Heidelberg Refuge at the foot of Suikerbosrand

The town of Heidelberg in Gauteng, with its many historical landmarks, is close enough to the City of Gold to commute yet far enough to offer genuine platteland peace and quiet.

- Willem Van Der Berg

Heidelberg holds many stories – far more than most other South African towns. (Turn to “From way back to Nelson Mandela’s presidency” on page 29 for a brief history.)

Even now, you can get a sense of what life was like during those crossroads days. Heidelberg is a bustling place that hosts large industries such as Eskort and British American Tobacco; the Karan Beef Feedlot, the largest one in Africa, is just 20km south of town; and the N3, the main highway between Johannesburg and Durban, skirts its eastern edge.

Heidelberg is also know for its scenic beauty. Admittedly, as in many other platteland towns, the historical town centre has been some what neglected and a number of buildings are vacant, but on the face of it the streets are looking neat and they’re shaded by lovely trees. The first and last sunlight of the day turns the magnificent Suikerbosrand to the north of town a beautiful orange hue.

You’d think it would be a popular weekend destination for city dwellers, but this is not the case – which is something that bothers local lawyer Bouwe Wiersma a lot. “In terms of tourism, Parys and Clarens have always had an advantage, but it’s time for that to end,” says Bouwe. “Neither of these towns has a history as colourful as Heidelberg’s. It’s basically a microcosm of our country’s history.”

History is close to Bouwe’s heart. “I earned my one and only matric distinction for the subject,” he says. He aims to use the old stories, monuments and other attractions to draw visitors to the town.