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.
South African wine has a history dating back to 1659 with the first bottle being produced in Cape Town by its founder and gouverner 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.
The Reverend Stephanus Jacobus du ToitAfrikaans pronunciation: [steˈfɑːnɵs jaˈkʊɵ̯bɵs dyˈtwa] was a controversial South African nationalist, theologian, journalist and failed politician. In his younger years Du Toit did much to promote the Afrikaans language as a symbol of Afrikaner nationalism. Apart from the years 1882-8 when he was Superintendent of Education in the South African Republic, he lived in or near the town of Paarl in the Cape Colony. Disillusionment with the Kruger regime led him, in later years, to moderate his views. He was instrumental in initiating the translation of the Bible into Afrikaans and was a proponent of the Afrikaans language. He died an outcast.
Willem Adriaan van der Stel was an Extraordinary Councillor of the Dutch East Indies, and Governor of the Cape Colony, a way station for the Dutch East India Company (VOC), from 23 January 1699 to 1707. He was dismissed after a revolt and was exiled to the Netherlands.
Many people of European heritage in South Africa are descended from Huguenots. Most of these originally settled in the Cape Colony, but were absorbed into the Afrikaner and Afrikaans-speaking population, because they had religious similarities to the Dutch colonists.
HMS Wessex was one of eight W-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in 1944, the ship spent most of the war assigned to the Eastern and Pacific Fleets. She screened British aircraft carriers as their aircraft attacked targets in the Japanese-occupied Nicobar Islands, the Dutch East Indies and Okinawa.
The early history of the South African wine industry can be traced to the founding of a supply station at the Cape of Good Hope by the Dutch East India Company. Jan van Riebeeck was given the task of managing the station and planting vineyards to produce wine and grapes in the Wijnberg ; that could be used to ward off scurvy for sailors continuing on their voyages along the spice route. In 1685, another Cape Governor, Simon van der Stel, purchased a large 750-hectare (1,900-acre) estate, founding what later became the world-renowned Constantia wine estate. In the 19th century, South Africa fell under British rule which proved lucrative for the wine industry as South African wine flowed into the British market. This prosperity lasted until the 1860s when the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty signed by the Palmerston government and France reduced the preferential tariffs that benefited South African wine in favor of French wine exports.
Pieter Stephanus "Piet" du Toit, was a South African rugby international. He played as a prop. Due to his relative small stature and light weight for a prop, but still being a strong scrummager, he was known as Piet "Spiere" du Toit. Spiere is the Afrikaans word for "muscles".
Wikus du Toit is a South African producer, actor, comedian, composer, and director.
The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is an orchestra based in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
The Ghoema Music Awards is an annual South African award ceremony that recognizes outstanding achievement in the Afrikaans music industry. It is the only independent music award ceremony of its kind in South Africa. The event was established in 2012 and the awards are presented by the Ghoema Trust. The ceremony is held in March every year, and contenders are judged on performances made in the previous year. The show broadcasts on KykNET.
Nicolaos Panagiotopoulos, professionally known as Nico Panagio, is a South African television presenter, actor, and businessman known for being the host of Survivor South Africa since 2010. He is also known for his previous role on the soap opera 7de Laan and as a presenter on Top Billing.
Sabina Mossolow is a Namibian operatic soprano.
Dis ek, Anna is a 2015 South African Afrikaans-language drama produced by Palama Productions based on novels by Anchien Troskie : Dis ek, Anna and Die Staat teen Anna Bruwer. Set in modern-day South Africa, it tells the story of Anna Bruwer, who avenges years of abuse suffered at the hands of her stepfather and the court case that ensues. Written by Tertius Kapp. Produced by Niel van Deventer. Directed by Sara Blecher and starring among others Charlene Brouwer, Marius Weyers, Nicola Hanekom, Morne Visser, Drikus Volschenk, Elize Cawood and Eduan van Jaarsveld.
A team of more than 150 athletes will fly the flag for South Africa at the 2015 All-Africa Games in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo in September. South African athletes will compete in a total of 15 different sports against their continental counterparts at the Games which run from 4–19 September while there is also representation by para-athletes in the power-lifting and athletics codes.
Bettie du Toit OLS was a trade unionist and anti-apartheid activist in South Africa.
The Rev. Matthys Michielse du Toit was from 1905 until he accepted his emeritus in 1941 the pastor in six congregations of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NGK), including one in South West Africa, two in the Orange Free State, and three in Cape Province: Barrydale (1905-1912), Reddersburg (1912-1920), Excelsior (1920-1921), Moria, Hopetown (1922-1925), and finally Joubertina (1925-1941). According to his own grateful testimony, "the Lord's blessing must have shadowed the work for so many Souls to be brought to the light."
James Wellwood ‘Whitey’ Basson is a South African businessman and billionaire who was largely responsible for growing a small business called Shoprite from an 8-store chain valued at R1 million into an international retail conglomerate with revenue in 2019 of R150 billion, market capitalisation of R114 billion, more than 2 300 stores and 140 000 employees across 15 African countries. Deloitte's Global Powers of Retailing 2019 ranked The Shoprite Group as the 86th largest retailer in the world.
Lydia Lindeque, born Rachel Alida du Toit, was a South African actor of Afrikaner descent. Initially known by the stage name Alida du Toit, she started touring at the age of seventeen with Paul de Groot's acting company. Soon adopting the name Lydia Lindeque, she worked with many stars of the era over the following decades, including Taubie Kushlick in 1958. She first performed in English in 1943, in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and, in 1945, travelled to Egypt and Italy to direct stage plays for the South African Army troops stationed there. She was married to the playwright Uys Krige in 1937, later separating and marrying John Mantel. After retiring in 1976, she died in Andorra in 1997.
