Andrew Robin RICH

SA SURVEY JOURNAL Journal 17 (6) December 1980 Article pp. 31 & 32 by C Singels; How to avoid becoming Rich: the story of Kleine Zee

"The farm Kleine Zee 194 is situated along the Cape West Coast at the mouth of the Buffels River approximately 550 km north of Cape Town. Portion 1 of this farm, in extent approximately 50 hectares, has all the flavour of a thrilling story about it when it is considered that in 1924 the Government refused an offer by the owner to sell it for a mere R 400.

Andrew Rich purchased this piece of land on 24th February 1923 for R 130 not realising that he had just bought a fortune in diamonds. In fact, within one year of obtaining transfer, he was compelled, because of the great drought and out of dire necessity, to offer to sell the whole portion to the Government for r 400, or to sell the beach rights for whatever the government would offer him, alleging that the portion of land with its sea coast and river mouth had originally been granted as a fishing station.

After consulting the magistrate at Springbok “to ascertain whether there are circumstances which make it desirable in the public interests that the Government should acquire the property from Mr Rich”, the Surveyor-general recommended on 2nd January 1925: “that the Government decline Mr Rich’s offer.”

His face must have been red when in September 1926 he received a letter from E J Brinton, a lieutenant in the South African Police at Springbok, who informed him that “there is a great deal of activity along the coast at present in regard to the discovery of diamonds. At Groot Mist (Klein Zee), for instance, a regular crater has been discovered on top of a hill about half a mile from the Buffels River mouth and in the course of just over a month 2253/4 carats were registered valued at roughly R 2 100!”

Two months later in November 1926 the property changed hands from Andrew Rich to George Scott Ronaldson, who bought for himself and on behalf of two partners in equal shares in the purchase price of R 100. It was registered in the “principal’s name” for the sake of convenience A number of other properties in the area were also bought by Ronaldson. Three years later, in 1929, a series of transfers took place, commencing with the deed passed in favour of his two partners Joseph van Praagh and Jack Jolis for a third share each and culminating in the final transfer to the Cape Coast Exploration Ltd. Shares in the land were also held and transferred to the Consolidated African Selection Trust Ltd, the Anglo American Corporation of South Africa Ltd, Messrs Barnato Bros (being Barnato Joel and Jack Barnato Joel) and Messrs Dunkelsbuhler & Co (being Ernst and Louis Oppenheimer, Walter Dunkels and Henry Claridge, as partners).

The whole matter was raised in Parliament in 1928 when, during the debate on the vote on Mines and Industries in the House of Assembly, General Smuts and the then Minister Beyers had a go at each other about alluvial diggings and prospecting rights in the Western Transvaal and Namaqualand. General Smuts questioned the Minister about the control on prospecting and mining in general and indicated that that the Minister had acted arbitrarily which created a suspicion of favouritism. The Minister in a very lengthy reply referred, inter alia, specifically to the farm Kleine Zee when he said:

“ I cannot help it if the ordinary small man sells his rights for a mess of potage to the capitalist. Directly the small man has a discoverer’s right on a farm on which there are diamonds or gold, he sells it, and the big man gets it. The farm belonged to an ordinary small man. He thought fit – and we cannot control him – to sell his farm to Ronaldson and Van Praagh , of Kimberley, and I think the hon member of Kimberley (Sir Ernest Oppenheimer) has an interest in these people. I cannot help these things. The farm is very rich; it is at the mouth of the Buffels River. The right hon member knows, or ought to know, that the farm Kleine Zee fell entirely outside the legislation of the Cape Province, which was in force until we passed the new Diamond Act.”

The minister also mentioned that a very rich pothole was struck at Kleine Zee farm from which diamonds valued at over R 400 000 per month were taken. (Not bad for a farm which the Government had declined at R 400, but then nobody knew that Merensky would walk up the coast at Kleine Zee.) The fact that the farm Kleine Zee fell outside the legislation of the Cape Province is also very intriguing. It so happens that it is the only freehold farm in the whole of Namaqualand and hence the precious stones and other minerals belong to the owner. The farm Kleine Zee was originally granted as a perpetual quitrent. However, a hard-up Government proclaimed in 1844 that a 21-year advance payment of the perpetual quitrent would render the farm “redeemed quitrent”. Although it was ever intended to change any of the conditions of the grant, the Surveyor-General endorsed the grant of Kleine Zee as “converted to freehold”. Legal opinion, including that of the Government law advisors, held that the farm Kleine Zee fell outside the old Cape legislation. Consequently the diamonds in it belonged to the owner and were not reserved to the Government in terms of the well-known Cradock Proclamation. Who says the Surveyor-General never makes a mistake and a very expensive one at that?" -- copy of the original article

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@R450842596@ South Africa, Birth and Baptism Records, 1700s-1900s Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60659::0

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Namaqualand Baptisms; Page: 7; Entry: 28 1,60659::59224

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@R450842596@ Cape Province, South Africa, Civil Deaths, 1895-1972 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60149::0

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1,60149::139758

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@R450842596@ Cape Province, South Africa, Civil Deaths, 1895-1972 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60149::0

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1,60149::139758

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@R450842596@ South Africa, Birth and Baptism Records, 1700s-1900s Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60659::0

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Namaqualand Baptisms; Page: 7; Entry: 28 1,60659::59224

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@R450842596@ South Africa, Birth and Baptism Records, 1700s-1900s Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60659::0

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Namaqualand Baptisms; Page: 7; Entry: 28 1,60659::59224

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@R450842596@ Cape Province, South Africa, Civil Deaths, 1895-1972 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60149::0

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1,60149::139758

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@R450842596@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.

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