Naming of Botrivier
The name the town Botrivier, comes from the nearby river of the same name. ‘Bot’ a shortened version of Botter (butter), translated from the Khoikhoi Gouga, meaning ‘rich in fat’.
The name ‘butter’ arose because the Khoikhoi used to make and barter butter to traders from the Cape. In the early 18th-century, Botrivier became an outpost for the Dutch East India Company at Compagnes Drift farm. Here the authorities could monitor who crossed the Cape frontier.
Services Rewarded
In January 1806 British forces defeated the Dutch at the Battle of Blouberg. Among the handful of Dutch burghers who rendered loyal service in the battle was Servaas Daniel de Kock. He was rewarded by being granted the farm he had worked, on loan. Loan farms, allowed burghers to rent the land, although they could not own it. De Kock planted wheat, vines, fruit trees, vegetables and turmeric. He also offered accommodation to travellers heading to the Cape. Botrivier the town, was established in the 1890s when a hotel was built. The building of the railway line from Cape Town to Caledon in 1902 allowed farmers to trade with the Cape more easily. Today, Botrivier remains a small farming town.
By Ann Gadd
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