Simon
Van der Stel (1679-1699)
He was the first Governor of the
Colony from 1691 to 1699.
His father Adraan Van der Stel had
been the Governor of Mauritius.
He reached the Cape in October 1679
abroad the Vrge Zee ship.
He immediately succeeded Hendrick
Crudorp as Commander of the Cape settlement.
His administration was moved on by
the Council of Policy. He tried to solve the problems of the Colony.
The Cape Colony was expanded in 1680
with the vallage (later town) of Cape Town and Stellens bosch. Stellens Bosch
(Stel's bush) was run by the Court of Heemraden. It soon became a district by August
1682. He encouraged many migrants to come at the Cape.
The Cape under his administration
emerged from a calling station to a Colony. Many Colonists (white settlers)
were also allowed at the Cape and beyond.
In 1684 he established a model
school in the district of Stellensbosch. Many settlers were given large tracts
of land at the Cape.
Officials of the DElCO were allowed
to resign and became freelance settlers in the Colony.
Under his administration, over 200
French Protestants/ Huguenots were encouraged to settle at the Cape. They
introduced new modem farming methods.
He recruited orphans girls from
Holland as wives for the Colonists at the Cape.
By 1688, the population in the
Colony had reached over 1.441.
A Landdrost for the District of
Stellensbosch was set up by 1685.
A residence for the Magistrate in
Stellensbosch was built and a Church.
By 1700 the-Cape Colony was
sufficient in food production.
The Cape settlement had also
expanded in its frontiers - other settlers were German Lutherans or French
Calvinists.
Due to his good work at the Cape
Colony in 1691 he was promoted to the post of Governor of the Cape up to 1699.
In 1699 he retired and was succeeded by his son Willem Adriaan Van der Stel,
Despite his good work he registered
some failures;
Many Africans/ black people were
enslaved
The colonists (white settlers) were
forced to speak the Dutch language.
The Colonists were forced to obey
the laws of the DElCO.
He believed the Dutch were a
superior people to other settlers.
Food prices went down as the
settlers suffered.
The Company monopolized and
restricted settlers in the sale of their products (wheat, wine, meat).
Corrupt tendencies were seen in the
award of license and contracts to traders.
Women were discriminated in
administration.
He promoted his son Willem Van der
Stel to juicy posts of administration.
In 1699 he encouraged him to be
appointed Governor of the Cape Colony.
Company staff where employed on his
private ventures. He acquired large land estates as a personal fortune.
By 1706 his relatives and friends
owned one third (1/3) of the total farming area in the Cape Colony.
He also broke many laws and rules
and regulations of the Company, for example owning large stock of com, wine,
land and other resources through corruption and embezzlement.
By 1707, he had become so unpopular
that the Company removed (terminated) him as Governor of the Cape Colony, and
forbade other officials from owning private property.
The care taker administrator
appointed was Secunde d’ Ableig in 1707.
In January, the new Governor of the
Cape Colony became Louis Van Assenburgh.
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