Umasizakhe Township Architecture

ROYAL BLOCK: The terraced houses, known as the Royal Block, in Umasizakhe township in Graaff-Reinet are thought to have been constructed in the 1870's, but by whom there is no record. The row of buildings, some with open verandas, face onto a narrow dirt street and could be called Graaff-Reinet’s answer to Port Elizabeth's Donkin Street.

Ivor Markman

Modern travelers have a way of equating the 'exoticness' of their destination with distance.
How often do we hear the phrase ‘far off exotic destinations’?
As if travelling for hours on a jet means the destination will be more exciting than anything we have at home.
But that’s just a myth because it works both ways.
Tourists come to South Africa from overseas for the same reason.
They believe our destinations are more exotic than theirs.
We think we’ve seen it all with our ‘been there, done that' kind of attitude.
But have we forgotten how to explore? Travelling to new places should mean exploring, seeking out new places and doing new things.
Encountering new people and new places or looking at old places or old people from a different perspective in such a manner that when it's time to leave, you wish for more time.
Take for instance Graaff-Reinet, the town reputed to have more national monuments than Stellenbosch.
Once you’ve prowled the streets, taken in the museums, art galleries and shops, where do you go?
For an eye-opening tour of what can only be described as “ethnic architecture,” consider taking one of the Umasizakhe township tours and enjoy seeing what has been achieved with a shoestring budget.
“I'm quite fascinated by the township from a historical aspect,” said Karoo Connections tour guide, David McNaughton.
“When William Rowe practiced as a photographer in the 1870’s, he took photographs from the old church steeple.
“He took photographs down Church Street, then he took one to where Umasizakhe is today.’
In the photograph "matjies huise" (rounded houses built out of mats) can clearly be seen.
“You could count about eight or 10 structures which were rounded and of which four or five which were rectangular, the first of the European style square buildings,” said McNaughton.

HAPPY DOOR: One of the terraced houses, left, in Umasizakhe township has its original Victorian happy door still in place.

BOULDER HOME: One of the old boulder and mud homes in Umasizakhe township that has withstood the ravages of time.

ECCLECTIC MIX: An ingenious concoction of building materials - boulders, hand-made bricks, corrugated iron and strips of wood - can be clearly seen in this clutter of indigenous architectural styles, the imaginative results of the poverty stricken community.

SPORTING HOUSE: A sports-loving homeowner in Umasizakhe township, Graaff-Reinet, has decorated his house with the springbok rugby and cricket proteas emblems.

NEEDS PRESERVING: Whilst to visitors it may appear to be romantic to live in a house such as this, the reality is different. Residents dream about better housing and don't care about preserving the cottages. But at the same time these houses need to be preserved as part of South Africa's architectural heritage.

KAROO STYLE: Not all township houses are run down and unsuitable for human habitation. Some of the more fortunate residents have houses which are built along the same lines as the original founders of Graaff-Reinet.

“It was home to people who had come to the town in the early years from farms or outlying areas. “Some came to seek sanctuary with the magistrate as there were often disputes between farmers and the local inhabitants.The Dutch East India Company and the magistrates were seen as sympathetic towards the indigenous people and often, when there were disputes; people would seek sanctuary in the towns.
“At the older part of the township, at the foot of the hill, you find some of the oldest buildings. They are mostly made of stone or unbaked bricks with mud instead of plaster, no cement between the bricks,” said McNaughton.
One of the most interesting features of the township is a row of 12 flat-roofed, multi-coloured, face-bricked, terraced houses known as the “Royal Block”.
The design of each house is identical, with a single door and single window facing onto a tiny garden, some separated from the street by a wire fence.
The row of buildings, some with open verandas, face onto a narrow dirt street and could be called Graaff-Reinet’s answer to Port Elizabeth's Donkin Street.
The building structures appear to be sound, but the windows and doors need work.
Most of the window frames were at some time replaced with steel frames .
Some of the doors have been replaced, but here and there the original Victorian 'happy door' can still be seen.
Some of the householders are obviously very house-proud and since being granted title deeds to the homes, have made an effort to improve the buildings’ appearance.
Two popular opinions of the origins of the buildings exist.
One opinion is that during the construction of the Nqweba Dam (previously known as Van Ryneveld Dam) north of Graaff-Reinet the houses were built to accommodate labourers.
“During the Anglo Boer War the Corps of Royal Engineers was in Graaff-Reinet.

"Possibly (the houses) belonged to labourers who worked under this corps, on road building or something of that nature.

"Maybe that's where the name Royal comes from,” said McNaughton. With a bit of imagination and encouragement from the municipality, these houses could be restored and possibly converted into a row of tourist orientated shops, possibly even bed and breakfast establishments although security would have to be beefed up for that to happen.
Other houses of interest include some built with mud and round boulders and one with a cement Springbok rugby and Protea cricket emblem set into the wall.
Whilst poverty forced people to live in tiny, improvised houses, they accepted the challenge and created homes for themselves.
These rustic mud, brick and boulder homes have an unique charm of their own with rickety doors and skew windows.
The houses, even though they have uneven galvanised iron sheets and strategically placed gutters, reflect the pride of the poor.
The fact so many of them have survived so long is testimony to the builder’s skill.

STRANGE BEAUTY: There is a strange type of beauty in the rustic style of this do-it-yourself house in Graaff-Reinet's Umasizakhe township. Whilst the residents need to be moved and given better housing, these imaginative cottages need to be preserved and used as a source of inspiration rather than allowed to remain as a symbol of poverty.

“It's sad to see a lot of them have deteriorated to the point where the plaster has disappeared.
"There is a big danger that with heavy rains some of these walls have started collapsing. Some of these houses are very old and the beams have sunk somewhat over the years and are not very waterproof,” said McNaughton.
“Often people prefer to have a new structure built so the municipality have knocked down a couple and built RDP houses in their stead.
“It's a loss to the community every time one of these houses disappears,” he said.

These houses need to be preserved as a source of inspiration, not only as the sort of place to get out of, but as a monument to the creative efforts and methods of the builders.