The "!Oroǀõas" ("Ward-girl"), spelled in Dutch as Krotoa or Kroket, otherwise known by her Christian name Eva (c. 1643 – 29 July 1674), was a !Uriǁ'aeǀona translator who worked for the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) during the founding of the Cape Colony.

[2] She was the first woman mentioned by her Khoi name in early European records of the settlement at ǁHuiǃgaeb (Cape Town).

In exchange, when she visited her family, her Dutch masters expected her to return with cattle, horses, seed pearls, amber, tusks, and hides.

[9] Unlike her uncle, however, "!Oroǀõas" was able to obtain a higher position within the Dutch hierarchy, as she additionally served as a trading agent and ambassador for a high-ranking chief and peace negotiator in times of war.

Her story exemplifies the initial dependency of the Dutch newcomers on the natives, who were able to provide reasonably reliable information about the local inhabitants.

[citation needed] Many Khoi people saw their arrival as an opportunity for personal gain as middlemen in the livestock trade; others saw them as potential allies against preexisting enemies.

At the peak of her career as an interpreter, "Krotoa" held the belief that Dutch presence could bring benefits for both sides.

However, many authors and historians speculate that she most likely lived in a happy space, based on the fondness Van Riebeek showed for her in his journals.

[citation needed] In contrast, Krotoa's fate and fortunes were closely aligned to those of her uncle Autshumato and his clan known as the !Uriǁ'aeǀona.

It is believed that the birth of the first baby of chaplain/sick healer Willem Barentssen Wijlant and his wife, coupled with the rapid spreading of a virulent disease in the settlement, sparked the initial negotiations to obtain services from a local girl.

On 26 April 1664 she married a Danish surgeon by the name of Peter Havgard, whom the Dutch called Pieter van Meerhof.

Wagenaer held deeply racist views of the Khosian people, and as Dutch settlement grew more secure in the region, Eva's skills as a translator were no longer needed.

This was likely the result of the strict anti-alcohol laws the VOC had passed to govern the local population after they introduced higher proof European liquors.

[16] The novel Eilande by Dan Sleigh (1938), translated from Afrikaans by André Brink (in Dutch: 'Stemmen uit zee'/in English: 'Islands'), describes the lives of Krotoa and her daughter Pieternella from the viewpoints of seven men who knew them.

The play is unique in its depiction and memorialization of Krotoa as a mother of the nation, a characterization which had been previously rejected by white South Africans.