Jews were present in Pietersburg [Polokwane] from the time of its establishment in 1868. They came from Lithuania, England and Germany. They were attracted by the discovery of gold, land and work opportunities. The first Jewish cemetery was established on land granted by President Paul Kruger in 1895. The Zoutpansberg Hebrew Congregation, which included Pietersburg and Louis Trichardt was established around 1897. In 1912, Pietersburg founded its own congregation, the Pietersburg Hebrew Congregation. A Jewish burial society, a benevolent society and the Pietersburg-Zoutpansberg Zionist Society was formed. A communal hall was built in 1921 and a synagogue in 1953. Jews contributed to the development of Pietersburg and held high office. There was little anti-Semitism. From the 1960s, Jews began moving to the cities. The communal hall and minister's house were sold in 1994 and the synagogue in 2003. Only the Jewish cemetery remains in Pietersburg. / Religious Studies & Arabic / M.A. (Judaica)

Jews were present in Pietersburg [Polokwane] from the time of its establishment in 1868. They came from Lithuania, England and Germany. They were attracted by the discovery of gold, land and work opportunities. The first Jewish cemetery was established on land granted by President Paul Kruger in 1895. The Zoutpansberg Hebrew Congregation, which included Pietersburg and Louis Trichardt was established around 1897. In 1912, Pietersburg founded its own congregation, the Pietersburg Hebrew Congregation. A Jewish burial society, a benevolent society and the Pietersburg-Zoutpansberg Zionist Society was formed. A communal hall was built in 1921 and a synagogue in 1953. Jews contributed to the development of Pietersburg and held high office. There was little anti-Semitism. From the 1960s, Jews began moving to the cities. The communal hall and minister's house were sold in 1994 and the synagogue in 2003. Only the Jewish cemetery remains in Pietersburg. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Judaica)

Text in Afrikaans / This thesis entitled The contribution of Erich Mayer towards the establishment of an aesthetic consciousness and the promotion of an art identity in South Africa to the end of the 1930s, is a study of the ideas, ideals and contributions of the German-Jewish artist Erich Mayer concerning the establishment of a national art identity in South Africa. Mayer was born in Germany in 1876. Because of ill health he came to South Africa, where he settled in 1898 and developed an affinity with the Afrikaner pioneers in the rural areas. This natural connection with the Afrikaner pioneers was the main motivation behind his participation in the Anglo-Boer War. With his sound European background and training at various art academies in Berlin and Stuttgart, he soon realised that a knowledge of European art history or any awareness of an aesthetic consciousness concerning the fine and applied arts was sadly lacking within the general South African community and more specifically amongst the early Afrikaners. As a student, Mayer developed a keen interest in traditional German arts and crafts, which, according to him, contributed to the specific national Germanic character. This interest prompted him to conduct research and document examples of folk art among the Afrikaners as well as other indigenous communities, in an attempt to establish an aesthetic awareness in South Africans, and more specifically among Afrikaners. Mayer was of the opinion that the development and marketing of these cultural objects and artefacts would contribute towards a unique art identity with a strong South African national character. Apart from his interests in the fine and applied arts, Mayer also researched the vernacular architecture, furniture design and household articles of both Afrikaner pioneers and Africans. He travelled widely in South Africa, researching his interests and presented lectures on these themes which he published in newspapers and magazines in an effort to create an awareness of the rich indigenous folk art. / Hierdie proefskrif is 'n studie oor die bydrae van die Duits-Joodse kunstenaar Erich Mayer tot die vestiging van 'n estetiese bewussyn en die bevordering van 'n kunsidentiteit in Suid-Afrika tot aan die einde van die 1930's. Mayer is in 1876 in Duitsland gebore. Weens gesondheidsredes het hy hom in 1898 in Suid-Afrika gevestig waar hy veral met die Boerepioniers op die platteland geidentifiseer het em hom gou tuis gevoel het in die landelike milieu. Hierdie natuurlike toegeneentheid tot die vroee Afrikaners het aanleiding gegee tot sy later deelname aan die Anglo-Boereoorlog. Met sy grondige Europese agtergrond en opleiding aan verskillende kunsakademies in Berlyn en Stuttgart, het Mayer gou besef dat die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap in die algemeen, maar veral die vroee Afrikaners in die besonder, 'n algehele gebrek geopenbaar het aan enige Euopese kunshistoriese kennis of enige estetiese bewussyn oor die beeldende en toegepaste kunste. Mayer is vroeg reeds blootgestel aan en het besonder belanggestel in die kunshandwerk van die Duitsers wat deel uitgemaak het van eeue-oue Duitse tradisies en wat bygedra het tot die unieke nasionale volksaard van die Duitsers. Met hierdie belangstelling het Mayer stelselmatig begin om die unieke kunshandwerk van die Afrikanerpioniers te versamel. Hy het hier 'n geleentheid gesien om via voorbeelde van plaaslike kunshandwerk 'n estetiese bewussyn by die Suid-Afrikaans gemeenskap en meer spesifiek by die Afrikaner aan te wakker. Mayer was van mening dat die sinvolle ontwikkeling en bemarking van hierdie kulturele voorwerpe en ontwerpe daartoe sou kon bydra om 'n eie kunsidentiteit met sterk nasionale karakter in Suid-Afrika tot stand te bring. Wat die beeldende en toegepaste kunste betref, het Mayer 'n wye belangstellingsveld gehad en het hy ook omvattende navorsing oor die inheemse boukuns, meubelontwerpe en kunshandwerkartikels van die vroee Boerepioniers, asook oor die van die inheemse bevolkingsgroepe, onderneem. Hy het die land deurreis op soek na geskikte voorbeelde van kunshandwerkartikels, gereeld lesings aangebied en artikels gepubliseer, die alledaagse Boerelewe op die platteland visueel gedokumenteer en op die manier 'n besondere ryk nalatenskap daargestel. / History / D. Litt et Phil. (Geskiedenis)

Op 23 Junie 1900 het die Britse troepe Heidelberg beset. Die rustige bestaan het vir spanning onder die burgerlikes en agterdog teenoor die Britse militêre owerheid plek gemaak. Inwoners soos ds. A.J. Louw, wat geweier het om die Eed van Neutraliteit te teken, is onverwyld uit die dorp verban. Vroue soos Issie Kriegler en Cassie O’Reilly, wat met hulle uitgesprokenheid die gramskap van die Britte ontketen het, is saam met hulle gesinne na die konsentrasiekamp by Merebank in Natal gestuur. Aangesien die beëindiging van die oorlog vir die Britse owerheid belangrik was, het distrikskommissaris J.M. Vallentin Heidelbergse wapenneerlêers gebruik om die burgers tot oorgawe te oorreed en voorstelle vir die bereiking van vrede aan die hand te doen. As deel van die verskroeide aarde-beleid is Boerevroue en kinders wat sonder heenkome was, na die blanke konsentrasiekamp op Heidelberg geneem, waar hulle getalle mettertyd tot ongeveer 2 000 aangegroei het. Die Heidelbergse kampowerhede het die aankomelinge van tente voorsien terwyl higiëniese maatreëls en mediese dienste vir liggaamlike welsyn ingestel is. Siektes het uitgebreek. Die pogings van die Britse medici om die sterftesyfer met Westerse medikasie en voorskrifte vir beter voeding aan kinders te verlaag, het allesbehalwe seepglad verloop onder meer vanweë die Boerevroue se wantroue in hulle. Voor die Anglo-Boereoorlog was die gemeentelike lewe besonder aktief. Met die Britse oorname het eredienste, bediening van die doop en katkisasie in die susterskerke op Heidelberg op 'n gereelde grondslag voortgegaan. Godsdiensoefening in die konsentrasiekamp is ook nie agterweë gelaat nie. Fasiliteite is vir die gemeentelike aktiwiteite van die drie susterskerke beskikbaar gestel. Ook het die Britse kerke op Heidelberg, die St. Ninian’s Anglican Church en die Wesleyan Methodist Church, ‘n bloeitydperk beleef, terwyl die Berlynse Sendinggenootskap sy werksaamhede gestaak het. Teen 1902 is die kampinwoners toegelaat om dienste in hulle gemeentes op die dorp by te woon. Onderwys het met die Britse besetting ‘n nuwe tydvak betree. Die kampskool het saam met die skoolgeldheffende skole en die “free schools” op die dorp daartoe bygedra om die grondslag vir ‘n Britse onderwysstelsel in Transvaal te lê. Ingevoerde Britse onderwysers het nuwe wêrelde vir die kampkinders ontsluit, wat hulle tot verdere intellektuele ontwikkeling sou aanspoor. Die kampskole, waarby ook volwassenes gebaat het, was ‘n ligpunt in die bestaan van die konsentrasiekampe. Tot onlangs was min oor die swart konsentrasiekampe in die Heidelbergdistrik bekend. Toestande in hierdie kampe het na hulle oorname deur die Departement van Naturellevlugtelinge in Junie 1901 verbeter. Swartes is deur die leër en privaat huishoudings in diens geneem. Sommige was selfversorgend deurdat hulle mielies en ander gewasse produseer het. Die swart kamp op Heidelberg se sterftesyfer was laag. Dit is waarskynlik aan die goeie werk van die mediese offisier, ene Stewart, te danke. Hervestiging van blanke en swart kampinwoners het na afloop van die oorlog in Mei 1902 gevolg. Met Britse hulp en danksy rantsoene wat aan hulle uitgereik is, kon hulle huiswaarts keer. Dit blyk dat Heidelberg se blanke konsentrasiekamp relatief goed bestuur is en vanweë sy lae sterftesyfer onder die beter kampe tel. / Thesis (DPhil (History))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Historical and Heritage Studies / unrestricted

This thesis is a study of British colonial policy in southern Afiica in the 1 gill centwy. More specifically it looks at how British imperial policy, in the period 1875 to 1881, played itself out in two British colonies in southern Africa, Wlder the direction of a British imperial agent, William Owen Lanyon. It sets Lanyon in the context of the frontiers and attempts to link the histories of the people who lived there, the Africans, Boers and British settlers on the one han~ and the histories of colonial policy on the other. In doing so it also unravels the relationship between Lanyon and his superiors in London and those in southern Africa. In 1875 Owen Lanyon arrived in Griqualand West, where his brief was to help promote a confederation policy in southern Africa. Because of the discovery of diamonds some years earlier, Lanyon's administration had to take account of the rising mining industry and the aggressive new capitalist economy. He also had to deal with Griqua and Tlhaping resistance to colonialism. Lanyon was transferred to the Transvaal in 1879, where he was confronted by another community that was dissatisfied with British rule: the Transvaal Boers. Indeed, in Pretoria he was faced with an extremely difficult situation, which he handled very poorly. Boer resistance to imperial rule eventually came to a head when war broke out and Lanyon and his officials were among those besieged in Pretoria. In February 1881 imperial troops suffered defeat at the hands of Boer commandos at Majuba and Lanyon was recalled to Britain. In both colonies Lanyon was caught up in the struggle between the imperial power and the local people and, seen in a larger context, in the conflict for white control over the land and labour of Africans and that between the old pre-mineral South Africa and the new capitalist order. He made a crucial contribution to developments in the sub-continent and it is remarkable that his role in southern Africa has thus far been neglected. / History / D.Litt. et Phil. (History)

This thesis is a study of British colonial policy in southern Afiica in the 1 gill centwy. More specifically it looks at how British imperial policy, in the period 1875 to 1881, played itself out in two British colonies in southern Africa, Wlder the direction of a British imperial agent, William Owen Lanyon. It sets Lanyon in the context of the frontiers and attempts to link the histories of the people who lived there, the Africans, Boers and British settlers on the one han~ and the histories of colonial policy on the other. In doing so it also unravels the relationship between Lanyon and his superiors in London and those in southern Africa. In 1875 Owen Lanyon arrived in Griqualand West, where his brief was to help promote a confederation policy in southern Africa. Because of the discovery of diamonds some years earlier, Lanyon's administration had to take account of the rising mining industry and the aggressive new capitalist economy. He also had to deal with Griqua and Tlhaping resistance to colonialism. Lanyon was transferred to the Transvaal in 1879, where he was confronted by another community that was dissatisfied with British rule: the Transvaal Boers. Indeed, in Pretoria he was faced with an extremely difficult situation, which he handled very poorly. Boer resistance to imperial rule eventually came to a head when war broke out and Lanyon and his officials were among those besieged in Pretoria. In February 1881 imperial troops suffered defeat at the hands of Boer commandos at Majuba and Lanyon was recalled to Britain. In both colonies Lanyon was caught up in the struggle between the imperial power and the local people and, seen in a larger context, in the conflict for white control over the land and labour of Africans and that between the old pre-mineral South Africa and the new capitalist order. He made a crucial contribution to developments in the sub-continent and it is remarkable that his role in southern Africa has thus far been neglected. / History / D.Litt. et Phil. (History)