During the late 1940s and early 1950s a notorious vagabond called John Kepe had the town of Somerset East up in arms with a series of petty burglaries, incidences of stock theft and mountainside muggings on the locals.
By the year 1950, local police were logging approximately one incident a week of stock theft and house burglaries from farmers in the Boschberg area. In the meantime, Kepe had succeeded in keeping his true identity as the mysterious Boschberg outlaw a secret. He came into town from time to time to socialise at the community drinking hall and would even join search parties and go on the hunt for himself. John Kepe had garnered a reputation among locals. He lived in a secret cave up in the Boschberg and stashed all his ill-gotten gains in another cave nearby.
In December 1951 Kepe killed a shepherd and the search for him was stepped up. On the night of 25 February 1952, he was arrested in an ambush and later found guilty by a court of law and executed by hanging at the Pretoria.
A film called “Sew the Winter to My Skin” based on the story of Kepe came out in 2018.
The Karoo Heartland may be famous for its Karoo lamb, but there are more and more travellers with dietary requests. Vegetarians and vegans who don’t eat meat, gluten intolerant travellers as well as other allergies.
Having recently had a spate of vegetarian and vegan guests staying over at Angler and Antelope Guesthouse in Somerset East, Annabelle Hobson has been scouring the internet and playing around with new recipes. This spiced cauliflower dish was an absolute hit!
*Spiced cauliflower with chickpeas, herbs & pine nuts*
Ingredients:
1 large head cauliflower, broken into florets (about 1kg total)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp each carraway and cumin seed
3 tbsp olive oil
400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
100g pine nuts
Small bunch each parsley and dill, leaves torn
Method
Heat the oven to 200C. Toss the cauliflower, garlic, spices, 2 tbsp oil and some seasoning in a roasting tin and roast for 30 mins.
Add the chickpeas, pine nuts and remaining oil to the tin, then cook for 10 minutes more.
To serve, stir in the herbs with a dressing of your choice.
The early history of Somerset East and Glen Avon Farm is tied to the history of Robert Hart.
When Robert Hart stepped off a boat at the Cape of Good Hope in 1795, he was 18 years old, a private in the Argyllshire Highlanders and penniless. Yet this young Scottish lad was destined to play a major role in taming the old Cape colony’s wild eastern flank. After surviving the dangers of being a soldier on the turbulent eastern frontier, he took a short break in England before returning to the Cape Colony in 1807 as a commissioned officer in Colonel Graham’s newly formed Cape Regiment.
By now he was also married to Hannah Tamplin, and the couple settled at the military base that later became Grahamstown. After a while, Robert took over Somerset farm, established in the Zuurveld by the government to supply the army. While there the Harts welcomed the Scottish party of 1820 settlers who ventured inland to the Baviaans River valley. Those were tough times for the Scots, but luckily they had a helpful friend in Robert.
In 1825 Somerset Farm was shut down and the land was set aside for the new town of Somerset East. Left with a small state pension, Robert Hart moved with his family to land he had acquired a short distance away in a fertile valley below the Bosberg. A beautiful place he named Glen Avon.
Through hard work and great insight, he soon made his farm a landmark in the region. He bred top merino sheep, a breed introduced to SA by Colonel Graham, and so contributed greatly to what became an important industry. His orchards produced a fantastic bounty of fruits, especially citrus, and his flood-irrigated fields delivered huge harvests of grain that soon justified a private mill. The machinery for this was shipped out from Scotland and then transported by ox wagon from Algoa Bay over the Zuurberg Pass. The mill could produce two tons of meal a day and soon Robert was grinding all the wheat grown between Pearston, Ann’s Villa and Zwagershoek.
The amazing legacy of Robert Hart, who died in 1867 at the ripe old age of 90, is remarkable because everything has been so well looked after by his direct descendants. Their dedication preserved the old mill and the two homesteads as well as Hart Cottage.
Place of Death: ‘Glen Avon’ Farm, Somerset East, Cape Colony, South Africa
Place of Burial: Cape Colony, South Africa
Immediate Family:
Son of James Hart, III and Isabel Hart
Husband of Hannah May Hart
Father of Ann Stretch; Harriet Hart; Susannah Hart; Robert Hart, III; Caroline Hart; Cecilia Hart; Margaretha Birt. Fleischer; Eleanor Evelyn Pringle; Sarah Elizabeth Bowker (Hart); Richard Hart and Lieut. James Hart IV
Brother of Andrew Hart and Grizel Campbell (Hart)
Occupation: Soldier (Captain), Farmer and Businessman
Sunday lunch in the Karoo. Melt-in-the-mouth tender Karoo lamb roast and veggies with malva for pudding and chocolate cake for afternoon tea. Yeah, that sounds just about right. Sometimes you just want something a bit quicker to make. Maybe quick isn’t the right word. How about beef and vegetable soup, homemade bread and Macaroni Cheese?
This recipe is enjoyed by both guests and family and any leftovers freeze well for a quick and easy light meal.
Quick and Easy Macaroni Cheese
1 cup Macaroni (dry)
2 cups Milk
2 Eggs
1 cup Cheese – grated
1 tablespoon Butter
1 Tomato – sliced thinly
2 teespoon Maizena
2 teespoon Dry mustard
Salt and pepper
A dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
Boil macaroni in salt water until tender and drain
Put cheese in a bowl and reserve some to sprinkle on top
Add mustard, maizena, salt, pepper and cayenne to the cheese
Add eggs one at a time and mix well
Boil milk, butter and macaroni together
Add to the mixture in the bowl
Pour into a buttered dish, sprinkle cheese over the top
Decorate with tomato slices
Bake at 180 deg for 30 +- minutes until browned and set
Serves six
