Who was the first white person in South Africa?
His visit to the country had so much impact on the country’s history.
Jan van Riebeeck biography contains some of the hidden facts that most people do not know.
Image: facebook.com, @Jan Van RiebeeckSource: UGC
Here is all you’re gonna wanna know about him.
Jan Van Riebeeck is one of the first foreigners to set foot in South Africa.
As a sailor, he set voyage in Cape Town.
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These details will equip you with all the information you might need to know about him.
He married his wife Maria de la Quellerie, with whom he had eight sons.
One of his sons, Abraham van Riebeeck, became the governor of the Dutch East Indies.
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It was, later on, discovered that he was using the station for his personal gains.
The Dutch authorities, therefore, recalled him from his position.
He saw the viability of the bay as a location for sailors to get fresh supplies.
Image: instagram.com, @jan.v.riebeeckSource: UGC
He travelled in the company of his wife and son, and eighty-two other men and eight women.
They came with two other ships; the De Goede Hoop and the Rejiger.
By April 1652, theJan Van Riebeeckships were already docking at their destination.
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Within the first week of arrival, work was already in progress at the Fort of Good Hope.
The station was to supply the sailors with fresh water, vegetables, fruits, and meat.
The station also aimed at providing medical attention to the sailors who would stop there.
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The company instructed Jan Van Riebeeck and his team not to colonise the area.
Instead, they were asked to erect a flagpole that would direct boats and ships into the bay.
Besides erecting the flagpole, they were also required to build the fort.
Image: instagram.com, @jan.v.riebeeckSource: UGC
Things did not go as planned as there emerged a war between the Netherlands and England.
The construction of the castle went for thirteen more years after Jan Van Riebeeck had left the Cape.
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Their continued business operations took root after the departure of Jan Van Riebeeck.
However, the permit forbade them from trading with any other people apart from the VOC.
Increased demand for the products that they dealt with led to a shortage of labour.
Image: facebook.com, @Jan Van RiebeeckSource: UGC
The riots lasted for close to one hundred and fifty years.
The information in the diary would also be used for future explorations.
In retaliation, Jan Van Riebeeck constructed a Helge to surround the settlement.
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He also sent a group of men who went to survey the hinterland.
How did Jan Van Riebeeck die?
Others might want to know, ‘when did Jan Van Riebeeck die?’
He died in Batavia, at the age of fifty-seven.
The anniversary marked three hundred years after Jan Van Riebeeck had gotten to South Africa.
They since then declared April 6th a national holiday, which they called People Protest Day.
In 1980, the holiday was changed to Founders Day.
Later, in 1994, the African National Congress party did away with the holiday.
Jan Van Riebeeck had so much influence in the history of the Dutch in South Africa.
His significance and that of his wife is relevant in Adderley Street, Cape Town.
His coming had a significant influence in South Africa as a country.
She graduated from Meru University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering in 2019.
In 2023, Priscillah finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques.
She has been writing articles on Briefly.co.za since 2019.
Email: pshmueni@gmail.com
