Victoria West

The first services of the Dutch Reformed Church were led by Rev. Colin Fraser of Beaufort West in the “Kerkhuis” on the farm Kapoksfontein. The congregation in Victoria West separated from that in Beaufort West during October 1843 when the first local preacher, Rev. W.E. Krige was ordained. For various practical reasons, they decided not to establish the town on the farm Kapoksfontein but rather Zeekoegat. Church services were temporarily held in a house on Zeekoegat. There was a need for a comfortable church building and fund raising was started.[6]

• 10 March 1850 - Consecration of the unfinished church took place.
• 8 October 1922 - The restored and improved building was reconstructed.
• 29–30 April 1967 - The restored building was consecrated.

The history of the Dutch Reformed Church is set out in a display at the Victoria West Regional Museum, consisting of documents, photographs, maps, Bibles, items of the first Communion Service and the church's first organ. The church was declared a National Monument in 1992.[7]

With the pastoral industry growing, the setting up of a wool market was proposed. The Victoria West Wool Auctions began in 1884 and were well enough supported to justify their being held twice a month. As the market slumped, the activities came to an end. In 1892 an unsuccessful effort was made to revive them.[6]

In April 1921, the Municipal Dam, which was approved at a public meeting in 1913 but delayed through cement shortages, was at last completed. A picnic for the benefit for all the children was followed in the evening by a dance. Boats were introduced for the convenience of the public, and a great debate arose as to the bathing facilities. “Proper shelter and protection must be sought and provided by the bathers while dressing and undressing. Bathers must be dressed in a costume sufficient to cover the body decently from shoulder to halfway between the hip and knee”. The Municipal Dam is still in use, but the rules regarding swimwear are more relaxed.[6]

A severe flood struck the town during the night of 27 February 1871 after a cloudburst in the mountains 15 km to the south-west. A wave of four meters high swept down the dry bed of the Zeekoegat River that runs through the village, overflowed its banks and flooded the houses, causing many to collapse. Many people were swept down the river in total darkness, others saving themselves by climbing into trees and on other stationary objects. More than sixty bodies were later recovered and a number of them buried in the same grave, but the number of deaths was never established with certainty.[6]

Another storm occurred at the beginning of December 1897, with the Cape Argus reporting that the downpour had been so heavy that "no rain equal to it had been witnessed since the great flood of 1871. Many dams in the district was washed away".

In 1909 the river broke loose again, flooding the town, with extensive damage to property.[6]

The Cape Government Railways oversaw a massive expansion in the Cape Colony's railway system in the 1870s, though the route to Victoria West was only completed in 1881. The railway connection spurred economic development and the town's demographic growth over the following decades.[8]

The railway line from Cape Town was under construction to Kimberley and as it had already reached Beaufort West, fervent hopes were expressed that Victoria West would be the next major halt. The line was carried about eight miles away, so as to traverse the farms belonging to several members of the government. As a result, the line reached the newly built station at Victoria West Road in 1883. It was not until 1904 that the railway line reached Victoria West.[6]

In the early twentieth century the increased use of motor cars meant that the Karoo was no longer as isolated as it used to be. A census in 1924 showed that Victoria West had up to 320 motor cars, including 2 busses and 30 motorbikes.[6]

Victoria West Airport in 2016

The town has a small airport (ICAO: FAVW), used only by light aircraft. Until the 1970s when they stopped operating piston engined airliners such as the Douglas DC-3, it was a refueling stop for South African Airways between Cape Town and destinations to the north. By 1931, the Victoria West Airport was already established and was used by Imperial Airways as a stopover to Cape Town. This led to the first of three of the modern air control towers built here; the other two were built in George and Cape Town. Shortly afterwards, a waiting room was built for passengers, and a new building was built in 1953. Large planes no longer land here, but small and private planes are still used. In February 1985, the agreement of 66 years between the municipality and the Shell Oil Company to supply avgas came to an end.[6]

The Victoria West Messenger, still one of the oldest weekly newspapers in the country, celebrated its centenary in 1975. It was established on 11 July 1875 by Christiaan W. Zinn. His son, Christiaan Zinn, took over the running of the paper in 1890 and managed it successfully until 1902. D M Olleman joined the publishing company as manager shortly after his arrival from the Netherlands in 1901. He later became the managing director of the Karoo Drukpers Maatskappy. He moved to Bloemfontein in 1908 where he took over the management of the Friend, and started Farmers Weekly, Motor Weekly, Outspan and Personality, and became the driving force behind the Argus Printing and Publishing Company.[7][6]

The first telephone line in Victoria West was set up in 1912.[6]