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WITWATER ESTATE —
STANFORD
Captain Robert Stanford employed
the Scot, George Fairbairn Carse as a harness-maker. He was an
expert in tannery, a craft he also taught his sons.
George had eight children and his
eldest son of George II, Daniel I bought the farm Witwater (500
morgen) from Elias Matthee for the sum of 75 pounds. The heyday
of this beautiful old farm followed. They lived well and
produced a large variety of fruit, vegetables, wheat and had
cattle and sheep. The main income, however, was from the
Strandveld "white gold" (everlasting flower -
Helichrysum)
exported mainly to Germany. Daniel also planted a vineyard where
he produced wine and witblits (moonshine). His son after him,
Daniel II, kept up the trade until his death in 1969.
SJ Du Toit, local historian,
fondly remembers many happy times when her father took the
family to visit uncle Danie at Witwater. The abundance of fruit
and lovely trees where we played were ever a treasured dream.
George II was known for his love
of dancing and would take his Sunday best along when harvestng.
When it was time to knock off, he would jump into a nearby pool,
wash, dress and walk the sixteen miles to Jan Swartkraal, where
they often danced on a moonlit threshing floor.
He had a friend, the legendary
Lewies Wolf (nicknamed for his brutal strength). He could easily
carry three bags of wheat at the same time. One day, en route to
Cape Town his wagon bumped into another one on Sir Lowry's Pass.
The other wagoner showed much irritation, but Lewies invited him
for a "dop" (drink) from the vat on his wagon. The other man
asked for a glass when Lewies replied: "No, we don't need one",
and he lifted the vat on high and drank his fill, the other man
immediately showed respect. Then Lewies put his shoulder against
the wagon, moved it away with load and all. The other man could
pass and thankfully said, “Baie dankie Oom, totsiens Oom”,
gripping Lewies’s hand, but he left with a cracked bone in his
hand, which forever reminded him of Lewies Wolf.
DANIE KAAS – WITBLITZ KING OF
WITWATER
(Witblits – white lightning – a
description of the rough, illegal brandy made in country areas.)
Danie Carse (called Kaas – cheese
– by locals) lived on Witwater Estate, east of Stanford. Danie
bought Witwater, where he had a sizeable vineyard and a brandy
still.
One day, the policeman, sergeant
Carstens came to the farm with the excise man, Mr Viljoen. He
was doing the regular rounds on wine farms for the excise
office. In his very neat cellar, Danie showed them his vats and
the legal amount of brandy in his possession. With a huge smile,
Carstens winked at Viljoen, pointed with his eyes to a hole in
the ceiling where a long hose with a mealie-cob in the end, was
hanging down. Viljoen moved over and pulled the cob from the
hose. Like a shiny white snake, the witblits blitzed to the
ground.
Danie rushed forward to save his
precious smuggler’s gold. His secret was out. He had to show
them the vats in the attic and the three men went there. Viljoen
made careful notes of all he found there and gave strict orders
that all the liquor must be taken immediately to KWV (the
parastatal liquor distributor).
A very upset Danie had sleepless
nights over his tremendous loss. Eventually he phoned his lawyer
in Caledon for advice. The next day he left the farm with the
wagon piled high with vats. It contained only drops of brandy
but was filled with Witwater water. In the most dangerous part
of Akkedisberg, he allowed the wagon to leave the road and it
crashed into the ravine. He sent word to the excise office. They
came to investigate the accident and found the broken vats and
wagon. The marks where the ‘liquor’ had drenched the sand were
quite clear.
Danie Carse left an estate of
R190 853 — an enormous amount in those days. A very rich man and
who knows how much of it came from selling his illegal brandy?
In later years Witwater Estate
changed hands several times. Wilbur and Margeret Erwee, and
their son Mark farmed there from 1990 to 1997. Wilbur sadly died
in 1995. Their main activities were dairy farming and vegetables
which they distributed locally but also to the Cape Town market.
White Water farm is located in one of the most beautiful and diverse areas of Africa and the climate is magical.
In 2003 American, George Sustendal transformed it to a luxury lodge. In 2006, Irishman Martin Kelly , fell under its spell and with his resources and passion, along with an excellent team, has made it the beautiful reality it is today. We welcome you to a very special secluded and private haven.
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Fly-fishing for Trophy Trout
