| In 1715
the Dutch East India Company allocated loan farms to settlers along
the Berg River to supply the Cape Colony with various produce. The
Khoikhoi when crossing the river with their cattle used a ‘drift
in the veldt’ and in later years, the name ‘Velddrif”
was established by a farmer, Theunis Smit who made use of the same
drift. Laaiplek (originally known as Rooibaai) was established in 1850. Fish and farm produce was loaded into sailing ships for transport to Cape Town. Carl Stephan who was a major ship owner in the region had his ship the Alabama immortalized by the Cape Minstrels. They sing joyfully the song “Daar kom die Alabama” as it used to carry from this region, a river reed which was used in the manufacture of bridal beds for the Cape Malay brides. Before the construction of the Laaiplek harbour the river mouth would silt up in the summer months. In the winter months the heavy rains would swell the river and it would burst the sandbar closing the mouth. The fishing harbour of Laaiplek was completed in the late 60’s. Winter rains rendered the “drift in the veld” impassable and so a pont came into being where the Carinus bridge stands today. This bridge replaced the pont in 1950. The original pont was hauled across the river by hand and in later years it was pulled across by an engine, whose concrete base can still be seen on the south side of the bridge. Today the towns of Piketberg, Velddrif (Aurora, Dwarskersbos, Laaiplek and Port Owen) and Porterville make up the Berg River Municipality. |
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