Marrying a man whose first passion is cars, I was immersed in the history of motor vehicles since we met. Hence, the history of the automotive businesses in Potchefstroom interested me.
My husband, Hans, and one of his fellow car-enthusiasts, Dr Dennis du Toit, contributed to this article.
Imagine Potchefstroom, our country or the world without automobiles. Unthinkable! But there was a time when there were only horse-drawn and ox-wagons, carriages, stagecoaches (see my article about the origin of name of Zeederberg Street: https://lenniegouws.co.za/street-names-reflect-history-15-w-z/ ) and carts seen in the streets of the town.
About who the first person was to own motorcar in town, there is a difference of opinion.
In my article about the firsts of Potchefstroom, which appeared in the supplement to celebrate the 175th year of the existence of Potchefstroom, published in the Potchefstroom Herald of 21 October 2013, I wrote about the first cars:
1903 – The first car
CV Bate, founder and owner of the Potchefstroom Herald, wrote on 30 July 1954 in his column CeeVeeBee about the first car that came to Potchefstroom:
“My mind went back to the first car introduced to Potchefstroom long, long ago. It was, I think, a small Peugeot owned by Mr George Chapart, a Frenchman and a one-time garage proprietor in the main street. It created quite a sensation in those days of ox-wagon and Cape-cart traffic – and it was not long ere other venturesome spirits invested in cars of the early type.”
In March 1975 the Herald published a photograph of a 1903 Peugeot Voiturette naming it Potchefstroom’s first car. According to the caption the Peugeot was imported for Mr D’Ange D’Astre through Sir Charles Friswell, the Peugeot agent in London.
Bate further wrote in his 1954 column: “Piet Borcherds, a well-known local auctioneer, splashed out with an ambition vehicle with which he proudly drove off for a weekend at Venterskroon. On Sunday afternoon the car would not start and no-one knew why – so ultimately a span of oxen was secured, hitched up to the car and travelled through the night, drawing the car on the twenty-mile journey back to town, with a disgruntled Oom Piet at the steering wheel. It was then discovered that the driver has omitted to turn the little tap which controlled the flow of petrol from the tank! A sad week-end ending.
I also remember, too, the late Dr Boyd with his early Daimler – quite a smart equipage in those days, with the driver sitting high up, cloth cap buttoned down over his ears, the hand-brake handle at the side of the car, and needing a long reach, acetylene lamps and wire wheels. Visits to country patients were fraught with much risk as punctures were frequent and mechanical troubles were always there.
Another candidate for first car owner was Mr John Perrin, a businessman in town (see my article on street names starting with a “P”: https://lenniegouws.co.za/street-names-reflect-history-10-p/ ). The late Mr Luttig Grimbeek, related to Perrin by family, said that Perrin was the first owner of a car in Potchefstroom.
CV Bate remembered that the first motorcar that came to Potchefstroom was a “small Peugeot” owned by George Chapart. This 1903 Peugeot Voiturette was completed at the factory in France on 24 April 1903 and then exported to South Africa. Mr George Chapart, the first garage owner of Potchefstroom, sold the car to the photographer August D’Ange D’Astre. This photograph was taken after the arrival of the car in Potchefstroom. Mr D’Astre is the gentleman standing with his hand on his hip behind the car and the man behind the steering wheel is the garage owner, George Chapart. This car was sold after Mr D’Astre death in 1955 and in 2013 was in the possession of the widow of the late Mr Kobus van Jaarsveld of Bryanston, Johannesburg. Mr Van Jaarsveld was in the process of restoring the car when he passed away during October 2012. Mr Van Jaarsveld received a letter from Peugeot in 2011, confirming that this vehicle was manufactured in their plant and completed on 24 April 1903. It was then exported to South Africa.
Rose Scorgie’s version of the first car
In her unpublished memoirs (in the Potchefstroom Museum) Rose Scorgie wrote:
The first person to own a car in our district was a Mr Day who was the manager of a small mining venture at Venterskroon – (incidentally, his son Ernest rose to be Town Treasurer, and he married a Miss Wilkins the sister of “Molly” Goetz’s wife.)
The second car owner was Charles Brand Harvey: a widower with two small sons: who became the husband of my younger sister Lily and she was the first woman in Potchefstroom to drive a motor car. Most of those first cars were Henry Ford’s Model T known as a “Gin Lizzie” (sic – actually “Tin Lizzie”) and by even more disgruntled owner as a “Bone Shaker”. When his first really fine looking car came on to the market years later it is recalled that there was a song, or some sort of doggerel in which the recurring motif was “Henry’s made a lady out of Lizzie.”
First garage
In my article on the origin of the name Auto Lane, I erroneously situated Mr George Chapart’s garage in Lombard Street, near the vicinity of Auto Lane, since this street was named after an early garage in Potchefstroom.
However, it was only when later reading the memoirs of Mrs Daphne Hurndall (1905-1999) that I realised that Chapart’s garage was in Church Street (Walter Sisulu) on the eastern side of the street north of New Market Street.
Chapart – motoring pioneer
George Chapart was born in France in 1877.
He came to South Africa in 1902 from Madagascar. Due to training he received at the De Dion Bouton factory in France and his knowledge of motorcars, he decided to import cars. In five years he sold about 30 cars in Natal. He ventured on many motorcycle and motorcar trips, mostly to promote the cars he sold.
One of his earliest excursions to promote his business was to ride with a motorcycle from Durban to Pietermaritzburg and back, the first time anybody did this.
In 1907 he bought a Ford Model N and undertook an extensive tour to the interior of the country to introduce this car. He demonstrated this light, cheap and trustworthy car to farmers and at agricultural shows. This tour resulted in many orders for the car.
He decided to open a garage in Potchefstroom in 1910 where he sold many types of cars, but mostly Fords, which coped well on the rough roads. In his memoirs A Romance of Motor Pioneering in South Africa, which was published before 1960, he wrote that 1910 “saw the arrival of Maxwell, Paige, Auckland, Overland, Flanders, Studebaker, Detroiter, Brush (with a wooden chassis) and Regal cars as well as many other makes. It is curious to think that most of these cars, which at the time were considered as perfect, have now disappeared from the market.”
He also wrote that he started the first taxi cab service in South Africa in Potchefstroom with three used cars, “which was a huge success”.
He sold a Ford Model T to a local businessman, Mr F van Swieten, who with his wife and two daughters in this open car, became the first people to cross the Drakensberg by motorcar when they drove from Potchefstroom to Harrismith via the Oliviershoek Pass to Ladysmith and Durban in April 1912. He sent letters to Chapart reporting on his progress, who forwarded them to the Herald where it was published. (My story on this event appeared in Drakensberg edition of Weg! and Go! magazines in 2014.)
During March 2022 a group of old car enthusiasts visited the farm of Mr Johan Nolte near Carletonville. Dr Dennis du Toit, local dentist and owner of numerous vintage cars himself, pointed out this car in Mr Nolte’s collection as the same as the one that Mr Van Swieten and his family took over the Drakensberg. Dennis and his son, Len, are looking at the car.
In May 1912 the Herald reported that Mr Chapart created an “easy record” when he supplied nine motorcars to convey a rugby team from Potchefstroom to Klerksdorp.
He was locally known as “Spaas” and lived at Groenpunt, an area of the Bult between the Wasgoedspruit, Steve Biko, Rissik and Molen Streets. In a copy of his book, held in the Ferdinand Postma Library, an inscription indicates that his house was opposite Cachet Residence in Molen Street. He later moved to Krugersdorp where he owned a garage at least until 1965.
George Chapart’s garage as it was in 1910. Chapart brought the first motorcar to Potchefstroom. Mr Chapart stands in front of the Model T Ford right in view. All the cars are Model T Fords. Photo: Potchefstroom Museum
George Chapart, who brought the first car to Potchefstroom, was a Frenchman who came to South Africa during the Anglo-Boer War. After touring the country to introduce farmers to the Ford Model N, he decided to open a garage in Potchefstroom. After many years he moved to Krugersdorp where he was still running his own service-station at the time of his death in 1965.
In 1913 the Potchefstroom Herald spearheaded the publication of a booklet to promote Potchefstroom as a tourist destination, named Beautiful Potchefstroom. This advertisement of the first garage in Potchefstroom, most likely the one of Mr George Chapart, appeared in this booklet.
Auto Lane named after Shellards
The automotive business after whom Auto Lane was actually named, was Shellards. George Shellard, an Englishman, by 1910 already had a wagon builder enterprise and worked as a blacksmith on what was then known as the common ground behind the properties bordering on Church Street (Walter Sisulu), Lombard Street (James Moroka), Potgieter Street (Nelson Mandela) and Berg Street (Peter Mokaba). It is the same area where St Mary’s Anglican Church now stands.
By 1950 Shellard’s Garage had a service station on the western side of Church Street nearer to Potgieter Street. Mrs Daphne Hurndall wrote that this garage was sold shortly before 1985 when she wrote her memoirs.
George Shellards wagon building enterprise as it was in 1910. Photo: Potchefstroom Museum
Shellard’s service in Church Street (Walter Sisulu) is seen on the western side of the street during the funeral procession of Prof Ferdinand Postma on 4 November 1950. The photo was taken from the first floor of the King’s Hotel in a northerly direction. The recognisable cars are: 1940 Ford (parked left), 1950 Austin (parked right) and the hearse is a 1934 Buick.* Photo: Potchefstroom Museum
Chapart to Calderbank
Mrs Hurndall wrote that Mr Chapart’s first garage was later taken over by a Mr Calderbank, who was his mechanic. He was the father of Mr Hugh Calderbank, who married Betty Schoeman and was later mayor of the town. I told the Calderbank story in my article on the origins of street names starting with a “C”: https://lenniegouws.co.za/street-names-reflect-history-3-names-starting-with-a-c/ Calderbank Street, leading to the entrance of the Dam Resort, was named after Mr Calderbank after he had built the Tudor style thatched roof residence, right next to the entrance. This is currently the residence of the vice-chancellor of the North-West University.
Calderbank’s Garage later relocated to Lombard Street (where Fiti Exhaust is now) and still existed in the late 1970s.
Calderbank’s garage was completed in 1930 and built by the father of Hugh Calderbank, after which Calderbank Street was named. The petrol pumps were installed in the hollow metal pillars. The first offices of the Potchefstroom Herald, were on the premises before they moved to the neighbouring property to the south in 1927. The Herald building was then demolished to build the Calderbank building.
Mr Hugh Calderbank Photo: Potchefstroom Museum
This advertisement for Radium Garage appeared in the Herald of 9 August 1918. The garage was opposite the Queens Hotel, now Impala in Church Street (Walter Sisulu).
Jurie’s garage
For many years Jurie Schoeman had a dealership selling tractors and cars on the south-eastern corner of Lombard (James Moroka) and Rivier Streets. Presently there is a betting business on that corner.
This advertisement for “Jurie se Garage” appeared in the Herald in the 1950s.
In 1967 Jurie Schoeman stood again to be elected for the city council. The Herald of 24 February 1967 published photos, the election manifesto and a short biography of each candidate. According to this Schoeman was 57 years old at the time. It noted that for 38 years he built up a “flourishing tractor and car business”, but three years previously he moved to his farm next to the Parys road to dedicate himself to farming.
Mr Jurie Schoeman Photo: Potchefstroom Herald
He was born in Potchefstroom and was a pupil at the Potchefstroom High School for Boys where he completed matric.
He bought the largest part of the property on which the River Walk Centre now stands in 1951 for ten thousand pounds. On the premises also stood a large thatched roof dwelling where the family lived. This was demolished to build the centre, formerly known as the Checkers Centre, in 1977.
Jurie Schoeman passed away in 1982 and his ashes were buried on the corner of Lombard Street and Mooirivier Drive (James Moroka and Govan Mbeki). In 1988 the ashes of his granddaughter Kay was added.
Grosvenor to Daly
The association between the Daly family and the Ford agency in Potchefstroom dates from 1961 when Mr Dick Daly was a partner in a chartered accountancy practice which executed the audit of Grosvenor Motors.
In 1964 Mr Daly procured a 50% share in this concern and also became a director of the company.
After Mr Dick Daly became a partner in Grosvenor Motors, this advertisement appeared in the Herald on 29 July 1966. The cars are a 1966 Zephyr (left) and a 1966 Zodiac.
Grosvenor Motors moved from the western side to the eastern side of Church Street, when the Turkstra family swopped the old Union Bakery premises with Grosvenor Motors’ stand on the western side of the street. This is according to the late Mr Hessel Turkstra.
In 1975 Senex, long-time column writer of the Herald, placed Grosvenor Motors on the western side of Church Street (Walter Sisulu) between Lombard Street (James Moroka) and Retief Street.
An advertisement in the Herald in 1967 for Grosvenor Motors indicated that the business had two locations, a service station in Lombard Street and the Ford dealership in Church Street.
The full-page advertisement of Grosvenor Motors appeared in the Potchefstroom Herald of 5 May 1967. The cars are: 1967 Ford Fairlane (left), two 1967 Cortinas and a 1967 Corsair (right).
In 1976 Dick Daly enlarged his share to 75% and renamed the trading name of the firm to Daly Ford. Five years later he bought the remaining shares and became the sole owner.
He also opened a branch of the firm in Parys and acquired a 50% share in Westvaal Ford in Carletonville and Nigel Ford.
By 1994 the latter was sold and he traded in Potchefstroom only.
In 1981 Theo Daly joined his father and for the next eight years worked in various businesses in the group.
In 1989 he joined Daly Ford and became shareholder. He had a large role in procuring the Land Rover dealership for Potchefstroom. By 1994 Daly Land Rover was the dealership with the second most sales in the country.
This cartoon of Theo and Dick Daly appeared in a supplement in the Potchefstroom Herald in December 1994 on well-known businesses in town. All advertisements were accompanied by cartoons of the owners drawn by the Mynderd Vosloo.
Dick Daly was born in Potchefstroom and matriculated at the Potchefstroom High School for Boys in 1953. He studied at Wits and the PU for CHE. From 1961 to 1964 he practiced as a chartered account with the firm Newton, Walker, Venter & Partners.
Theo followed in his father’s footsteps, matriculated at Boys High and studied at Wits and the PU for CHE.
Mr Dick Daly passed away on 25 May 2022. The Potchefstroom Herald published this obituary https://potchefstroomherald.co.za/107660/dick-daly-leaves-an-incredible-legacy/
The early Dalys
The Daly family has been associated with Potchefstroom since the earliest days of its existence. In 1869 RL (Ramsay) Daly was appointed as one of the “heemraden”* of Potchefstroom. By 1870 R Daly was a member of the school committee of Potchefstroom. Ramsay Daly was known to be a shop-owner in the 1880s. The business was situated on the south-western corner of Church and Lombard Streets (Walter Sisulu and James Moroka). Ernest Jenkins mentioned that their large new building was nearing completion.
* A “heemraad” was appointed to support a magistrate in the execution of judicial and administrative powers.
According to Prof Gert van den Bergh, in an academic article about the business of Potchefstroom in the 1880s, four businesses existed on the premises. The Daly family in time bought out the other owners and also had their house on this property.
This photo of Church Street was published on 2 May 1962 in the Herald. To the right is the OK Bazaars. The land on which it stands was owned by the Daly family in the latter part of the 19th century. To the right is the former building of the Royal Hotel, which was built in the early 1900s. Cars in view (from left to right) are: 1938 Chevrolet (back not in view), 1947 or 1948 Buick (parked in front of Royal), also a 1947 or 1948 Buick (driving in street – back visible) 1951 Hudson, behind the 1948 Ford station wagon, known as a “Woody” (car turning).
Virtually the same view, but a few years later. The old Royal Hotel had now been replaced by the current building on the site. Judging according to the cars in view, the photo could not have been taken later than 1964. Cars in view are: 1957 Ford (back window and taillight visible), ±1955 Zephyr, 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline (parked parallel), 1948 Pontiac (also parked parallel), 1964 Vauxhall Victor (driving, back visible), 1959 or 1960 Volkswagen Beetle (nearest to camera) 1958 Anglia (driving, front visible), 1958 Austin Cambridge (parked, front visible) and in front of it a ± 1956 Goggomobile and a Vespa scooter in the street.
Stanley Motors
Not much is known about Stanley Motors, apart from this advertisement, which appeared on 18 May 1956 in the Potchefstroom Herald. The cars are: ±1951 Austin, 1948 Studebaker, ±1948 Mercury, 1950 Hudson Hornet.
The advertisement of Stanley Motors in the 1963 Anniversary Edition of the Herald, published on 9 November.
The Anniversary Edition of the Herald of 9 November 1963 was published to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the founding of Potchefstroom and the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Potchefstroom Herald.
Harold’s Pat’s
For many years Harold’s Pat’s was the biggest auto dealer in Potchefstroom.
The business started in 1933 as a workshop. It was founded by Messrs Harold Herr and Meyer Patlansky. The business started in in Wolmarans Street in a corrugated iron building. The business later moved to premises across the town hall. Later, on the south-eastern corner of Wolmarans and Church Street, a large showroom and workshop was built with a service station on the corner. The buildings were modernised in 1977.
Harold Herr (1913-1952), founder of Harold’s Garage & Service Station. Photo: Potchefstroom Museum
Meyer Patlansky, founder of the Pat’s part of the business, passed away in 1956 at the age of 58. Photo: Potchefstroom Museum
The first cars sold was the Kaizer/Frazers motors and Federal trucks.
Later the workshop was expanded to include five petrol pumps and a tow-in service.
Pat’s motors joined the Harold’s organisation in 1958. Brands sold over the years were Fiat, Volvo, Morris, Alfa, Studebaker, Datsun-Nissan and Volkswagen.
A photo from the first part of the 20th century depicts the original Harold’s service station. Photo: Potchefstroom Museum
First the staff only included one mechanic, his assistant and several petrol attendants. By 1994 more than a hundred staff members were employed.
In 1969 a garage was opened in Fochville.
The advertisement of Harold’s Automotive Service Station in the 1963 Special Edition of the Herald.
An advertisement for Datsuns, available at Pat’s on the front page of the Herald of 7 September 1975.
By 1977 the organisation was proud to announce that representatives undertook five overseas trips to international car shows.
In 1983 Harold’s Pat’s celebrated its 50th anniversary. This is how the service station, workshop and showrooms looked at the time. The car is a 1973 Ranger. Photo: Potchefstroom Museum
The service station did brisk business until the late 1980s. All travellers driving to Viljoenskroon and Schoemansdrif had to pass the garage and it was the last one before exiting the town. During the late 1980s Mooirivier Drive (now Govan Mbeki Drive) was opened and traffic was redirected away from the service station.
Many iterations of a car dealership in one spot
Not much is known about the Sentrale Garage apart from the fact that it was situated at 39 Potgieter Street (Nelson Mandela) and that they also sold radios and farm equipment. The advertisement appeared in the 1957 edition of Die Besembos, yearbook of the Potchefstroom University for CHE. The same building still stands and now houses the Haval agency. Formerly Mooirivier Motors occupied the premises.
Mooirivier Motors advertised for the first time in Die Besembos in 1963.
The first ever full page colour advertisement in the Herald was published on 3 December 1971 and is an advertisement for Mooirivier Motors. The cars are both 1971 Fiat 128s. The main business of Mooirivier was, however, sales and service of Mercedes-Benz cars.
Two garages still doing business on the Bult, made their first appearance in the 1960s.
Bult Garage, on the corner of Tom and Von Wielligh Street (Steve Biko and Albert Luthuli) first advertised in 1965 in Die Besembos. The business was owned by Mr Kurt Link.
In 1967 the first advertisement for Kollege Dienssentrum was published in Die Besembos. After many metamorphoses a garage still exists on the premises. The business was bought by Mr Hoffie (AC) Hoffman in 1970. By the time it was only a service station and he developed it into a petrol station.
Toyota champions
The Potchefstroom Toyota dealership triumphed over 320 others when Kyalami Motors was named Dealership of the Year for 1991.
The Herald reported on this on 10 March 1992 and wrote that it again did very well in the Dealership Competition of Toyota. Apart from the Dealership of the Year, Kyalami also received the Chairman’s Award for client satisfaction and the Parts Price for 1991. Apart from this, every division of Kyalami received certificates of merit for exceptional service.
The Herald made an occasion of it and dedicated a page to congratulatory advertisements from other business in Potchefstroom on 20 March 1992. On Toyota’s Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Kyalami scored 92,4%.
Kyalami was founded in 1962 and since June 1990 occupied a new building at 7 Lombard Street (James Moroka) across from the then Checkers Centre, now Riverwalk.
The facilities then included a modern pumping station with eight pumps, large showroom and offices. The large workshop was able to handle forty vehicles a day. The workshop was outfitted with the latest equipment and every mechanic had the use of a lift to ensure swift service.
A special showroom for heavy duty vehicles and light commercial vehicles was also available.
Kyalami Motors as it appeared in 1992 when it won Toyota’s Dealership of the Year Award. Photo: Potchefstroom Herald
Elcon Motors
For many years Elcon Motors and its larger than life owner, At Jacobs, was a well-known second hand dealership in Potchefstroom. Elcon Motors was situated in Rivier Street. The River Walk Centre now stands on the premises.
An advertisement of Elcon Motors which appeared in the Potchefstroom Herald on 7 January 1991.
Mr At Jacobs (1943-1993), long-time second-hand car dealer in Potchefstroom. Photo Potchefstroom Herald
In 1992 Mr Jacobs, as a director and shareholder in Weiveld Ondernemings Pty Ltd had summons issued against the city council for R1,7 million after they had bought his two plots in Rivier Street.
The city council needed the land for the development of a shopping centre next to the then Checkers Centre. The largest part of the land was owned by the council, but for the development to proceed, they also needed the plots belonging to Mr Jacobs.
On 26 September 1991 Mr Jacobs sold the properties on behalf of Weiveld Ondernemings Pty Ltd to the city council. The contract was subject to the condition that the council had to enter into a contract with Pepkor for the development of the shopping centre, which would include the plots where Elcon Motors was conducting business.
The council accepted Pepkor’s tender on 1 October. Pepkor then decided not to continue with the development and the council did not want to continue to buy the property from Mr Jacobs’s company and did not pay the purchase price.
The fact that the council did accept Pepkor’s offer, meant that the conditions in the contract with Jacobs was fulfilled. Hence, the Supreme Court handed down a verdict in favour of Mr Jacobs’s company which meant that the council had to pay him the R1,7 million.
Mr At Jacobs passed away in May 1993, a few months before his 50th birthday.
The heavyweight wrestler, Mike Schutte, briefly worked for Elcon Motors in the 1980s. At the time the Herald published the cartoon series “Ou Maaik”. It was written by Andries Botha and illustrated by Lou Henning of Rapport.
The last car personally owned and daily driven by At Jacobs was this 1981 Cadillac Seville which now belongs to my husband, Hans Gouws, who will later share the woes and successes of this restoration project, which took a number of years.
This article just lightly touches on the history of the earlier car dealers in Potchefstroom. The vehicles they sold, they themselves and their businesses have been part and parcel of the fabric of Potchefstroom. They helped to shape the economy of the town and were (in more than one case quite eccentric) characters that are still fondly remembered by many residents. There might have been many more automotive businesses which are not mentioned here, but they might have been less known and shorter lived. Most of the ones mentioned here truly believed in advertising themselves and their merchandise and left a legacy in the advertisements in the Herald and other publications. Hence, they were found and mentioned here. The current and recent car dealers, who do not have a long history in the city, fall out of the scope of this article. However, if you fall in this latter category, you are welcome to contact me if you want your history also written up on this blog.
*Information about the year and make of cars in all the photos was supplied by my husband, Hans Gouws.
