Your guide to Heidelberg Gauteng
#Entabeni
Heritage Blue Plaque #Nr 19
ENTABENI - 24 West Street
What is the story here?
This house was owned and built by Johannes Stephanus Joubert (1870-1949) who built the Heidelberg Laer Volkskool, Hoër Volkskool Heidelberg and the three school hostels that have since been demolished – Transvalia, Concordia and Excelsior. Mr Johannes and his wife Anna Hermina Joubert nee Boshoff (12th November 1873 – 18th August 1940) are buried in the Heidelberg Kloof Cemetery. Next to the house is a 1,5 meter diameter well, that must be about 25m deep that has fresh water. This well must have been dug when the house was built and supplied the farm house with water.For some unknown reason the house was confiscated by the government in 1914 and used for government employees. It was sold to Senator Francis (Frank) Robertson in 1940. (There are streets named after him and his wife, Mona, in Jordaan Park) His son Reitz Robertson inherited the farm in 1977. He was a Mayor of Heidelberg at one time.
(Under the Mountain)
This house was owned and built by Johannes Stephanus Joubert (1870-1949) who built the Heidelberg Laer Volkskool, Hoër Volkskool Heidelberg and the three school hostels that have since been demolished – Transvalia, Concordia and Excelsior. This house was originally the farm house on the farm that was on the outskirts of Heidelberg. It is now a built-up area called Jordaan Park, which is named after a previous mayor of Heidelberg.
When the tower of the “Klipkerk” (1890) collapsed in 1909 , Mr Joubert, an elder of the church, was the builder that rebuilt it. It had collapsed due to bad workmanship and a number of days of heavy rains.
Being a builder, Mr Joubert must have built other houses in Heidelberg. Looking at this house it looks like a smaller version of the Bezuidenhout “De Rust” mansion that is on the Vereeniging road. The passage is in the shape of T, similar to “De Rust” and with the same imported Italian floor tiles at the entrance. He built this house in 1909, three years after he built “De Rust”.
Mr Johannes Stephanus Joubert (19th July 1870 – 4th February 1949) and his wife Anna Hermina Joubert nee Boshoff (12th November 1873 – 18th August 1940) are buried in the Heidelberg Kloof Cemetery.
Next to the house is a 1,5 meter diameter well, that must be about 25m deep that has fresh water. This well must have been dug when the house was built and supplied the farm house with water.
For some unknown reason the house was confiscated by the government in 1914 and used for government employees. It was sold to Senator Francis (Frank) Robertson in 1940. (There are streets named after him and his wife, Mona, in Jordaan Park) His son Reitz Robertson inherited the farm in 1977. He was a Mayor of Heidelberg at one time.
In 1994, after Reitz’s death, the property was transferred into the Hattingh Frances Estate (Daughter of Reitz). In 1996 into the Greyling Family trust, in 2005 transferred to Aletta Maria Nel and then 2009 into the current owner, Mr D.J. Kruger.
On one occasion the daughter of Wouter Geerling visited Mr. Kruger and supplied him some photostat copies of photos of the house with a written explanation in Afrikaans:- Captions included in photo gallery below.
