South African History - The history of Durbanville - Cape Town

Durbanville is situated about 36km from Cape Town. In the 1820 it was laid out around an outspan known as Pampoenkraal. The district contained a number of historic Dutch farms and depended on agriculture and transport for its prosperity.

From 1836 to 1886 this village was simply known as D’Urban and represented an important staging post for livestock and heavy freight as it stranddled the direct route to the north.

D’Urban was home to several blacksmith and wagon makers, some of whom were still in business after the opening of the Colony’s first railway line to Wellington in 1963.

During Victorian times many habitants were English-speaking and the village and it’s surroundings often served as the ground for the Cape Hunt. The game of cricket was adopted here shortly after the excitement of Prince Alfred’s visit in 1860.

The below report from the Standard & Mail shows that the village life in D’Urban was still very rustic in 1872:

“One troop of 1 500 (sheep) passed here yesterday and are the best this season. On Saturday last a fine drove of about 70 or 80 oxen went through, followed by 60 more today.”

In those times Church membership played an important role in the lives of most villagers in the region. D’Urban was no exception. The Dutch Reformed and All Saints churches were beacons in the spiritual and social life of the community.

Marriages, baptisms and burials were important events, and occasional bazaars, picnics and cultural activities added variety to the rural way of life. One very special occasion was the musical in 1875 was the visit of the Harper-Leffler Opera Company. This pioneering opera company presented Mr. James Harper, singer and cellist and his wife, Winifred Leffler. Two very charming and sold out musicals where presented by the Company.

To prevent postal confusion the name of the village was changed to Durbanville in 1886.

In the 1890 the first Telegraph arrived in Durbanville and the first private telephone was installed in 1903. In 1902 water started to be supplied to individual households within the village.

From 1905 onwards lanterns illuminated some of the streets in Durbanville during night-time.