One of the oldest buildings in Stellenbosch has been granted provincial heritage status.
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The Nicolaas Cleef House, located on De Zalze Wine Estate, was built by German immigrant Nicolaas Cleef during the 1680s after receiving a land grant from Simon van der Stel on 1 January 1680.
Graham Jacobs, a Heritage Western Cape nomination team member, says the building is layered with history. ‘It’s not just the building. It’s the history associated with the building; it’s the people who stayed here; the people who were here before the building; the way the farm was granted; all these circumstances
‘What makes this particularly important is that there has been this uninterrupted occupation of the site. First by our indigenous First Nation people who were drawn by the river, then you get the first settlers because this was one of the very earliest land grants in the Stellenbosch and Western Cape.’
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‘Then there is also the way in which the land grant was shaped. Then you’ve got the people who have stayed here and their role not only in local Stellenbosch church and political affairs. I mentioned the Uys family, for example. The progenitor of the Uys family in South Africa lived here.’
According to the Western Cape Government, the property will now be protected under the National Heritage Resources Act.
‘It adds to our heritage portfolio in a way that pleases me greatly. I hope that the communities of De Zalze and of greater Stellenbosch will take ownership of the preservation of this important window on our past,’ says Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais.
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Picture: Western Cape Government