Did You Know?
Ohlson se hawe 1903, also known as Die Kraaltjie, refers to a small harbour or landing site at Port Beaufort on the Breede River (Breërivier) in the Western Cape. Port Beaufort was established in the early 19th century as a river port, with the Breede River serving as a navigable waterway for coastal schooners and barges. The harbour at Port Beaufort was primarily used to offload cargo from vessels that could not navigate further upstream, with goods then transported inland by ox-wagon. The name 'Ohlson' likely relates to a local family or trader active in the area around 1903, but specific historical records about this exact landing point are scarce. In the broader context, Port Beaufort's harbour was part of a network of small coastal trading ports along the Cape coast, used for importing supplies and exporting agricultural produce such as wool and grain from the interior. By 1903, the port was already in decline, as railway lines and improved roads had begun to replace river and coastal shipping. The site known as Die Kraaltjie (Afrikaans for 'the small kraal' or enclosure) may have been a fenced-off storage area or a specific mooring point where cargo was landed and temporarily kept before onward transport. Today, little remains of the original harbour infrastructure, and the area is known for its scenic river mouth and historical significance as a reminder of the region's 19th-century maritime trade. The Breede River mouth at Port Beaufort is also close to the historic town of Witsand, and the river itself was once navigable for small vessels for several kilometres inland. The site is not a formal naval base; rather, it was a commercial river landing, and the classification as a naval base appears to be inaccurate for this location.
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