Initially, the assumption had been that W.P. van Breda had died in the First World War.

A little more than 100 years ago, on 3 September 1919, the doors of Standard Bank’s branch opened in Louis Trichardt. Although it was not the first bank in town, it was the first fully commercial bank to explore business opportunities north of the then Pietersburg.

Verlede week is die geboortedag van een van die Soutpansberg se merkwaardigste figure herdenk. Hy is iemand wat later jare beskryf is as ‘n “stuk brandhout uit die vuur geruk”; ‘n persoon wat ‘n onuitwisbare merk op sendingwerk in Afrika gelaat het.

Aan die suidekant van Louis Trichardt, half verskuil in ‘n boord makadamiaboompies, lê een van die streek se oudste boeregrafte. Dit is die graf van Douw Gerbrand Grobler, wat op 28 Januarie 1864 gesterf het.

Stories vanuit die verlede is soms soos ‘n skaars versamelstuk wat jy ontdek. Dit is waardevol, nie in terme van geld nie, maar in herinneringe wat bewaar moet word vir ‘n volgende geslag. Soms moet die verhaal egter “gerestoureer” word. Die gapings moet ingevul word en die konteks moet nagevors word. Soos ‘n ou meubelstuk moet dit herstel word voor dit weer politoer kry en uitgestal word.

Vandeesweek se artikel oor die geskiedenis van die Soutpansberg het sy oorsprong by ‘n foto van ‘n vliegtuig. Die foto het skielik opgeduik te midde van ‘n soektog na inligting op die webtuiste van Drisa (Digital Rail Images SA). Dit was eintlik die onderskrif wat die aandag getrek het:

Two weeks ago, we posed the question as to whether a photo depicting commandant-general Andries Hendrik Potgieter is real. Could it be that the photo, so often used in history articles about the Voortrekker leader, is a fake?

In last week’s edition, we set the stage for a “history mystery”. We introduced a photo proclaimed to be that of the Voortrekker leader, Andries Hendrik Potgieter, and started questioning its authenticity. Potgieter died in December 1852, but we mentioned that the first reports of photography in South Africa date back to 1846. It could possibly be a genuine photo, but it could also be that the photograph so commonly used next to articles about the Boer commandant is a fake.