Pieter Voltelyn Graham van der Byl

Major Pieter Voltelyn Graham "P. V." van der Byl MC was a South African soldier and statesman. In South African politics, he was a member of the liberal South African Party and then the United Party from 1929 to 1966 and a member of Jan Smuts' cabinet from 1939 to 1948, during which time, he was minister of Native Affairs.

Bright Cape Malay fashion

Cape Malay women enlivened streets by wearing full, flowing cotton gowns in bright colors, often pairing them with gay cotton handkerchiefs around their heads and shoulders.

Money hidden in hat ribbons

Boer women sometimes hid money inside the striped ribbon bands of their popular straw boater hats to keep it safe during the war.

Day-long dance parties on Boer farms

Boer farmers held intense dance parties that lasted for up to twenty-four hours, frequently interrupted by the need to sweep and smear the earthen floor with bullock's blood to manage the dust.

Diverse song traditions across South Africa

Zulu people composed private songs for personal milestones, while Cape residents developed comic satirical songs called moppies for local celebrations.

Mail coach travel was fast but grueling

Mail coaches drawn by teams of horses or mules traveled at a rate of seven to eight miles an hour, with teams changed every eight to ten miles. A journey of about 50 miles by coach over rough roads could take seven hours and require changing the team five times.

Mules powered trains in Namaqualand

On the Namaqualand railway line, passenger specials were pulled by three mules, but this was doubled for uphill sections. During droughts, these mule teams remained a vital backup even after steam locomotives were introduced.

Building homes and earning a living

Families settling on new farms often had to make their own bricks and build their own shelters because no houses existed. To earn money for necessities, fathers performed varied tasks like building kraals or painting wagons, while mothers sewed leather shoes by hand.

Difficulties of cooking and bread-making

Cooking was challenging due to a lack of modern kitchen ranges and scarce fuel, with coal sometimes costing as much as four shillings per hundredweight. Bread-making was particularly difficult, as fluctuating temperatures meant dough sometimes had to be kept warm under feather pillows to rise properly.

High cost of fresh fruit in towns

Farm fruit was scarce and expensive in towns; a single orange could cost twopence-halfpenny, while small, poor-quality apples were a penny each.

The national obsession with drinking coffee

Coffee was the national beverage, and people drank it throughout the day, sometimes up to fifteen cups daily. It was often brewed black, strong, and hot.

Daily food costs for mine workers

On the mines, African labourers spent approximately 1s. 2d. a day on basic food items, which primarily consisted of mealies, beans, bread, and meat.

Fixed daily wages for mine labourers

Mine owners frequently pegged the wages of cheap, docile African workers at an average rate of 3s. 5d. a day for decades.

Daily wages for railway laborers

Workers on railway construction in the late 19th century expected and were promised a daily wage of 2 shillings and 6 pence.

Excitement at the diamond diggings

Diamond diggers often expected to find large stones the size of a pigeon's egg, creating a constant state of nervous excitement while picking through the earth.