Did You Know?
Putsonderwater is a small settlement in the Northern Cape, historically tied to the South African Railways. The name, meaning 'well under water' in Afrikaans, refers to a local water source. The settlement developed around the railway line between De Aar and Upington, which was extended through the region in the early 20th century. The post office and associated buildings, including the postmaster's house, served the railway community and surrounding farms in a remote, arid area. The postmaster's house, dating from around 1910, would have been a modest structure typical of railway settlements of that era, often built with local stone or corrugated iron. Such houses were part of a small administrative cluster that included the post office, which handled mail for the railway staff and scattered farming families. The site reflects the importance of rail infrastructure in opening up the Karoo and Kalahari margins for communication and transport. Putsonderwater gained wider fame through the Afrikaans folk song 'De la Rey' and the phrase 'Putsonderwater' as a metaphor for a remote, desolate place. However, the settlement itself never grew into a large town. Today, the post office and its adjacent house are largely derelict, but they remain a tangible reminder of early 20th-century railway and postal services in the Northern Cape. The exact architectural details or specific historical events tied to the house are not well documented in public records.
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