Stellenbosch is a unique town in South Africa. Harbouring probably some of the richest people in South Africa, and where poverty confronts everyone, this gem still holds some of the country’s most talented artists and intellectual crops. Also, one of the top destinations for any tourist, Stellenbosch is a culinary and wine must on your stop filled with natural riches and splendid nature routes. However, the little town hosts more than simply wine and fancy dining. If you are a student in Stellenbosch, or have some knowledge of the town, you will know that there lurk dark secrets but also great fun. Please join me on this wonderful virtual journey as I take you through Stellenbosch through the eyes of a student. Before we move on to Art, Good Food, and the nice things, let us briefly dive into the history of this town through the recent political twists and turns, and the Boy’s school I went to for my schooling.
A Student’s Town: A Brief Historical Perspective Through Recent Politics and School Sports
Stellenbosch is a student’s town. From the various schools that sit on the periphery, to the university that occupies the centre of the town, Stellenbosch is for the students and run by the students. The last part is a bit of an exaggeration, but once you have gone with me through Stellenbosch on this virtual tour, you will understand why I say this. From political protests, to draping colourful flags through the streets, to the wrapping of trees in cloth, what happens in Stellenbosch is everything but simple.
Sports in the Town
Every year the boy’s school Paul Roos Gymnasium hosts a rugby game that is the central point of the whole year. It is played against the rival school Grey Bloemfontein, situated in Bloemfontein. Every second year, the game is hosted in Stellenbosch. When this happens, the streets close to the school becomes a colourful show of flags and flowers. Yes, the municipality plants the school’s colours in flowers on public ground. It is a rather big event. Recently, like most things, it has become a commercial money pot and people like me who went to the school (they refer to us as Old boys) still need to pay to watch the game. (Maybe I am just a little sour, but let us not dwell on this topic too long!) The school is not without their share of problems. Still predominantly Afrikaans and Christian, there has been a fair share of “claims” of things linked to the past. (This is a purposefully cryptic claim, people from the area will know and people like me who went to the school also knows what it means.)
This is my matrix (last year of school) tie. The school logo is the mountain in the next photograph with the sun coming up behind it. It is a very cool logo to say the least!
Again, as this is not a political post per se, let us not delve too deep. Let us now move on to the FeesMustFall Protests.
Politics, Always Politics: 2015’s FeesMustFall Protests
Poverty in South Africa is rife. Stellenbosch is probably one of the towns where this is most apparent. Various areas are colloquially called “CEO’s paradise” and in those lines. Also, wealthy wine farm owners with million-dollar homes look over townships and tin houses. As one of the last university’s that still offer tuition in Afrikaans, Stellenbosch university adds to the tension on politics. In 2015 this bubble burst. FeesMustFall did not originate in Stellenbosch but it was picked up almost immediately. Throw some political tension regarding the language policies, and we had fun to say the least in 2015. Classes were stopped for a couple of weeks and people did not take well to the statues on campus. The FeesMustFall was preceded by the Rhodes Must Fall protests and the year of 2015 was not the best politically. Here is one of the statues that survived with minimal damage that stands on the Rooiplein (red square, I am smelling Russian influence):
(At the bottom, you can see some of the damage caused by the 2015 protests.)
Politics over: A Brief History Lesson
Sorry for the brief political introduction. I think that these discussions are important because as a visitor you are not always aware of these things. Now for just a very brief historical introduction to the town.
Simon van der Stell found the town, and subsequently named it after himself. The town’s name means Stell’s bush, as in Simon’s bush. Hence, Stellenbosch. With all of the renaming of town’s names in South Africa, I wonder when they will change this name as well! Anyways, no more politics from now on. Some of the oldest schools in South Africa is in Stellenbosch. My old school, which I mentioned, opened in 1866:
Various old buildings are kept as historical sites with these labels protecting them from being renovated:
Various shops, however, have taken over the properties, keeping the structures and old look and feel. This makes for an interesting mix between old and new, especially with all of the art in the town.
This is one of the most famous hangouts for academics. It is rather posh but has a nice vibe. It is in a very old building:
The food I at (see the burger section below) is also in an old building right across from the church:
Some of the old buildings
Here are just some of the old buildings you can see as you walk throughout the town. Some of them are university buildings and some are just preserved for their historical significance. One interesting fact about Stellenbosch University is that there is technically no “campus”, campus is mixed in with the surrounding town. There is no actual gate or border that gives you the impression that you are now on campus.
This church is in the centre of the tourist district. The next photograph is not of a building, but the same street from a different angle. It is the "tourist" street:
All of the oak trees make the street feel so nice.
(I am not sure what building this is, but the façade looks very cool.)
(These two buildings are guesthouses a couple of hundred meters from Stellenbosch University.)
(This is called the Ou Hoofgebou, or Old Main Building. It is one of the campus' lecturing buildings. I do not have any classes in the building, so I could not enter. But the floors and stair railings are still the original yellow wood. It is something to witness.)
(This is currently an art museum or exhibition room.)
(I think this is theology's main building. An impressive-looking building.)
"Amidst politics, we are still friendly"
Even though I have written critically about the politics in the town, interesting dynamics form, or the absence of those dynamics. In South Africa, religions do not really clash. I am not aware of any real tension between religions. You get the odd number of people who are zealous and extremist, but mostly we tolerate and mingle. In the same street, there is a modern church and a Jewish building. It is not the best example, but it is certainly one example.
Leiwater (Channelled water) in the Town
Some places in Stellenbosch still uses channelled water. You can walk in various streets and listen to the water being channelled, and you can see homeowners collecting water to water their plants. When I was in town it wasn’t open, and here you can see the dry channels.
I think these plaques are a testament to the channeled waters.
Eating the Best Burger
Vrije Burger is a burger joint run by one of South Africa’s top chefs, Bertus Basson. He has various restaurants, two of which is in Stellenbosch and is seen as “fancy dining”. They are very expensive and might be out of reach for most average South Africans. However, his burger place is still reasonably priced, and you will get, according to me, the best burger. You also get a nice ice cream for free while you wait for your burger. You can sit outside under some old oak trees and listen to the wind blow through its leaves.
Nature in the Town and all the Paths
Various paths will lead you to streams, like the “eerste rivier” (first river). These paths will eventually lead you to mountain trails and you can see some of the local fynbos.
Due to the town being so old, various big trees cover the streets:
The street on which I took the photograph of the old tree, is called Victoria street. It is one of the most beautiful with all of the oak trees surrounding it. Most student walk this pathway between classes. Another name for Stellenbosch, and the name of the local mall, is Eike stad (or Oak Town). This is the road and pathway:
(Again we cannot get rid of the politics. It is almost time to vote in South Africa, and if you look in the left corner, you can see one of the party's posters with a bleak message: Stop the decay. Politics aside, I do not like party's that prey on their voters' emotions.)
What I normally do is I visit the university’s botanical gardens. For active students, it is free, but the fee to walk through the various indigenous plants is not too steep. I normally go there with some food and sit and read. On a hot summer’s day it is one of the nicest things to do between classes. Not a lot of students do it, so it is nice to sometimes get away from all the buzz.
Art in the Town
Besides being a student’s town, Stellenbosch is also a centre for art. Various private art galleries reside in the town, and various sculptures are exhibited in the streets. Some of them are rather straight forward but some are very abstract and conceptual. Throughout the years, we have witnessed so many interesting sculptures, sometimes seemingly popping up out of nowhere. Even on campus, with its lively art department, people love their art in Stellenbosch.
(This is just outside of a new burger joint)
I am not sure if this an art installation, but it is in the middle of the town and looks rather impressive.)
(An artwork of Nelson Mandela in front of a government building.)
The following artworks are all found on the streets in the tourist district:
I am not sure what the purpose of this artwork is, but it is rather tucked away from the general public:
Some nice conceptual art:
And lastly, this one is found on campus across the Rooiplein:
Stellenbosch artist Koos Kombuis, and a Final Word from Mooi Berge with a Beer
Koos Kombuis is Synonymous with Stellensbosch
Various musicians come from Stellenbosch. One such an artist, and one of my writing/literary heroes, goes by the name of Koos Kombuis. He has written many classical Afrikaans songs. One such a song is Lente in die boland, translated as Spring in the Boland, warning the lyrics are explicit if you want to listen and translate the song. He writes about his drunken days as a Stellenbosch university student and his promiscuous lifestyle. His music and songs always change, as he always re-writes them throughout the years. It is one of his trademarks. But this song, and some others, have become “serenade songs” in Stellenbosch amongst the students.
Mooiberge Strawberry Farm
I hope you enjoyed this rather unstable yet delicious virtual tour. I conclude with some interesting “art” at a local farmstall on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. These artworks have stirred some controversy as well. Looks like Stellenbosch just loves its political messes! But they are creepy yet creative at the same time. This farmstall is famous for its strawberries and wine, but recently a bar has opened up next to it with a huge number of beers on tap. I normally go there to escape the traffic you can see in one of the photographs. You overlook the vineyards and the strawberries that grow below your feet. It was a good ending to an interesting day.
(Here you can see a string of cars driving home, and here I am enjoying a beer feeling their pain of being stuck in traffic.)
All the photographs were taken by me and my trust Nikon D300 with the 50mm lens, or my iPhone. The political opinions I expounded here is my own and is in no way meant to look down upon anyone or do damage to anyone. I also do not promote the businesses I name here; they are just to my personal liking. I have received no money or any compensation to say anything. None of the artworks/sculptures is mine, however, they are exhibited in the open on the streets and not in a gallery; photographing them and presenting them here should not be a problem. If it is, please request and I will remove them.