Genadendal

The scenic road to Genadendal – surrounded by farmland.

When travelling towards the beautiful hamlet of Greyton, about five kilometres before, you pass a sign to the left – “Genadendal”.  Most people whizz on by, barely giving it a second glance. As tourists in our own country, by now we should know that nowhere is ever as boring as it seems at first glance. 

On entering this little village, it seems like the sleepy little dorp that everyone forgot. Except the horses and cattle – there are many just roaming free in the area. I have no doubt that everyone knows exactly which animals belong to which homestead, but you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise…

The sign at the turnoff to Genadendal…

The town of Genadendal is built on the site of the oldest mission station in the country. Originally named Baviaanskloof (which means ‘Baboon Ravine’), it was renamed Genadendal, which means; ‘Valley of Grace’, in 1806. It is the oldest Moravian Mission Village in Africa, with church buildings and a school that dates back to 1738. The original Moravian Mission Church apparently houses the oldest pipe organ in South Africa.

The original Moravian Mission Church.

Georg Schmidt was a Moravian missionary who established this settlement in 1738. On his arrival, the Khoisan were suffering a smallpox epidemic. They had zero immunity to this disease, introduced by the white farmers settling in the area. As a group, they were ‘on the verge of extinction’ – yet young Schmidt managed to form a small congregation and taught them to read and write. Everything went swimmingly until he started to baptise his converts – at which the Dutch clergy in Cape Town threw up their hands in horror, as he was not an ordained minister. He was, as such, not allowed to administer the sacraments. In 1743, Schmidt was forced to return to Europe.

Schmidt had given his classes underneath the pear tree – to this day a pear tree still grows in the original location of Schmidt’s one.

The mission station stood abandoned for almost 50 years until three Missionaries (Schwinn, Kühnel and Marsveld) returned to resume Schmidt’s work – only to face further restrictions. Even in these early years politics interfered with practicality in everyday life. They were initially prohibited from building a Chapel or Church and they had to meet in the open, or in their Cottages. They were apparently even refused permission to ring a bell to call the children to School and the congregation to assemble. One finds these petty regulations (imposed by those far, far away) hard to believe!

Genadendal church bell.

In 1808, the Colonial Government instituted the Khoisan laws – one of which stated that all Khoisan without a fixed abode were liable to be forced into Farm labour, where the conditions were horrendous. A ‘loophole’ to this existed, whereby the Mission Stations provided access to land in return for conversion to Christianity. This was an attractive option and Genadendal thrived. In fact, it was so successful that at one point it was the largest settlement in the colony after Cape Town.

The Genadendal museum – just across from the church.

Genadendal flourished until the end of the nineteenth century. In 1838, the first Teachers’ Training College in South Africa was built there, and the first guest house and chemist in the interior were opened. By 1830 it had one of the best public lending libraries at the Cape. This is hard to believe as you stroll around the tiny village today.

The peaceful old cemetery at Genadendal.

5663 people (census in 2011 – likely closer to 8000 today) call this place home. There are high levels of poverty, and the village is dilapidated. That said, I didn’t see a single piece of rubbish, which is heartwarming  and, for me, indicates a level of pride in the community…

This little chap goes wherever the tasty acorns lead him – and today’s offering happened to be on a grave.

President Mandela visited this village in October 1995 and was given a tour of the village and the Mission Museum. He renamed his official residence to Genadendal – which should tell you something about the value and the spirit which resides in this quaint little spot. Don’t just drive past – pop in for a visit. You could spend 30 minutes – or three hours…

Jacqui Ikin & The Cross Country Team