code (street) 6625
PO box 6620
Area code 044

Oudtshoorn, the "ostrich capital of the world",[3] is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Two ostrich-feather booms, during 1865-1870 and 1900-1914, truly established the settlement.[4] With approximately 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest town in the Little Karoo region. The town's economy is primarily reliant on the ostrich farming and tourism industries.[5] Oudtshoorn is home to the world's largest ostrich population,[6] with a number of specialized ostrich breeding farms, such as the Safari Show Farm and the Highgate Ostrich Show Farm.

Bongelethu is a township 10 km east of Oudtshoorn. Derived from Xhosa, its name means "our pride".[7]

History

A historical building in the town

The area in which Oudtshoorn is situated was originally inhabited by Bushmen, as evidenced by the many rock paintings that are found in caves throughout the surrounding Swartberg mountains.

The first European explorers to the area were a trading party led by a certain Ensign Shrijver, who were guided there by a Griqua via an ancient elephant trail in January 1689. The expedition reached as far as present-day Aberdeen before turning back and exiting the Klein Karoo valley through Attaquas Kloof on 16 March of the same year. However, it was only a hundred years later that the first farmers started settling in the region.

Settlement

The first large permanent structure of the Klein Karoo, a church of the Dutch Reformed denomination, was first erected in 1838 on the farm Hartebeestrivier, near the banks of the Olifants and Grobbelaars rivers. The village (and later town) of Oudtshoorn gradually grew around this church, and nine years later, in 1847, Oudtshoorn was founded.[4][8] It was named after Baron Pieter van Rheede van Oudtshoorn, who was appointed Governor of the Dutch Cape Colony in 1772 but died at sea in January 1773 on his return voyage to the Cape.[7][8] In 1853, the Dutch Reformed church was officially established as a kerkplaats (church farm).[8] Originally part of the district of George, Oudtshoorn was proclaimed as its own, separate division in 1858.[8] The first British settlers settled the area in 1858.[4] Also in 1858, van Rheede van Oudtshoorn's granddaughter, Ernestina Johanna Geesje, married Egbertus Bergh, a magistrate of George.[9][10][11]

A small one-room school was opened in 1858, followed by the formation of a municipality and the founding of an Agricultural Society in 1859. During the same year, work was also started on a larger church to replace the original small one.

The limited supply of water in the area limited the settlement's growth. In the early years, water was transported to the town in barrels, which were sold for sixpence per bucket. Forced to cope with the lack of water, many of South Africa's earliest irrigation experts hailed from the region. Fruit and grain were produced in large quantities, but the local economy was based primarily upon tobacco and ostrich farming.[8] A severe drought in 1865 persuaded many of the settlers to move to the Transvaal.[4] The 1865 census indicated that Oudtshoorn had a population of 1,145.[8]

Ostrich farming

First Ostrich Boom

The Highgate Ostrich Show Farm

Oudtshoorn's ostrich industry dates back to 1864.[12] The main reason for the surge in Oudtshoorn's prosperity was the ostrich, whose feathers had become fashionable accessories among European nobility.[12] Feather exports saw a sharp increase from the Cape Colony during the mid-1860s, which is generally accepted as the launch of the industry in South Africa. By 1870, feather auctions were being held in Mossel Bay.[13] In 1875, the census counted the town's population to be 1,837.[8] Between 1875 and 1880, ostrich prices reached up to GBP 1,000 a pair. The value of ostrich feathers, per pound, equaled almost that of diamonds.[14] The farmers of the region, realising that ostriches were far more profitable than any other activity, ripped out their other crops and planted lucerne, which was used as feed for the ostriches. By 1877, feather auctions were also being held in Oudtshoorn itself.[13] The rising wealth also finally allowed for the completion of the Dutch Reformed Church, which was opened on 7 June 1879. Such was the worth of the white ostrich feather, that it was dubbed "white gold".[13]

Owing to overproduction, the ostrich industry experienced a sudden slump in fortunes in 1885; the town's misery was compounded when it was hit by severe flooding during the same year, which washed away the nearby Victoria Bridge, which had been built over the Olifants River only the year before.

The boom had attracted a large Jewish immigrant population of about 100 families, most of them Lithuanians from the towns of Kelme and Shavel, who were fleeing from the Tsarist pogroms.[4][15] As a result, Oudtshoorn came to be known as "the Jerusalem of Africa".[16][17] Two synagogues were built, the first in 1888 and the second in 1896, and the first South African Hebrew school was established in Oudtshoorn in 1904.[13] In 1891, Oudtshoorn's population had grown to 4,386 persons.[8]

Second Ostrich Boom

The ostrich industry recovered slowly, owing in part to the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899 to 1902. Boer forces under Commandant Gideon Scheepers were sighted near Oudtshoorn on 25 August 1901, but moved on because the town was well defended.[8] A second and bigger boom started after the war. It was during this period that "feather barons", ostrich farmers who had become rich, built most of Oudtshoorn's famously opulent "feather palaces", their houses, most of them on the west bank of the Grobbelaars River.[4][13] The town grew even more, and in 1904 it claimed 8,849 residents in the census.[8] This boom peaked in 1913, during which year the highest-quality feathers cost more than $32 a pound in 2012 prices. Ostrich feathers were outranked only by gold, diamonds and wool among South African exports before World War I. The market collapsed in 1914, according to The Chicago Tribune, as a result of "the start of World War I, overproduction and the popularity of open-topped cars, which made ostrich-feather hats impractical." 80% of the ostrich farmers were bankrupted, and the ostriches were set loose or slaughtered for biltong.[13] Domesticated ostriches numbered 314,000 at the end of World War I, but had plummeted to 32,000 by 1930. The Jewish population of Oudtshoorn fell from 1,073 in 1918 to 555 in 1936, and only continued to dwindle.[15]

The end of World War II opened new markets for ostrich leather and meat, and as a result the industry slowly recovered.[12] For forty years, Oudtshoorn had been the most important settlement east of Cape Town.[4]

Recent History

The production of specialised agricultural seed is the biggest contributor to the region's wealth today, but ostrich farming remains an important business.[4]

Bird flu

Through late 2004 to late 2005, South Africa lost R700 million in exports as a result of an avian flu outbreak, which also cost the ostrich industry 26,000 birds and 400 employees.[6][18] The business arm of the ostrich industry, the Klein Karoo Group, stated that the recent ban on exports resulted in an increase of about 500% in local sales.[18] Most ostrich farms recovered from the outbreak and continued to operate.[12]

In April, 2011, a strain of bird flu, H5N2, broke out in Oudtshoorn.[19][20][21] As a member of the World Organisation for Animal Health, South Africa was required under international law to slaughter infected birds that belonged to farms which had tested positive for bird flu; as a result 38,000 ostriches were culled.[12][19] The European Union, which had been responsible for 90% of South Africa's ostrich meat exports, banned the import of South African ostrich meat.[22] This resulted in financial difficulties for the region's ostrich farms. Farmers were offered financial compensation by the government in the form of R2,000 for each ostrich culled (about 80% of its worth)[23] but this compensation was not enough; they were forced to fire employees, whose UIF (unemployment) benefits were depleted by December, 2011.[19] The shortage of birds would also affect factories which depended on ostrich farming.[12] Some ostrich farms managed to survive by selling ostrich feathers and leather, but the industry was losing R108 million monthly, and had lost R1,2 billion in total between April, 2011, and January, 2012.[3][22] Tourism was also affected.[19] Other farmers resorted to heat-treating the ostrich meat, which killed the virus but also reduced its price on the market.[12]

As of January 2012, Oudtshoorn's population of more than 200,000 ostriches was the world's largest, and accounted for 80% of the world's ostrich products.[6] The ostrich industry in the Oudtshoorn region had directly employed 20,000 people, and generated R2,1 billion per year.[3][22][23] 50% of ostrich farmers had left the industry by 2013.[21]

The first positive case of a bird flu in South Africa since 2011 was confirmed in April, 2013 on a farm near Oudtshoorn, as the H7N1 virus.[21][24] Between the H5N2 virus outbreak of 2011 and the H7N1 virus outbreak of 2013, roughly 50,000 ostriches had been culled.[20][21] The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana, said in October, 2014 that the outbreaks "in the past few years" had cost the country R4 billion.[25][26]

Municipal crisis

In the years leading up to the 2013 municipal by-elections, Oudtshoorn had been subject to long-standing "acrimonious political battles" and the municipality was also being investigated by a Special Investigating Unit over allegations of malpractice and corruption. On 30 April 2013, Marius Fransman and other African National Congress (ANC) party members were forced to leave Oudtshoorn as a result of a protest against them. Following that incident, the powers of the ANC’s sub-regional politicians in Oudtshoorn were suspended, pending an investigation.[27]

The municipal by-elections in August, 2013, resulted in the ANC losing its majority in the municipality of Oudtshoorn. The Democratic Alliance (DA) obtained 12 seats, which, with its alliance partner Congress of the People (South African political party) (COPE), meant that it had secured the municipality for itself.[5] On 1 October 2013, George Kersop on behalf of human rights organisation AfriForum laid charges of corruption, fraud, and financial mismanagement against Ronnie Lottering, the acting Municipal Manager of Oudtshoorn, various officials, and members of the public, with the Hawks, the counter-corruption unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS).[28][29][30]

The ANC delayed transfer of municipal power to the DA via legal cases funded through municipal funds, which DA Oudtshoorn caucus leader Christiaan MacPherson stated in July, 2014, had cost R13 million.[5] The provincial leader for the DA, Helen Zille, speculated also that the ANC had been siphoning funds from the Cango Caves trust fund to finance the legal actions. John Stoffels, the Oudtshoorn speaker for the ANC, was ordered to pay the costs of the legal actions brought on behalf of the ANC because he had refused to convene council meetings to avoid motions of no confidence against the ruling party. The ANC began to suspend DA councilors on absenteeism charges.[31] A court order prevented the DA from bringing a motion of no confidence against the ANC, Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa and National Peoples Party executive.[32]

On 10 April 2014, AfriForum indicated that it had requested Helen Zille's intervention in the Oudtshoorn and Kannaland regions due to the "rampant municipal mismanagement".[33] In July, 2014, Western Cape Finance MEC Ivan Meyer, and Local Government MEC Anton Bredell, probed claims that the Cango Caves trust fund was being misused for municipal purposes. It was claimed that more than R16 million had been moved from the accounts, which were intended for maintenance and infrastructure development of the caves.[5][32]

The ANC and its political allies had yet to hand over control of the municipality to the DA and the COPE by July 2014. The DA, AfriForum, and the Oudtshoorn ratepayers association together filed a request with the Western Cape High Court that DA councillors who had been suspended be reinstated, and that the ANC mayor, speaker and town managers surrender their offices to the DA and COPE.[5]

In October, 2014, Francois Human, Director of Corporate Services for the municipality of Oudtshoorn,[34] compiled allegations against his ANC colleagues, such as incidents of corruption, bribery and intimidation, and forwarded them to political leaders, the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the Special Investigations Unit and the SAPS.[31]

Demography

According to the 2011 census, Oudtshoorn had 61,507 inhabitants—17,640 in Bridgeton, 14,724 in Bongolethu and 29,143 in the rest of the town. 70.9% of the population described themselves as "Coloured", 15.3% as "White" and 12.5% as "Black African". The predominant language is Afrikaans, spoken as the home language of 87.8% of inhabitants, while 7.4% speak Xhosa and 2.6% speak English.[2]

Society and culture

Afrikaans

C. J. Langenhoven, the town's most famous inhabitant, rose to prominence during the post-collapse period. Considered by many to be one of the fathers of Afrikaans, Langenhoven was a prodigious writer who provided much of the literature that formed the backbone of the Afrikaans language during its early development.

Festivals

The Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees ("Little Karoo National Arts Festival"), better known as the KKNK, is South Africa's largest Afrikaans language arts festival, and takes place in the town on a yearly basis.[5]

Museums, monuments and memorials

Churches

The oldest church is the original Dutch Reformed Church, which is situated on the corner of Church Street and High Street. Other churches include, Apostolic Faith Mission, Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist, Roman Catholic (Roman Catholic Diocese of Oudtshoorn) and other traditional churches. In recent years, the number of independent churches (also referred to as non-denominational churches) have grown. Independent Churches include the River of Life Church, The Vineyard and the Oudtshoorn Community Church.[38]

Educational Institutions

Apart from the many high schools in Oudtshoorn, there are also many independent tertiary educational institutions, including the South Cape College and [39] Principia College

Military

Wine

Oudtshoorn is the start of the Route 62 wine route. Some of the best South African Port style wines are produced in the area surrounding Oudsthoorn.

Tourism

Tourist information

Oudtshoorn and De Rust are managed by Greater Oudtshoorn Tourism, whose tourism office is centrally situated in Voortrekker Road, next to the CP Nel Museum.[40]

Tourist attractions

Tourist attractions in Oudtshoorn and the surrounding areas include:[4]

The area is also famed for its biodiversity, as it is home to an unusually large number of species of succulent plant. Several wine producers also exist in the region.

Famous people

References

  1. ↑ "Chronological order of town establishment in South Africa based on Floyd (1960:20-26)". pp. xlv–lii.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Sum of the Main Places Oudtshoorn, Bongolethu and Bridgeton from Census 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Robyn Curnow and Teo Kermeliotis (2012-02-22). "S. Africa ostrich industry hit by major bird flu outbreak". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Footprint. "Oudtshoorn in South Africa". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Vecchiatto, Paul (2014-07-30). "DA heads to court on ANC failure to hand over Oudtshoorn council". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 van der Westhuizen, Lauren (2011-04-14). "South Africa Says Suspends Exports of Ostrich Meat After Bird Flu Outbreak". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Raper, P.E. (1987). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Johannesburg: Lowry. ISBN 9780947042066. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 Frescura, Franco. "Oudtshoorn, prior to 1910". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ "SAGNS – Local Authorities for All Provinces". South African Geographical Names Council. Archived from the original on 2004. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  11. ↑ McCall Theal, George (2010). History of South Africa Since September 1795. Cambridge University Press. pp. 44,447. ISBN 9781108023641. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Cohen, Mike (2012-07-10). "Bird flu endangers South African ostrich farming industry". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 "Game tourism- Oudtshoorn's ostriches charm tourists". 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  14. ↑ Stein, Sarah. "Ruffling Feathers". Retrieved 2014-10-29.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "The Synagogue in Oudtshoorn’s CP Nel Museum". 2013-05-23. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
  16. ↑ Becker, Alida (7 May 2000). "Birds of a Feather: How the ostrich climbed to the top of the bird world in the 20th century". Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  17. ↑ Nixon, Rob. DREAMBIRDS: The Strange History of the Ostrich in Fashion, Food, and Fortune. New York: Picador, USA. ISBN 0312245408.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Manxamba, Sivuyile (2005-11-03). "SA ostrich farmers fear bird flu". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Cruywagen, Vincent (2014-12-09). "Bird flu kills off ostrich industry". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Staff Writer (2013-04-10). "New bird-flu outbreak on Western Cape ostrich farm". Retrieved 2014-10-27.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 iAfrica (2013-04-10). "Officials confirm bird-flu case". Retrieved 2014-10-27.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Fihlani, Pumza (2012-01-13). "Bird flu empties South Africa's ostrich farms". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Bird flu batters SA ostrich farms". 2011-09-20. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  24. ↑ SAPA (2013-04-10). "New bird flu detected in Cape". Retrieved 2014-10-27.
  25. ↑ Gabara, Nthambeleni (2014-10-22). "Bird flu costs SA R4bn". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  26. ↑ Gabara, Nthambeleni (2014-10-23). "BIRD FLU OUTBREAK COSTS SOUTH AFRICA 4.0 BILLION RAND". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  27. ↑ Meyer, Warda (2013-05-04). "Infighting behind Oudtshoorn violence". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  28. ↑ Prinsloo, Esmarie (2013-10-02). "AfriForum lays charge against Oudtshoorn Municipal Manager". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  29. ↑ Bruwer, Phillip (2013-10-02). "AfriForum lê klag teen Oudtshoorn munisipale bestuurder". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  30. ↑ Politics Web (2013-10-02). "Oudtshoorn: AfriForum vs Ronnie Lottering". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Donaldson, Andrew (2014-10-25). "Oudtshoorn's orgy of corruption". Retrieved 2014-10-27.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Meyer, Warda (2014-07-29). "Mystery of Cango Caves millions". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  33. ↑ Oudtshoorn Courant (2014-04-10). "Munisipaliteite wil Afriforum dagvaar". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  34. ↑ "Oudtshoorn Local Municipality (WC045)". Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  35. ↑ http://www.cpnelmuseum.co.za
  36. ↑ "C P Nel Museum, Baron van Rheede Street - 9/2/068/0007". South African Heritage Resource Agency.
  37. ↑ "Gottland House 72 Baron van Rheede Street - 9/2/068/0015". South African Heritage Resource Agency.
  38. ↑ http://www.oudtshoorninfo.com/gen_info.php?action=show_article&id=163&category=97
  39. ↑ http://www.sccollege.co.za
  40. ↑ http://www.oudtshoorn.com
  41. ↑ http://www.cangoostrich.co.za
  42. ↑ http://www.cango.co.za
  43. ↑ http://www.oudtshoornballooning.co.za
  44. ↑ http://www.highgate.co.za

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oudtshoorn.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Oudtshoorn.