THE FARM

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Driekoppen has a rich history dating back as far as the mid 1800's. For many years Driekoppen was a hive of farming activities. This included maize, cattle and dairy farming on a major scale. For unknown reasons these activities came to a blunt halt in the late 1960's.

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The Janse van Rensburg family became the owners of Driekoppen in 1998 - From day one Gert snr. and Dolly Janse van Rensburg shared a vision to bring Driekoppen back to its former glory and beauty of yesteryear.

They started with extensive renovations to the farmhouse, outbuildings, roads and dams from late 1998. With love and care the majestic Sandstone House and outbuildings where renovated to its former glory. Today, it is again to be enjoyed by the Janse van Rensburg family and many others.

The attraction of Driekoppen as a retreat is enhanced by the fact that it is less than two and a half hours drive from Johannesburg. The close proximity to South Africa's major metropolis makes it a very comfortable distance to drive and to spend the weekend, or for that matter, any amount of days in a place of breath-taking beauty, exclusivity and tranquillity.

 

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THE TOWN

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In 1863 one J. H. Krynauw bought the farm, aptly named "Krynauwslust" located where the town of Vrede was later proclaimed in 1879. The town celebrated its centenary in 1979. The town’s Afrikaans name "Vrede" can be directly translated to 'Peace' in English. This name resulted, due to a bitter feud that raged between the early settlers of the area where the town initially should have been placed. A compromise was reached and peace among the early citizens was achieved, hence the name, Vrede. The names Leeukop (Lionshead), Tygerspoort (Tiger's Passage), Kwaggaspoort (Zebra's Passage) still exist today. Unfortunately the folk of the earlier years were not conscious of the ecology and now only names of the game that roamed the area remain. The last known free roaming lion in the area was shot in 1865. In 1858 a sole hippo was spotted in the wetlands surrounding the district of Memel, the neighboring town. In the early days of Vrede, various game species still had the habit of migrating to the warmer climate of Natal in May, returning in October after months of winter grazing. This is still the case with a number of surviving deer that migrate yearly and can be spotted in the area until May. Unfortunately the practice of hunting for profit took the early population by storm and in 1870, a reported one hundred and eleven thousand four hundred and forty six hides, all originating from the Vrede district, were exported from Durban harbor. The number of game dwindled and by 1858 there were reportedly only forty two Eland in the area. Between 1899 and 1902 many famous battles were fought in and around Vrede and Vrede were also the setting of the stand of the Great Rebellion of 1914 when citizens were called to arms in aid of Britain in the First World War against Germany.

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We at Driekoppen are taking a leaf out of history and applying what we have learnt from the past in our endeavor to once again introduce games species, long gone from the area. This is our attempt to restore the balance of the past. Vrede is a small country side town we call home. The church is the center point in this small town and of the community and must be one of the most impressive church buildings in South Africa. The town of Vrede is also the birthplace of the famous author Andrè P. Brink.