MERWEVILLE HISTORY

The small village of Merweville lies in the area of the Great Karoo known as the Koup. It is an arid area with an average rainfall of 150mm. Thus water is a serious natural resource that is treated with respect. The town and the surrounding farms rely on subterranean water which is extracted via pump. Wind, solar and electrical pumps bring the water to the surface.
The Beaufort West Parish of the Dutch Reformed Church, during the 1800s served a geographic area in excess of 30,000 square kilometers. In order to attend “nagmaal” or communion the local residents and their families would need to travel more than 120-kilometres to Beaufort West.
In 1897, with the support of the Dutch Reformed Church Reverend in Beaufort West, Pieter van der Merwe, the local farmers appealed to the church authorities to create a new parish. An offer was made to purchase a portion of the farm Vanderbylskraal from its owner, Johannes Jacobus Le Seur van der Byl. The sale was concluded for the sum of £4,500 and from this transaction the village of Merweville was born and named in honour of Reverend van der Merwe from Beaufort West.
The outbreak of the Anglo Boer War in 1899 interrupted the establishment and development of the village and it was only in 1905 that the land was transferred to the church and the village was formally established.
In the early days most of the economic activity in town centered around the homestead of van der Byl. In addition to houses and cottages surrounding the main house, there were store rooms, stables, sheds, a shop and post office. The farm often hosted post coach passengers. There was also a small police station and a jail. As the locally appointed magistrate, Van der Byl heard cases on petty offences and infringements of the law. He imposed fines, punishments and short-term sentences which were served in the farm jail.
There are four access roads into the town and the 44km road, built in 2015, from the N1 at Prins Albert Road is beautifully tarred and pothole free. The others are gravel roads that are generally in a good condition. Due to Merweville being off the fast moving beaten track it has been possible to maintain a jealousy guarded old world charm and pace. Here the businesses still close for lunch!
Visitors to the town may be surprised by the lack of street lights, that is by design, when the residents, in 1998 when the Eskom power was laid on, chose to not have streetlights.
Today the mainly sheep farming community is the backbone of the town’s economy. Most if not all of the business in town interact with farmers and their workers on a regular basis. The most common farming activity is sheep and here they farm with Dorpers, a pure South African breed, and Meat Masters. Other animal farming activities are Goat and Game. Onion, Lucerne, Oranges and Olives are also cultivated. With the unfortunate but well known drought cycles farmers need to diversify to endure in this harsh farming environment. They have learnt to work with nature and not against it.
Change comes slow to Merweville, a town where the silence is audible and the air fresh.

The less than 2000 residents cherish and treasure their lifestyle.