Saxenburg - Kuils River

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Built: c.1750

Status: Demolished in c.1945

Photographer: Arthur Elliot, 1913.

T-shaped plan. Sketch by Willem Malherbe. Source: Vassa

History

Saxenburg (also spelled Saxenborg in older records) is one of South Africa's oldest wine estates, located in the Polkadraai Hills area near Stellenbosch (close to Kuils River in the Western Cape). Its history spans over three centuries.

In 1693 it was officially proclaimed as a farm when Governor Simon van der Stel granted the land to Joachim Sax, a Swedish free burgher (settler). This makes it one of the earliest privately owned farms in the Cape Colony after the VOC began releasing land to free burghers to boost agriculture and supply ships.

In 1705 ownership passed to Oloff and Albertus Bergh (also Swedish-origin settlers), and the name "Saxenburg" emerged from these early owners and the Sax family connection. The first vines were planted around 1707, establishing it as a wine-producing farm.

During the 1700s - 1980s the farm changed hands at least 37 times over nearly three centuries. During the 1830s it was owned by Jan Christoffel de Waal. It transitioned through various owners and periods of focus, including a shift to mining for some natural resources at times, but it retained viticultural roots. The estate experienced ups and downs, with parts falling into disrepair by the late 20th century.
  • Jan Christoffel de Waal (1812 Stellenbosch - 1889) married Catharina Johanna de Villiers (1821 - 1903) in 1847.

In 1989 it was acquired by the Swiss Bührer family.

Sources
  • Die Geskiedenis van Kuilsrivier. 1993. Vermaak, A.L. (Thesis)
  • Vassa Journal, 2014.

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