{"id":866055,"date":"2026-07-18T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=866055"},"modified":"2026-07-17T16:08:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:08:53","slug":"the-214-year-old-town-in-south-africa-where-some-people-are-living-like-its-1890","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/866055\/the-214-year-old-town-in-south-africa-where-some-people-are-living-like-its-1890\/","title":{"rendered":"The 214-year-old town in South Africa where some people are living like it’s 1890"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Suurbraak is a 214-year-old town in the Western Cape, originally established as a settlement for the Attaqua Khoi people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the town, many residents still cook on wood-burning stoves and use donkey-drawn ploughs, as well as horses and carts for transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These methods harken back to a pre-electricity and pre-motor-vehicle age for South Africa\u2014both of which were introduced in the 1890s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Africa first got electricity in 1880, using electric lamps before the first power station was built in 1891. The first car was imported to the country in 1896.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many in the settlement still turn to these methods\u2014which have become central to the region’s off-grid lifestyle and part of its charm\u2014the town is connected to the national grid and has road infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This includes a main regional route passing straight through the main settlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suurbraak has a population of around 2,252 people, with the majority being Afrikaans speakers. It is situated in a valley at the foot of the Tradouw Pass, about 250 kilometres from Cape Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was founded as a mission station in 1812 when the Khoi, led by Captain Hans Moos, invited Johannes Seidenfaden from the London Missionary Society to settle in the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with Mamre and Genadendal, it is one of the oldest mission stations in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seidenfaden remained there until 1825, after which Reverend Heinrich Helm took over and played a significant role in shaping both the spiritual and community life of the village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Helm’s death in 1848, his son, Daniel Helm, continued the mission work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adjacent to the main town square are the original church, parsonage, and school, built by the London Missionary Society between 1828 and 1848.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A decade later, Cape Governor Sir George Grey granted the land to the inhabitants, which included the \u201cAttaquas and freed slaves\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1875, the mission was taken over by the Algemeene Sendingkerk<\/em>, which is known as the Dutch Reformed Mission Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1880, a rift in the local congregation caused a split, leading to the construction of an Anglican Church. Today, both historic churches still stand as prominent features in the town square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ancient Khoi village <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Suurbraak was referred to as ‘Xairu,’ meaning paradise, by the Quena tribe of the Khoi, who were the original inhabitants of the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The indigenous name of the town means “paradise,” while the Afrikaans name, Suurbraak,<\/em> has a more literal meaning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It translates roughly to “<\/strong>Sour Brake” or “Acid River\/Fern.” This name reportedly refers to the local brackish, tannin-rich water of the Buffeljags River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buffeljags River has a distinct rusty-brown, tea-like colour due to the mountain vegetation, though it is still considered safe to drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suurbraak is known for its traditional woodworking. At local cooperatives like the Suurbraak <\/em>Skrynwerkers, craftsmen still manufacture “Van Gogh-style” chairs by hand, using unseasoned canary pine and woven seats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is done through a traditional wood-turning method known as bodging. The town is also recognised as a popular destination for hikers and mountain bikers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wonder Kloof,<\/strong> a significant geological formation within the Langeberg range, has been widely spoken of for its well-known and popular hiking trails. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of eco-tourism,<\/strong> the accommodation options range from local bed-and-breakfast establishments to eco-cabins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tradouw Pass near Suurbraak is a popular 17km asphalt road trail located near Barrydale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1868, the Cape administration decided to build a road through a pass and appointed Thomas Bain to oversee its construction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The road was built using convict labour. In 1873, Cape Governor Sir Henry Barkly officially opened the route and initially named it Southey Pass in honour of magistrate Robert Southey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the name was not well received, and it eventually became known as Tradouw Pass. This route traverses cliffs covered with fynbos, leading down into Barrydale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The name “Tradouw” is derived from the Khoi words “tarras,” meaning ‘women,’ and “doas,” meaning ‘poort’ or ‘the way through.’ <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This terminology was reportedly first used by those who travelled the route through the Langeberg mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos of Suurbraak:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Suurbraak is a 214-year-old town in the Western Cape, originally established as a settlement for the Attaqua Khoi people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":866071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"posted","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"2078495265414119670","_sma_x_attempts":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[25804,25805,3024],"class_list":["post-866055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-suurbraak","tag-tradouw-pass","tag-western-cape"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=866055"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":866732,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866055\/revisions\/866732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/866071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}