The small town of Riebeek-Kasteel, deep in beautiful wine region 50 miles northeast of Cape Town, played a key role in apartheid.
It was where two former (and controversial) white South African prime ministers were born: DF Malan and Jan Smuts.
Which makes it an intriguing place to visit so soon after last week’s elections in which the African National Congress lost its majority for the first time since the end of apartheid 30 years ago in 1994.
This is especially true because Riebeek-Kasteel is a major enclave of the centre-right Democratic Alliance, which won 22 per cent of the vote compared to the ANC’s 40 per cent.
Suddenly, this small settlement (population 1,200) is firmly back on the map, and for all the right reasons.
Graham Boynton says recent political change in South Africa has put the town of Riebeek-Kasteel “firmly on the map again, and for all the right reasons”.
Simply divine – the city is located deep in wine country, 50 miles northeast of Cape Town.
With a spectacular backdrop of rolling farmland and the Kasteelberg mountain range, the city center is a haven for artists, boutique owners, winemakers and old hippies. It is about an hour’s drive from Cape Town.
At its center is the Royal Hotel, famous for having the longest terrace south of the Limpopo River, and also for noisy evenings in its 150-year-old bar. It is a great first stop to get a sense of the rich history of Riebeek-Kasteel.
The city opened to western settlement in 1661, when an expedition sent from Cape Town by Jan van Riebeeck, founder of the Cape Colony, crested the pass and looked down into this green valley. The name Riebeek Castle (Kasteel) was in honor of its commander.
In the 400 years since then, many have been drawn to the city’s remote beauty, including a Dutchman named Robert Brendel, who stumbled upon Riebeek in 2004 and fell in love with it, so much so that he bought the Royal Hotel.
The Royal Hotel, located in the city centre, is famous for its “raucous evenings in its 150-year-old bar” and the longest terrace south of the Limpopo River.
One of the attractions of Riebeek-Kasteel is its wine, reveals Graham (file image)
“It looked like David Livingstone had just walked out of the building,” Brendel says. “And it is the only city I know where the school, the church and the hotel are next to each other: education, salvation and damnation on the same street.”
Riebeek-Kasteel is also a destination for food lovers. Tourists come from all over the country to eat at Au Bouchon Rouge, the Marseille-style restaurant attached to the Hotel Royal.
Another draw is its wine, thanks in part to the Swartland Revolution launched in 2010: a wine insurgency representing about 12 wineries whose creators got together and hatched a plan for an annual food and wine festival.
Twenty minutes from the city center is Roundstone Farm, home of the Mullineux wine family. Chris and his wife, Andrea, consistently win international awards for their Swartland wines.
At the end of my visit, Chris looks up at the Kasteelberg mountain and says: ‘This place makes you feel euphoric. It’s remote, beautiful, strange. I just hope it doesn’t change.”
Au Bouchon Rouge, the Marseille-style restaurant attached to the Hotel Royal
