{"id":822500,"date":"2025-05-03T16:11:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T14:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=822500"},"modified":"2025-05-03T16:11:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T14:11:00","slug":"the-south-african-village-with-no-fences-or-burglar-bars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/822500\/the-south-african-village-with-no-fences-or-burglar-bars\/","title":{"rendered":"The South African village with no fences or burglar bars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Mpumalanga, South Africa, lies a pint-sized hamlet where geese and police outnumber residents, leaders once quietly convened, and a whisky-laden train famously derailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just under two hours from Johannesburg, Val is considered one of South Africa\u2019s hamlets. It is home to just eight permanent residents, lots of geese, dogs, and a donkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There\u2019s really nothing like it. Val has a huge history and a really unique charm,” said resident Rita Britz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside her husband Andr\u00e9, they have brought new life to the blue-plaque hotel and most other older properties in the area, which they bought decades ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Val’s history dates back to the late 1800s, when Joseph Smith and his stepsons acquired a farm at Oudehoutspruit on the banks of the Waterval River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They established a popular inn along the stagecoach route between the Lowveld and Johannesburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The route was replaced in the late 1890s when President Paul Kruger commissioned a railway line for the Transvaal. This marked the start of Val as a rail-linked settlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith built a new home near the railway junction, and the village began to take shape with a general dealer, post office, blacksmith, roller mill, and hotel. It quickly became a key stop for transport and trade in the Highveld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life in Val was disrupted in 1899 with the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War. Due to its rail traffic, Val’s railway station on the vital Natal-to-interior supply line became a strategic point during the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith, who declared neutrality, was deported, leaving his wife Elizabeth to manage the farm and businesses independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elizabeth famously kept relations with both sides, hosting tea for Afrikaner neighbours while quietly offering rations to British soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While no major battlefields are recorded in this region, it has been the backdrop for numerous stories and everyday conflicts between the Boers and the British.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 29 December 1900, during the South African War, brothers Gert and Jack van den Heever planted dynamite on the tracks under Commandant Fanie Buys’ orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was en route to Johannesburg and Pretoria in the then-Transvaal, which the British had seized on 31 May and 5 June 1900, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expecting to capture troops, the Boers instead found whisky and festive food meant for British soldiers. Both sides shared a peaceful feast, no casualties, before fighting resumed the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 6 April 1902, Boer leaders gathered at Val Station, about 20 km east of Greylingstad, to board a train to Klerksdorp for peace talks with the British.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commandant-General Louis Botha arrived the day before with an escort of commandos and met with other officers in a room in the Val Hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meeting at Val was a key moment before deciding whether to continue the war or negotiate peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Treaty of Vereeniging was signed on 31 May 1902, which ended the war. Around this time, the town’s name officially changed from Waterval to Val.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once a year now, Val is flooded by hundreds of visitors for Boer and Brit Day, where parades, reenactments and wreath laying take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Val\u2019s global connections continued into the 20th century. In 1913, Mahatma Gandhi was arrested there during his march from Natal to Transvaal, part of his civil disobedience campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The town developed as a hub for surrounding farms, centred on the hotel, station, and sports club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, it gained a school, a cemetery, and a single church\u2014St Francis of Assisi\u2014which was consecrated in 1965, destroyed by fire in 1970, and rebuilt the following year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Val began to fall into decline in the 1970s. The railway station closed, the hotel crumbled, and as people drifted to cities, the hamlet seemed destined to disappear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Joseph and Elizabeth Smith<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Top left to right: Val Hotel in early 1900s, the Val Station in 1896, the general store in 1906, the Val Post Office circa 1906, and the Whiskey Train Incident. Photos: Archive\/ Val Hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Peace delegates at Val, including that of Chris Botha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Louis Botha arriving at the Val hotel in April 1902. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
The two Bothas at Val Station on 6 April 1902, waiting for other peace conference members to arrive. Chris Botha stands at the center, wearing a hat with a bright badge, while Commandant-General Louis Botha is positioned slightly ahead of him.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Revival of Val<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1994, the derelict Val Hotel went up for auction, attracting the attention of Andr\u00e9 and Rita Britz, who had married in the village church in 1982.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Rita, it was personal. Her family had farmed in and around Val since 1886. “I grew up close by. I came to this shop every Sunday to get the paper,\u201d Rita said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy grandfather got his hair cut on his wedding day in the barber shop that is now room 8.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was a teacher in Standerton at the time,” she said, “but I knew we needed this place. It\u2019s too special to let go.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though it was derelict, they bought the hotel for R18,000, or around R100,000 in today\u2019s terms. “We didn’t have the money for that, but we had to,” joked Rita.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a knack for restoration, they and their two daughters moved in mid-1995 and welcomed their first guest in August 1995.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2004, they bought the old general store and transformed it into a restaurant, bar and museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is frequented by people from all walks of life – from hikers to bikers to those just wanting to escape city life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It now also boasts events, including weddings, celebrations, and functions. The town’s residents work in the hotel, bar, or restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have a 100% employment rate in Val,” Rina jokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Rita Britz standing in the entrance of the Val Hotel. This building retains parts of the original hotel which dates back to the 1890s. Photo: Seth Thorne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Old farming equipment can be found around Val. Photo: Seth Thorne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Visiting the town now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

BusinessTech visited the quant hamlet and loved its unique charm. As you enter the single street, Smith Street, you are greeted by a large AFGRI storage depot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The broader Val area is a significant region for agriculture, known for its farming activities and its role in the broader agricultural sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you enter the hamlet itself, brightly painted farm equipment decorates the grass, and a rusted red tractor points the way to the hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith Street, one of just three roads in Val, neatly divides the hamlet. On one side sits the Val Hotel, museum, restaurant, pub, church and cemetery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other side are the former post office, the old railway station, and sports fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Val has an unusual claim to security. At the end of Smith Street stands a regional police station with 28 officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From time to time, the distant rumble of freight trains echoes through the village, a reminder that the old railway still breathes life into Val.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rita, who jokingly calls herself a \u201cglorified hoarder,\u201d has shaped Val into a space where history lingers. Her influence is clear, mixing the past with a welcoming feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The examples are seemingly endless, from bar counters repurposed from the old post office to signs from years gone by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One such is where wooden panels salvaged from a demolished farm school now line the restaurant walls, one holding a photo of her grandfather outside that very school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visitors often find themselves drawn into the stillness of the town. A memorial garden for fallen British soldiers leads to the quaint St Francis of Assisi chapel with its thatched roof and stained glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked what attracts people here, Rita shrugs and smiles: \u201cThere\u2019s lots to see, but nothing to do.\u201d For many, that\u2019s exactly the charm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Interview with Rita Britz<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n