Monuments

The Andries Pretorius Monument at Graaff-Reinet in honour of Pretorius, Gerrit Maritz and the other Voortrekkers from that area was unveiled on 27 November 1943. The monument was sculpted from granite by Coert Steynberg, is approximately 5 m high and initially stood along the main road to Middelburg . To protect it from vandalism, it…

Dedicated to Boer soldiers “in memory of the fallen in the struggle for Freedom and Justice”. A monument at the corner of Donkin and Somerset Streets was erected “in memory of the fallen in the struggle for Freedom and Justice” Anglo Boer War 1899 – 1902.The design of the marble monument made in Italy, was…

This 3.4m x 2.35m granite monument, featuring shades of red, black, and gray, was erected in 2005. It commemorates 77 activists from the Camdeboo region who resisted institutionalized segregation and fought for equality in South Africa. It also serves as an example of the evolving multicultural representation in post-apartheid South African heritage, celebrating individuals and…

The Gideon Scheepers monument was erected by the Graaff-Reinet Afrikaans Cultural Society to honour a man regarded by many as a hero during the Anglo Boer War. He started his own commando during the war which operated in the Cape Midlands. He was eventually charged of alleged war crimes. Court hearings were in Graaff-Reinet and…

In 1988 South Africa celebrated the 300th anniversary of the arrival of the French Huguenots in the country. To mark this occasion a small monument in the form of a pyramid was erected in Church Square, behind the Town Hall in Graaff Reinet. The French Consular representative in South Africa, Gerald Perrolet, unveiled the monument…

The Drostdy at Graaff-Reinet was established in response to petitions from the Boers of the region. The satisfaction that this provided was short-lived. The attitude of the officials of the Dutch East India Company antagonised the Boers who resented being oppressed. Their desire was to be independent of the authorities at Cape Town, thus 6…

In honour of the pioneer Jewish pedlars, known as “smouse”, who traded in outlying and remote country districts. They supplied their customers with many of the necessities of life. In the course of their trading they made a contribution to the economic development of the country.

At the lower end of Church Street ia a scaled-down replica of the Paardekraal monument which was a gift from the Town Council of Krugerdorp to Graaff-Reinet during the celebrations in 1986. It was presented by Mr C. Peyper, the mayor of Krugerdorp. The farm Paardekraal, on which Krugersdorp was established in 1887, was once…

It is situated on a hill to the north of Graaff-Reinet. Built between 1800 and 1830 to store gunpowder away from any building and homes in the case of an explosion.

The San and Khoi Genocide Memorial (1702-1809) commemorates the San and Khoi who died in their struggle for freedom. This monument stands on a hill outside Graaff-Reinet on the road to Port Elizabeth and seeks to acknowledge the San and Khoi as the first indigenous people who fought to liberate South Africa. In particular, the…

The Union Monument is a large stone pyramid that commemorates the union of South Africa’s four provinces in 1910. Each side of the pyramid displays the name of a province: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, and Natal.

Three months after the end of the first World War a public meeting was called by the Mayor, Mr. H Urquhart, at which it was decided to erect a monument, on the most prominent site in town, in honour of the gallant Graaff-Reinet men who had lost their lives in the war. The site chosen…