 | This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject , potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral.(October 2018) |
| Part of a series on |
| Freemasonry |
|---|
 |
Freemasonry was brought to South Africa by members of the Grand Orient of the Netherlands in 1772. Today there are lodges chartered under the United Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of Scotland, the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the Grand Lodge of South Africa, as well as Le Droit Humain
On 24 April 1772, Abraham van der Weijden, Deputy Grandmaster Abroad under the Grand Orient of the Netherlands, arrived in the Cape of Good Hope. [1] He issued a warrant allowing for the founding of a lodge, "De Goede Hoop", ten days after arriving, which was ratified by the Grand Orient on 1 September 1772. [1] [2] The founding members of Lodge de Goede Hoop were Abraham Chiron, Jacobus le Febre, Johann Gie, Pieter Soermans, Christoffel Brand, Jan van Schoor, Olof de Wet, and Petrus de Wit. [3] [4]
While in 1774 the first two native-born candidates were initiated into freemasonry, [3] the lodge failed to gain a foothold among the local population, and was dependent on visitors, which led to the Lodge becoming dormant in 1781 until it was revived in 1794, when more local residents were attracted to the fraternity, such as J. A. Truter, who was Chief Justice. [1] [5]
In 1795, the British occupied the Cape, bringing with them military Lodges, but no new lodges were established in Cape colony during this time.
Another lodge was formed in 1800 by the Dutch called "De Goede Trouw" Lodge, [6] and in 1802 Jacob de Mist arrived from the Netherlands and was installed as the first Deputy Grand Master National in South Africa.
The Napoleonic Wars brought a second British invasion of South Africa. With the beginning of British rule over the region, Dutch lodges saw an increase in members of English origin. Tensions arose between the British masons and their Dutch speaking counterparts, leading the English masons to form their own lodge in the Cape under the Moderns' Grand Lodge of England in 1811, "British" Lodge. [2] [7] The Antients established a rival lodge, "Cape of Good Hope", the following year in 1812.
The British and Dutch freemasons started to work together and became one. [8] The advocate CJ Brand (He was a grandson of one of the founders of freemasonry in South Africa), the first Mayor of Cape Town, M. van Breda and the Master of the Supreme Court, J.H. Hofmeyer, [9] were some of the prominent Grand Masters through the early years. C.C. Silberbauer [10] was Grand Master in the times when the organization in South Africa, had financial problems. T.N. Cranstoun-Day (from the British side) was adamant that lodge stayed pure English. Cranstown-Day could not speak Afrikaans. [11]
It was formed independently from the Netherlands and the UK. Under Colonel C.G. Botha it was established on 22 April 1961. Botha was named Grand Master. [12] The motto of the Southern Africa Grand Lodge is: "Deo et Collegio". It is Latin for "God and Order" [13] In November 1977, the Lodge admitted non-white members for the first time, as the South African Freemasons, previously were exclusively a white organization. [14]
Le Droit Humain first lodge in South Africa was founded in 1914 in Durban. South African Lodges were administered by the British Federation of the order until 1995 when the South Africa Federation was founded. [15]
| Year term started | Year term ended | Surname | Name(s) | Date of birth | Date of death | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1804 | 1813 | de Mist | Jacobus Abraham Uitenhage | 20 April 1747 | 3 August 1823 | [3] |
| 1813 | 1831 | Neethling | Johannes Henoch | 1 August 1770 | 4 June 1838 | [3] |
| 1831 | 1837 | van Breda | Michiel | 12 August 1775 | 12 August 1847 | [3] |
| 1837 | 1874 | Brand | Christoffel Joseph | 24 June 1797 | 19 May 1875 | [3] |
| 1874 | 1893 | Hofmeyr | Jan Hendrik | 19 December 1818 | 25 April 1893 | [3] |
| 1893 | 1897 | Faure | David Pieter | 11 November 1842 | 17 August 1916 | [16] |
| 1897 | 1903 | Lewis | Charles Edwardes | 5 December 1855 | 13 January 1945 | [3] |
| 1903 | 1944 | Silberbauer | Conrad Christian | 23 September 1863 | 21 July 1944 | [17] |
| 1944 | 1957 | Rose | John George | 11 January 1876 | 18 February 1973 | [16] |
| 1957 | 1966 | Botha | Colin Graham | 15 August 1883 | 1 February 1973 | [18] |
| 1966 | 1973 | Conradie | Eddie | [18] | ||
| 1973 | 1983 | Gasson | Sydney Richard | 16 December 1927 | 20 March 2013 | [18] |
| 1983 | 1991 | Groenewald | Cornelius Botha | 24 June 1922 | 30 May 2009 | [18] |
| 1991 | 1997 | Bauser | Reunert Sidney | 25 December 1928 | 28 December 2017 | [18] |
| 1997 | 2003 | Lindeque | Barend Gerhardus | 5 November 1940 | 10 April 2015 | [18] |
| 2003 | 2008 | Bowen | John Thomas | 7 November 1935 | 26 November 2013 | [18] |
| 2008 | 2014 | Watson | Armiston | 26 November 1944 | 12 October 2014 | [18] |
| 2014 | 2017 | Edwards | Geoffrey Robert | 1945 | [19] | |
| 2017 | 2020 | Duncan | D.J. | [20] | ||
| 2020 | present | Smith | J | [20] |
Note: Until 1961 the Grand Masters were called Deputy Grand Masters, because it was either part of the Netherlands Lodge.[ clarification needed ] There was close cooperation with Thomas Nathaniel Cranstoun-Day from the British Freemasons during the years up to 1961.
P.J. Blignaut - Government Secretary of the Orange Free State [21]
J.H. Brand - 4th State President of the Orange Free State [22]
L. Botha - 1st Prime Minister of South Africa [23]
T.F. Burgers - 4th President of the South African Republic [24]
P.A. Cronje - South African General
P.J. Joubert - South African General [25]
J.C. Laas - Organizer of the Ossewabrandwag
C.J. Langenhoven - South African poet [26]
J.P. Marais - Founder and maker of Klipdrift Brandy [27]
G.L.P. Moerdijk - Afrikaans architect, best known for the Voortrekker Monument. [28]
H.F. Oppenheimer - South African businessman [29]
M.W. Pretorius - First president of the South African Republic [30]
G.S. Preller - South African journalist [31]
F.W. Reitz - 5th State President of the Orange Free State [32]
T.J.deV. Roos - South African politician [33]
W.P. Steenkamp - Clergyman that erected churches in Namakwaland. [34]
D.J.S. Theron - Boer Army military leader [35]
J.H. de Villiers First Chief Justice of the Union of South Africa [36]
A.G. Visser - Afrikaans poet
Boers are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled Dutch Cape Colony, but the United Kingdom incorporated it into the British Empire in 1806. The name of the group is derived from Trekboer then later "boer", which means "farmer" in Dutch and Afrikaans.
Louis Botha was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war veteran during the Second Boer War, he eventually fought to have South Africa become a British Dominion.
The cinema of South Africa refers to the films and film industry of South Africa. Films have been made in English and Afrikaans. Many foreign films have been produced about South Africa, including many involving race relations.
The Grand Lodge of Ireland is the second most senior Grand Lodge of Freemasons in the world, and the oldest in continuous existence. Since no specific record of its foundation exists, 1725 is the year celebrated in Grand Lodge anniversaries, as the oldest reference to Grand Lodge of Ireland comes from the Dublin Weekly Journal of 26 June 1725. This describes a meeting of the Grand Lodge to install the new Grand Master, The 1st Earl of Rosse, on 24 June. The Grand Lodge has regular Masonic jurisdiction over 13 Provincial Grand Lodges covering all the Freemasons of the island of Ireland, and another 11 provinces worldwide.
Gustav Schoeman Preller was a journalist, historian, writer and literary critic. He fought for the recognition of Afrikaans. Preller helped the Afrikaner to awake to the importance of the history of South Africa. He made great contributions to the writing of South African history, through his research and the literature. He also contributed greatly to making South Africans aware of the legacy of the Voortrekkers and also played an early part in planning the Voortrekker Monument.
Hoërskool Jan van Riebieck is a public co-educational high school situated in Gardens in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It was founded in 1926 by J.J. Jordaan and educates in both Afrikaans and English language.
Johannes Andreas Truter, also known as Sir John Truter, was the judicial officer of the Cape Colony and president of the Court of Justice at the Cape of Good Hope. He was also a South African Freemason and member of the Grand Orient of the Netherlands in South Africa. He was the uncle of Marie Koopmans-de Wet.
Afrikaners are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. Until 1994, they dominated South Africa's politics as well as the country's commercial agricultural sector.
The Fort de Goede Hoop was the first military building to be erected in what is now Cape Town. It was built in 1652, and was in use until 1674 when it was superseded by the Castle of Good Hope.
Freemasonry was introduced by the Dutch to what is today Indonesia during the VOC era in the 18th century, and spread throughout the Dutch East Indies during a wave of westernisation in the 19th century. Freemasons originally only included Europeans and Indo-Europeans, but later also indigenous people with a Western education.
Colin Graham Botha was a South African civil servant, historian, archivist, heraldist, soldier and South African Freemason.
Abraham Chiron was a German-born book-keeper and banker who played a key role in the establishment of Freemasonry in South Africa and served as the country's first Masonic Grand Master. He also played a significant role in the early European settlement of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
Johann Coenraad Gie was a South African businessman, community leader, and Grand Master of the Freemasons in South Africa.
Johannes Henoch Neethling (1770-1838) was a South African Cape Supreme Court Judge and Grand Master of the Freemasons in South Africa.
David Pieter Faure was the founder of the Unitarian Church in South Africa, an interpreter and a Grand Master of the Freemasons in South Africa.
Michiel van Breda was a South African farmer, founder of Bredasdorp, Mayor of Cape Town and a Freemason.
Christoffel Brand (1738–1815) was a South African trader, a well-known host at Simon’s Town near Cape Town, welcoming ships using it as a refreshment station and a participant in establishing Freemasonry in South Africa.
Abraham van der Weijden, a Dutch citizen, was a ship’s captain and the initiator of Freemasonry in South Africa.
Olof Godlieb de Wet (1739–1811) was a South African high-ranking official in the Dutch East India Company and co-founder of the Freemasons in South Africa.
John George Rose was a South African analytical chemist, an army officer in various wars and a Grand Master of the Freemasons of South Africa. He also held world records for human-paced cycling.