Rawsonville

Last updated

Rawsonville
Rawsonville-aerial.jpg
Aerial view of Rawsonville and the Smalblaar River, looking towards Du Toitskloof Pass to the west
South Africa Western Cape location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Rawsonville
South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Rawsonville
Coordinates: 33°41′4.9″S19°18′54″E / 33.684694°S 19.31500°E / -33.684694; 19.31500 Coordinates: 33°41′4.9″S19°18′54″E / 33.684694°S 19.31500°E / -33.684694; 19.31500
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District Cape Winelands
Municipality Breede Valley
Government
  TypeWard 20
Area
[1]
  Total2.42 km2 (0.93 sq mi)
Elevation
223 m (732 ft)
Population
 (2011) [1]
  Total3,099
  Density1,300/km2 (3,300/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
   Black African 8.5%
   Coloured 66.8%
   Indian/Asian 0.2%
   White 23.9%
  Other0.6%
First languages (2011)
[1]
   Afrikaans 95.2%
   Xhosa 1.7%
   English 1.5%
  Other1.5%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
6845
PO box
6845
Area code 023
Website breedekloof.com

Rawsonville is a small wine growing and farming community in the Breede River Valley of the Western Cape province of South Africa. The town forms part of the Breede Valley Local Municipality, and is located in a scenic portion of the valley on the eastern flanks of the Du Toitskloof Mountains.

Contents

The town is part of the Breedekloof Wine Route and hosts the annual Breedekloof extreme sports festival. The economy remains heavily reliant on serving the agricultural community, however tourism in the form of weekend retreats are becoming more important to the town's income. Rawsonville is 90 kilometres (56 mi) to the east of Cape Town and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the west of the large town of Worcester.

Early history

Old Goudini Farms

Slanghoek, Klipdrift, Groot Vlakte, Groot Eiland, Gevonden, Goudyn, Boontjiesrivier, Dasbosch Rivier, Pokkekraal and Aan-de-Smalblaar were some of the original farms occupied by European settlers since 1709.

Town

By the 1850s the necessity for the formation of a hamlet had become clear; the ward was cut off from Worcester during the rainy season when the Breede River burst it banks regularly.

The farm Aan-de-Smalblaar was transported to Johannes Petrus (Jan) Jordaan on 23 July 1858. Jan Jordaan divided a portion of the farm into 57 residential plots and these were sold at a public auction on 11 June 1859. The town was named for Sir Rawson William Rawson, the Cape Colonial Secretary. Since the modern day, there is a rural suburban area called De Nova and squatter camps called 'Spookytown' and Geelkampies.[ citation needed ]

School

45 Deelhebbers (participants) decided to form De Goudini School in 1858 and they were represented by seven school directors. Rawsonville also consist of schools called Rawsonville Primary, Weltevrede Primary and many more.

Church

On 16 June 1878 a public meeting was held to ascertain if a Dutch Reformed Church Congregation should be established at Rawsonville and on 14 October 1879 the Worcester Ring Commission granted permission for the formation of the Goudini Dutch Reformed Congregation.

Town Management

Under the Village Management Act Rawsonville was granted Town Management in 1883. During the 1800s, if a doctor was needed someone had to travel to Worcester on horseback or on foot and if it rained continuously for six hours, the Smalblaar River burst its banks and the water ran through town. Under these circumstances no school was attended.

Climate

The climate is hinterland (further from oceanic influences) mediterranean, with cool, rainy winters and warm, dry summers. Due to its more inland location, winters can sometimes get frosty, with heavy snowfalls sometimes falling on the surrounding high ground. Summers are generally mild, although some February and March days can reach 38 °C (100 °F) or higher.[ citation needed ]

Vineyards

Located within the wine district of Breedekloof, Rawsonville is part of the Breedekloof wine route, a scenic byway that passes 22 wineries of differing sizes. [2]

A new community centre with facilities including a meeting hall and classrooms was opened in the town in 2018 [3] [4] for the Merwida wine estate. [4] It is used by over 450 people, most of whom are vineyard workers. [3]

Related Research Articles

Paarl Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Paarl is a town with 112,045 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is the third-oldest city and European settlement in the Republic of South Africa and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington. It is situated about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northeast of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province and is known for its scenic environment and viticulture and fruit-growing heritage.

Cape Winelands District Municipality District municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

The Cape Winelands District Municipality, formerly the Boland District Municipality, is a district municipality located in the Boland region of the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2011, it had a population of 787,490. The largest towns in the municipality are Paarl, Worcester, Stellenbosch and Wellington.

Breede Valley Local Municipality Local municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

Breede Valley Municipality is a local municipality located within the Cape Winelands District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2007, it had a population of 166,825. Its municipality code is WC025.

Breede River River in South Africa

The Breede River, also known as Breë River, is a river in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Travelling inland north from Cape Town, the river runs in a west to east direction. The surrounding western mountains formed the first continental divide experienced by European settlers in the 18th century. The Titus River and Dwars River become the Breë River.

Worcester, Western Cape Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Worcester is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is located 120 kilometres (75 mi) north-east of Cape Town on the N1 highway north to Johannesburg.

Montagu, Western Cape Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Montagu is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, about 180 kilometres (110 mi) from Cape Town in the Western Little Karoo. It is named after former secretary of the Cape Colony, John Montagu, but was once known as Agter Cogman’s Kloof, Cogman’s Kloof linking the town and railway station. It is situated at the confluence of the Keisie and Kingna rivers.

South African wine has a history dating back to 1659, with the first bottle produced in Cape Town by its founder Jan van Riebeeck. Access to international markets led to new investment in the South African wine market. Production is concentrated around Cape Town, with major vineyard and production centres at Constantia, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester. There are about 60 appellations within the Wine of Origin (WO) system, which was implemented in 1973 with a hierarchy of designated production regions, districts and wards. WO wines must only contain grapes from the specific area of origin. "Single vineyard" wines must come from a defined area of less than 6 hectares. An "Estate Wine" can come from adjacent farms if they are farmed together and wine is produced on site. A ward is an area with a distinctive soil type or climate and is roughly equivalent to a European appellation.

Constantia, Cape Town Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Constantia is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated about 15 kilometres south of the centre of Cape Town. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious suburbs in South Africa. The Constantia Valley lies to the east of and at the foot of the Constantiaberg mountain. Constantia Nek is a low pass linking to Hout Bay in the west.

Tulbagh Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Tulbagh, named after Dutch Cape Colony Governor Ryk Tulbagh, is a town located in the "Land van Waveren" mountain basin, in the Winelands of the Western Cape, South Africa. The basin is fringed on three sides by mountains, and is drained by the Klein Berg River and its tributaries. The nearest towns are Ons Rust and Gouda beyond the Nuwekloof Pass, Wolseley some 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the south inside the basin, and Ceres and Prince Alfred Hamlet beyond Michell's Pass in the Warm Bokkeveld.

Grabouw Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Grabouw is a town located in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Western Cape wine

Western Cape is a Geographical Unit within the Wine of Origin classification system of South African wine. Corresponding to the province of Western Cape it includes most of the vineyards in South Africa.

Breede River Valley is a region of Western Cape Province, South Africa known for being the largest fruit and wine producing valley in the Western Cape, as well as South Africa's leading race-horse breeding area. It is part of the Boland bordering on becoming Little Karoo towards the east.

Wine regions of South Africa Areas within South Africa where wine is manufactured

The wine regions of South Africa were defined under the "Wine of Origin" act of 1973. Mirroring the French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system, all South African wines listing a "Wine of Origin" must be composed entirely of grapes from its region. The "Wine of Origins" (WO) program mandates how wine regions of South Africa are defined and can appear on wine labels. While some aspects of the WO are taken from the AOC, the WO is primarily concerned with accuracy in labeling. As a result, the WO does not place adjunct regulations on wine regions such as delineating permitted varieties, trellising methods, irrigation techniques, and crop yields.

Kobus Marais

Kobus Marais is a South African politician, Member of Parliament with the Democratic Alliance, and the current Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.

Rhodes Fruit Farms, founded by Cecil John Rhodes in 1902, exists today as Boschendal The Estate, one of the oldest wine estates in South Africa.

Bonnievale, Western Cape Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Bonnievale is a settlement in the Cape Winelands District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

De Doorns Place in Western Cape, South Africa

De Doorns is a town in the Breede Valley Local Municipality, Cape Winelands District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Touws River (town) Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Touws River is a small railway town of 6,800 people in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is located on the river of the same name, about 160 kilometres (100 mi) north-east of Cape Town. The Touwsrivier CPV Solar Project is located just outside of the town and supplies 50 MW to the national electrical grid.

Breedekloof Wine district in South Africa

The Breedekloof wine district is one of three districts in the Breede River Valley wine region. It boasts a total of 28 wine cellars. The Breedekloof represents 14.24% of wine grape vineyard plantings in South Africa. Most traditional cultivars can be found in the Breedekloof, with Chenin Blanc being the most planted.

Hex River (Breede River) River in the Western Cape, South Africa

The Hex River is a tributary of the Breede River located in the Western Cape of South Africa. The most important settlements along the river are the small towns of De Doorns and Touws River.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Rawsonville". Census 2011.
  2. "Breedekloof Wine Route". www.sa-venues.com. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  3. 1 2 Cairns, Simon (17 January 2019). Akhurst, Sarah; Pattenden, Anna; Peak, Sarah; Stevens, Tom (eds.). "The benefits (and quality) of Fairtrade wine". Wine etc. Co-op Food. No. 54. London: River Group Content (published February 2019). p. 37. Retrieved 25 February 2019 via The Co-operative Group. Last year saw the grand opening of a new community centre in Rawsonville, South Africa. Funded mostly through sales of Fairtrade wine at Co-op, it's used as a meeting hall and teaching rooms for children from pre-school ... to late teens. More than 450 people benefit from the facility, almost all of them vineyard workers and their families. It has made a real impact on this disparate rural community.
  4. 1 2 "Merwida opens community centre". www.wosa.co.za. Stellenbosch: Wines of South Africa. 2018. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.