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Interesting South African farm names


When it comes to naming farms, many South Africans have a knack for creativity. Here are some funny South African farm names to enjoy.

Scary corner

Banghoek is one of the few remaining pristine areas of fynbos on South Africa’s west coast. It is a reserve that is home to several rare and endangered plant species.

Its name originated from the Dutch phrase ‘De Bange Hoek,’ which translates to ‘Scary Corner’. The name honours the courage of the early explorers who braved the treacherous mountain pass to discover a valley teeming with elephants, buffalo, lions, and leopards.

One of the longest South African farm names

When it comes to funny South African farm names Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein is probably one of the longest and hardest-to-pronounce. It is located in the North West province.

Roughly translated into English, the name means ‘Two buffalo shot dead in one shot spring’ or ‘two buffaloes with one shot dead fountain’.

The name is a reference to an event where a hunter killed two buffalos with a single bullet at this location many years ago, according to FinGlobal.

Image by Facebook.com/goodthingsguy

Two Stellenbosch farms

Skilpadvlei in Stellenbosch has been owned by the Joubert family since 1917. The farm name originates from a colony of turtles that used to roam the land. Translated into English the name means ‘turtle valley’.

Not far from Skilpadvlei is a farm with the name Polkadraai, well-known among locals for its strawberries. Visitors can pick their own strawberries in addition to other activities.

The main road between Cape Town and Stellenbosch used to run through the area where the farm is. Polkadraai (‘Polka turn’ in English) got its name because the very winding road made the drivers of the ox-wagons coming from Cape Town feel as if they were spinning in circles – just like someone dancing the Polka.

Farm with the oldest licensed hotel in the country

The hotel at Houw Hoek was built in 1779 and was licensed in 1834. It holds the oldest liquor licence in South Africa. The farm is located near Houwhoek Pass on the N2 between Grabouw and Botrivier in the Western Cape.

Image by Wikimedia Commons

A few variations of the explanation of the name exist although they are similar.

Firstly, a deputy of the Dutch East India Company stated that the name refers to ‘ter houw komen’, which means ‘to rest’, referring to travellers needing to rest after crossing the pass. A German traveller in 1804 explained that due to the length and roughness of the pass, the animals needed a rest and the wagons had to be held, hence ‘Hou’, which means ‘to hold’. Another explanation suggests that the name means ‘cattle corner’ from the Khoi word for cattle, ‘hou’.

Have you come across unusual or funny farm names?

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