On our trip to the Eastern Cape in April 2021, we booked an overnight stay in a town called Bethulie, to break the long journey. Bethulie, on the eastern side of the Gariep Dam, on the Southern-most tip of the Free State and close to the Eastern Cape border, is largely a sheep and cattle farming town established in 1829. It has the longest combined road and rail bridge in Southern Africa, which was completed in 1901. Bethulie also contains the site of  one of the largest Boer concentration camps. The town came to some prominence when screen writer and actor Patrick Mynhardt, it’s most famous son, published his book called, “A Boy from Bethulie”.

Road trips

Holidays start well before our actual departure date as we research, plan, book, and prepare. Of important significance is the journey. It counts just as much as the destination. We left Jo’burg not too early, travelling through the dry but grassy Free State country-side, stopping for lunch at a nearby dam outside Mangaung (Bloemfontein). The car sound system receded to the background and our chattering increased. My theory is that lockdown has given us verbal diarrhea as we long for human contact, and so fully appreciate the moments when we do have some. In the old days, we used to each have an opportunity to buy a new CD for a long road trip. This time we brought along our Bluetooth speaker, as my 16-year old jalopy is not too high-tech. We managed to stream and listen to a podcast of a short story for a little while (of which I have no recollection).

Die Gereformeerde Kerk Bethulie

Welcome

On arrival at the charming Royal Hotel, where “a royal never stayed”, we were welcomed by Anthony Hocking – owner, historian, and an author of over 40 books. Born in Cornwell in England, he arrived in SA as a 24-year-old; lured by the Nationalist Party who incentivised whites from other countries with free flights and promising jobs. Anthony started as a journalist before becoming a non-fiction writer. He was commissioned by various companies over the years to conduct research and publish books about them, their founders, and/or the industry. In between, he travelled and followed his eccentric interests such as collecting books and vinyl records (LPs). The hotel is famous for the huge collection of books and LPs which adorn its length and breadth. Rooms, passages, office, dining and entertainment areas are, from top to bottom, filled with interesting, bizarre, and eclectic books and LPs. In some cases there are multiple copies of the same LPs.  This is what excited and intrigued us, leading to make our booking which was all done personally by Anthony.

Anthony gave us a tour of the hotel and informed us to return at 6pm for the musical show, our first live show since Lockdown. After offloading our luggage, I chose to rest while my family walked through town. They reported on the large number of youth, black and white, walking the streets. We debated the future survival of rural towns, noting the high youth unemployment across the country. I argued that it is in the big cities’ interest to support and grow smaller towns.

The Fragments

At 6pm, we were introduced to Henriel Veldtmann, founder and leader of the indie folk band, The Fragments. He was playing just for us, which was in itself very special if not intimidating. I was anxious about falling asleep after our long drive. Nevertheless, I was looking forward to this private recital.

Henriel Veldtmann (The Fragments)

We were not disappointed. Using an engaging and personal storytelling and acoustic folk-style, he drew us into his world and the music of The Fragments. We were at once at ease as he provided insight into the background of his lyrics and of himself. After I recently saw Springsteen on Broadway powerfully using this style, I was hooked. The Fragment’s music fitted the situation and the town. Henriel prefaced each song with a narration of his life, or the origin of the song. Our 3-course dinner which was scheduled for 7pm was delayed as we called for an encore. I am not sure who was more excited, the musician or the audience.

Dinner

The first course was a tuna salad with freshly baked bread. The dimmed lights and the old gramophone gently playing Coltrane made for a beautiful ambience. I sensed that every musician on each LP and every author of each book were part of our conversations. Yes, it was eerily like Hogwarts and I was waiting for a character in a book or musician from an album to jump out. The main course was a tasty butter chicken served with rice and vegetables. Dinner has always been a special and lengthy family affair and Lockdown has only made it longer, so we were accustomed to appreciating any evening. We enjoyed the music, the atmosphere and the unusual hotel thus far. Anthony, the affable host subtly checked on us without being overbearing. The third and most important course was the Hotel’s famous lemon meringue based dessert. It had the lemony sweet taste with roasted meringue which clinched the meal and probably our stay.

After dessert, we were escorted to the nearby lounge area, still surrounded by books and LPs. Anthony captivated us with wonderful stories about the hotel and town and its place in British / Boer history. JB Robinson owned the store which was converted into the current Hotel. Later on, the Boers met at the Hotel to plan their guerilla campaign against the British. He displayed amazing insight as a non-Boer, as we discovered over our stay. It was an exciting and pleasurably exhausting day. We retired to our rooms, each falling into a deep sleep.

Breakfast

The smell of breakfast wafted through the air as we walked through the passages scanning for known authors and books. Breakfast was a delicious ‘farm-house’ affair with a smorgasbord of options and the coffee did not disappoint. I paged through a book on the Eastern Cape Karoo and made a mental note for another road trip to nowhere on this side of the Karoo, which one usually flies through. South Africa has much to offer the intrepid road traveler.

Entrance to the Bethulie Boer Concentration Camp

Bethulie Boer Concentration Camp

After breakfast we loaded our luggage and Anthony guided us on a tour. We first went to the site of the Bethulie Boer Concentration Camp. The Camp can be disappointing for those looking for something physical to attach or commemorate. The Boers destroyed all evidence of the Camp so as not to appear weak. There were two monuments, one from funds raised by an English woman, Emily Hobhouse, who blew the lid on the conditions of the Camp. This forced a British parliamentary enquiry, which was headed for the first time by a woman: Millicent Fawcett, an English politician, writer, and feminist.

I came quite naturally, in obedience to the feeling of unity or oneness of womanhood … it is when the community is shaken to its foundations, that abysmal depths of privation call to each other and that a deeper unity of humanity evinces itself – Emily Hobhouse

The other monument was installed by the Nationalist Party in the 50’s after they moved 1400 of the 1750 who died in the concentration camp to higher ground. This was based on concerns that the Gariep dam may flood the graveyard situated on its bank. Neither monument had a commemorative plaque and do not appear to be maintained.

Bizarrely, 350 odd graves are still not accounted for. I walked around the camp looking for evidence, any evidence of the Camp or the lost graves. I tried searching with my eyes, feeling with my feet, listening to the silence and absorbing the air hoping to find a connection. Anthony showed us a picture of the concentration camp so we could compare the scenes including the exact distant hills. It was eerie. Those that swore allegiance to the King had larger tents with their own furniture and the rest, especially the poor, were housed in smaller cramped tents. Interestingly, the more affluent simply moved from their farms to the town, evading any capture. Wealth (class) played as important a role as it now does in determining one’s station in life.

Bethulie Boer Concentration Camp with larger tents in the foreground

Picture 5 April 2021

Original graveyard

Boer Cemetery

We drove further up to where the 1400 bodies were reburied. The English were fastidious at recording and categorising. The dead were placed in labelled body bags so most of the skeletons were fully intact. The monument was a simple but fitting tribute. Each of the deceased’s names, the farm, and place they came from were listed. Below the cemetery was a confined locked fenced enclosure containing the original plaques because the Nationalist government was embarrassed about the poor spelling. Intriguingly, it was much more powerful in its authenticity and showed the many children, women and elderly that died.

Role of Black People

Little has been written or researched about the role of black people in the South African War. The South African History Online website and the Military History Journal provide some insight. Both the British and the Boers unofficially used black people to carry arms and ammunition. After the war, the British acknowledged that more than 10,000 black people were given arms to fight. By the end of the war 115, 000 black people were held in 66 different concentration camps throughout the country. More than 14, 000 perished in these camps. Funding was secured in 2005 to renovate 200 cemeteries and acknowledge the role of black people during this period.

Anthony Hocking

Formation of Capital

Anthony’s amazing storytelling had us hooked. He shared interesting details that he researched over the years. We dropped Anthony off and acquired one of his books. Earlier I had asked him which of his books would he recommend, and without hesitation he handed me “Oppenheimer and Son”. It has been a very interesting read and Anthony’s engaging style keeps one glued. The historical backdrop – the South African War, World War One and Two, the Great Depression and, of course, the discovery of diamonds, gold, and to a lesser extent base metals loom large in the Oppenheimer story. I wanted to understand the formation of capital and land acquisition in South Africa given the current debates around “white monopoly capital” and “radical economic transformation”, so this book was timely.

Onward

We bid our farewell, inspired enough to explore more of “our” history because it is ours if we are one nation. But, are we?

We had heard that Bethulie was politically on a knife’s edge with each ANC faction equally poised. On that note, we headed towards Cradock for the next part of our journey and our history.