Francis William Reitz (Sr.) was born in 1810 in Cape Town. He was the youngest son of Jan Frederik Reitz. His mother was the daughter of the wealthy farmer Gysbert van Reenen. His names were supposed to be Francois Guillaume Reitz, but because of the war between Napoleon and Brittain, the British fleet chaplain that had to baptized the baby changed his name to Francis William Reitz. English names that he would carry the rest of his life.
On a very young age in 1827, FW Reitz and Michiel van Breda (Jnr.) bought the farm Rhenoster fontein on the banks of the Breede River near Witsand in Swellendam district. Two years later he left for Scotland for studies. After his studies he went on a grand agriculture tour through Europe. He visited the royal stables in Dresden, the merino herds at Nantes and Saxony and also the Italian irrigation systems. His studies and this tour laid the foundation for his scientific approach to agriculture His idea’s revolutionized agriculture in Southern Africa. Fresh from Europe he wrote the pamflet: “Observations on the Merino” It was also published by George Greig in 1834. His notes in his perfect hand writing, with other books and writings that flowed through his pen were inherited by his son FW Reitz (Jnr.). FW Reitz (jnr.) was born on the farm Renoster fontein in Swellendam district. FW Reitz (jr.) not only inherited his fathers name but also his writer’s talent and leadership ability’s. Reitz jr. became member of parlement for the Cape colony, 5th president of the Orange Free State, state secretary of the Transvaal Republic and first president of the senate of the Union of South Africa. During the Second Freedom war his total collection of books and documents (including his father’s notes and books) went missing after it fell in the hands of the British.
Edmund Burrows wrote in his book Overberg Outspan : “British troops neared Pretoria, the President stacked all his books(as well as his father's collection) in the lounge of his house. After the War all trace of his excellent l.a.w. library had vanished: Deneys Reitz said that the books were carted away as hospital literature for sick Tommies.
F.W. Reitz's (Sr.) over seas education laid the basis of the broad, scientific outlook that made him at once return the premier agricultural reformer of the Cape Colony. But more important than this scientific approach to farming, was the novel concept of agricultural organization that he introduced into the country districts.
Hard on the heels of the founders of the Cape of Good Hope Agricultural Society, F. W. Reitz heralded his arrival in the Overberg by establishing the Swellendamsche Genootschapvan Landbouw in March 1832. Organized agriculture was a revolutionary concept to the nineteenth century Cape. Competitive exhibition is perhaps the final test of a farmer's affinity with his soil and his stock, for it demands a pride of ownership and achievement that is a sensitive gauge of a farming community's virility. For the first quarter-century of its existence, F.W. Reitz was-in the guise of Secretary - the sine qua non of the SwellendamAgricutural Society, the only body apart from the Cape of Good Hope Agricultural Society in the Western Cape. Single-handed, through the force of his vigorous pen, he induced other Overberg towns to stage agricultural shows. Recognition was slow in coming. Three decades elapsed before Overbergers welcomed him as an agricultural prophet at th eGreat Western Exhibition at Swellendam in 1864, when Robert Southey, the Colonial Secretary, did him the singular honour of coupling his name with that of the toast he had come to propose to the Swellendam Society. It was a fitting occasion to honour F.W. Reitz, for he was the principal latter-day architect of the rural pattern represented within the sheds and stalls of the show. It was an acknowledgement of the Overberg's indebtedness for his unique contribution to its welfare.
Sir George Grey was his friend, and set great store by his agricultural prognostications. He appointed him one of the Commissioners to arrange produce of the Colony for display at the International Kensington Exhibition of 1862. He was a vice-chairman of most agricultural shows held about this time. From the middle of the century to 1870, he was the kingpin of Cape agriculture, and his word and writings were law in the countryside.”
In South Africa today security plays a vital part in any business or private home. This book and the volumes to follow, will guide you step by step through the essential precautionary measures to be taken in protecting your family and valuables. From employing security guards, evacuation of your site and security measures to burglar bars and alarms in your private home.
a Book compiled by me from experience gained after 10 years in the security industry as Industrial relations officer with Nosa qualifications, 1st Aid, fire protection and also S.O.B. grade A.
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