Magdalena Retief – memorable tragic Voortrekker woman
Retief Street (Central) was named after, Magdalena Retief, the wife of the Voortrekker leader, Piet Retief. Retief. She resided on the north-eastern corner of Retief and Berg Streets (later Van Riebeeck, now Peter Mokaba). In 1994, shortly after a memorial in the...
Street names reflect history 10 – P
A man who became emotional about a pipe organ, a doctor concerned about the human consumption of patent medicine (including wolf poison) and the owner of one of the first shops of Potchefstroom all gave their names to these street names. Paul Schutte Street...
Street names reflect history 9 – O
A descendant of Swedish immigrants, a doctor – who was also a magistrate – and a blacksmith have been honoured by the town in these street names. Ockerse Lane (Central), also spelled Ocherse and Orcherse was named after Mr WC (Cookie) Ockerse, for many years...
Johan Oosthuizen – Freeman of Potchefstroom
Oosthuizen Street in the Heilige Akker was named after Alderman* Johan Oosthuizen, who resided in the Heilige Akker for many years. The Oosthuizens was one of the first residents in this area and resided in Johannes Dreyer Street. While preparing the article on the...
Street names reflect history 8 – M & N
A dominee with strange advice on how to alleviate loneliness, a music professor who died after a car accident, a doctor who died of the Spanish Flu and another music teacher all lend their names to streets in this category. Maherry Street (South) J Maherry, an...
What happened in the Potchefstroom concentration camp
This week’s news reports about the current spike in the Covid pandemic echo down the ages to 120 years ago. Stories about the measles outbreak in the winter of 1901 in the Potchefstroom concentration camp sound eerily familiar with overcrowded hospitals, exhausted...
Remembering a genocide
The public holiday of 16 June is known as Youth Day, commemorating the death of 60 youths shot by police in 1976. But for the Afrikaners 16 June signifies the day the British forces started the genocide of the Boer nation. On 16 June 1900 Lord Robberts set the...
A fresh look at the historic mills of Potchefstroom
Almost all that is left of the thriving mill industry on the Bult during the latter part of the 19th century are mill streams, repurposed as storm water drainage and three street names, Molen Street, Meul Street and Hoffman Street. The first two are self-explanatory...
Street names reflect history 7 – K & L
The interesting people that walked the streets of Potchefstroom never cease to amaze me. The exasperated first teacher of Potchefstroom, another historian and a once fancy hotel all lent their names to street names starting with a “K and “L”. Kamp Street (Central) was...
Street names reflect history 6 – I & J
A father and son – both historians – a war hero, a cartographer and a long-standing dominee all lent their names to Potchefstroom street names starting with an “I” and a “J”. Iris Street (Grimbeekpark) Senex is of the opinion that Iris Street was named after one of...