Thursday 17th August – THE JAMESON RAID

Please join us on THURSDAY 17th August at Formosa Garden Village where Rodney Grosskopff will be telling us about the ill-judged and ill-fated Jameson Raid which took place in Krugersdorp on the 29th December 1895.

This event remains one of the great mysteries and controversies of British imperial history.

It certainly raised tensions between Cecil John Rhodes and Paul Kruger and was undoubtedly a contributory cause of the Anglo-Boer War.

Set against the discovery of gold in Paul Kruger’s Transvaal Republic 1884 and the influx of foreigners set on making their fortunes from the untold riches which lay under the ground, the objective of the raid was for the “Uitlanders” to stage a coup-d-etat, throw Kruger out and make some changes to the existing legislation which heavily penalised the “ Uitlanders” and denied them the vote.
In fact Jameson had not actually been authorised to stage this attack and the Boers were lying in wait.

The consequences of this ill-judged raid were far reaching and undoubtedly changed the course of South Africa’s history and affected many lives.

Date: Thursday 17th August 2023
Time: 17:30 for 18:00
Price: R150 per head including talk and refreshments.
Speaker: Rodney Grosskopff
Venue: Formosa Garden Village, Ferdinand Street, Plettenberg Bay

Bookings can be made online via QUICKET, or in person at Barneys Kiosk in Market Square. For further information please email info@pletthistory.org
or ring Len – 082 452 1799

Rodney Grosskopff is a well-known figure in Plett. Many of us have been entertained by the memorable characters he has played in Plett’s Bitou Amateur Theatrical Society ( BATS) productions under the direction of David Hall-Green.
He is a keen historian and has written a number of books, papers, plays, training manuals and travel articles amongst other things.
He also enjoys painting, drawing and sculpting.

Rodney and his wife have lived in Plett for 17 years following a very successful career in Johannesburg as an architect where he became senior partner to Manfred Hermer.

Most South Africans will be familiar with Ponte, the iconic circular building which has been a striking urban landmark on the Johannesburg skyline since 1975. Rodney was a leading member of the team which designed this building- and it was his decision to make it cylindrical in order to allow light into every room.
The neon sign on the top of Ponte is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

After a dark period during which this extraordinary building fell into the wrong hands, we are pleased to report that it is now once again fully functioning and fully occupied largely by young professionals who can enjoy its innovative design, convenient location and panoramic views.
Rodney is in fact at the moment assisting an architectural student with his Master’s dissertation on Ponte.