In 1852 Lauts accepted Van der Hoff as a clergyman for five years for the Volksraad of the Afrikaans Hollanders, north of the Vaal River in South Africa.

After Lauts had helped Van der Hoff to find passage money to Cape Town, he and his wife reached their destination in November 1852.

While waiting for passage to the Transvaal, he held services in the Groote Kerk, Cape Town, in Wynberg, and in the Lutheran church.

In April 1853 Van der Hoff, his wife and newborn daughter left for the Transvaal via Natal.

In Natal Van der Hoff preached at Pietermaritzburg and Ladysmith and also received an invitation to become the minister of New Germany.

The disorganization and division of the Transvaal community without any regular public authority and only primitive communications, complicated his work enormously.

Van der Hoff's activities were rendered still more difficult by a second church schism when a number of members broke away in 1859 and established the Gereformeerde Kerk.

Van der Hoff visited Potchefstroom and Marico regularly, and established congregations at Suikerbosrand, Onder-Vaalrivier (roughly the present Wolmaransstad, Bloemhof, Makwassie and Christiana), Pretoria, Draakberg (in the vicinity of the present Volksrust and Wakkerstroom), Klerksdorp, Losberg and Rustenburg.

At Potchefstroom, Rustenburg and Pretoria Van der Hoff organized the religious part of the ceremonies marking the hoisting of the flag.

The public interest and the address presented by the commission of the General Synod emphasized the affection and regard he received from those who knew him.

In October 1920 the church council of the local N.H. Kerk congregation restored his grave and erected a suitable monument upon it.