Cecil John Rhodes se verbintenis met Oos-Kaap.

Emmarentia Ferreira 

Cecil John Rhodes

Bitter min mense weet dat Cecil John Rhodes by verskeie grondtransaksies in die omgewing van Kirkwood betrokke was, maar dat die eiendom op ‘n suster en broer se name was. 

Tussen Sapkamma , Glenconnor, Jansenville en Kirkwood, afgesonder en omring deur berge lê ‘n stuk aarde bekend as “Die Moot”. Dis hier waar ‘n hele bedrogspul volgens oorlewering afgespeel het. 

Johannes Frederik de Lange (1831-1886) het op die plaas Kruisrivier gewoon. Hy het ook transport gery na Kimberley en was bevriend met Rhodes. Hy het 19 kinders gehad. Saam met sy tweede vrou se eerste 2 en sy oorlede suster en swaer se 2, het die egpaar dus 22 kinders grootgemaak. Dit is dus te verstane dat daar soms na “die wilde De Langes” verwys was. 

Die storie word vertel dat die De Langes goudertsdraende grond op die plaas Brakkefontein “geplant” het. Aan die einde van 1882 verkoop die De Langes en ‘n ene J. Davis die plaas aan Cecil John Rhodes. Hoewel die plaas vanaf 1882 tot 1908 aan Rhodes behoort het, het hy dit in sy suster, Louisa Sophia Margaret, se naam geregistreer. Na Rhodes se dood, koop Johannes Carolus de Lange die plaas uit Rhodes se boedel, maar in 1921 koop Arthur Montaque Rhodes (‘n broer van Cecil John) weer die plaas terug. 

Helaas was die goud te min om te ontgin. Tot onlangs kon die gat nog gesien word waar daar onsuksesvol gedelf is. Die spoorwegstawe wat vir hoekpale gebruik was, word nog steeds hier aangetref. 

Die oorspronklike opstal op Brakkefontein was beslis in ‘n ander klas as die ander plaashuise in die omgewing. Oorlewering wil dit hê dat Arthur baie van die omgewing gehou het. Hy het dan ook lang tye hier gewoon en in 1934 hy ook ‘n gedeelte van “Diepdrif” gekoop. 

Die volgende berig het in die Uitenhage Times van 5 Februarie 1936 verskyn: 

Death of Mr. A.M.Rhodes.

The death took place at Port Elizabeth on January 23rd of Mr. Arthur Montaque Rhodes, a brother of the late Right Hon. Cecil John Rhodes, at the age of 76.He had been ailing since November last year. 

The late Mr. A.M.Rhodes, who had resided for many years on his farm “Brakfontein”, Glenconnor, was the sixth son of the late Rev. R.W.Rhodes by his second marriage with Louisa Peacock. He was educated in England and when he reached the age of 20 his brother Cecil brought him to South Africa and placed him on a farm in the Glenconnor district. Subsequently Mr. Arthur Rhodes commenced ostrich farming at Oudtshoorn, but this was not a success. 

Afterwards he interested himself in certain mining ventures with varying success, but when Cecil Rhodes opened Rhodesia, his brother Arthur went there to settle and owned a large tract of country near Bulawayo. He continued farming operations there until after the Matabele Rebellion when he returned to England. 

After some years he returned to South Africa once more and to the Uitenhage district, where he bought back his old original farm at Glenconnor and since then he purchased several of the adjoining farms. He continued farming operations in the Glenconnor area almost up to the time of his death, carried out a number of experiments in agriculture and was especially interested in Afrikaner cattle. 

The late Mr. Rhodes, who was a bachelor, was of a somewhat retiring disposition. 

In accordance with his own wish, the remains of the late Mr. Rhodes were cremated in Johannesburg.