NEDERLANDSCHE-ZUID-AFRIKAANSCHE VERENIGING SCHOLARSHIP FROM 1884

By: Jaco Schoonraad,  Site Curator: DITSONG Kruger Museum and DITSONG: Sammy Marks Museum

In 1884/1885 the Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Vereniging (Netherlands-South African Association) granted a scholarship to young boys between the ages of 9 and 15 years old to study in the Netherlands.

By the end of June 1887 a few boys arrived in London with the Dunvegan Castle (steam ship) and were welcomed by Mr G.J.Th. Beelaerts van Blokland, a civil servant in the Ministry of Justice, in The Hague since 1883.

These boys, from the South African Republic (ZAR) were granted a ‘more advanced’ education to the inadequate schooling of the ZAR at the time. Amongst these boys were 12-year-old Nicolaas Smit, 16-year-old Sarel Eloff, a grandson of President Kruger and two sons of Chief Magato of the Bafokeng by the names of Kebarapetse (Bloemhof) and Paul (14 years).

 

 

Mr. G.J. Th . Beelaerts van Blokland. (Schutte, G.J. 2007. De zonen van Magato.	Kgosi Magato and his sons in 1890. Most probably, Paul sitting next to him, with Bloemhof (left) and Rueben (right). (Schutte, G.J. 2007. De zonen van Magato.)