Zeederberg Coach Company

The Zeederberg descendants eventually dispersed throughout southern Africa, rendering service in the fields of farming, medicine, commerce, industry and law.

[1] The discovery of diamonds on the Vaal River at Kimberley in the 1860s, and gold on the Witwatersrand ridge in the Transvaal in 1886, created a demand for passenger and goods transport, which was met during the next 30 years by some sixteen coach services including CH Zeederberg Ltd.

Railways had got off to a very slow start in South Africa; at the beginning of 1884 there were only 1,318 miles (2,135 km) of track in operation, of which 1213 were in the Cape Colony.

With six wagons in their fleet they decided to send for their older brother Roelof Abraham (Dolf) Zeederberg, who had given up a career as a chemist due to ill-health.

Dolf joined them at Kimberley and they put him in charge of two ox-wagons carrying much-needed equipment and supplies to the mining settlements as far north as the Limpopo ('crocodile') River.

Their success led them to send for their younger brother, Christiaan Hendrik (Döel) Zeederberg, then aged 23, to assist them in coping with the expanded operations.

During the Boer War mail transport contracts were suspended and the company's resources placed at the disposal of the British Government - Canadian and Australian troops were conveyed from Marandellas to Bulawayo in order to assist at the relief of Mafeking.

Roelof Abraham (Dolf) Zeederberg carried on operating the company, and was still running coaches through the northern and eastern Transvaal after the establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910.

During the 1930s the Zeederbergs were running tourist safaris by car from Johannesburg, until the outbreak of World War 2 put a temporary end to travel for pleasure.

At the height of its operations Zeederbergs were using coaches made by the American firm of Abbot-Downing, which had space for 12 passengers inside and 6 more clinging to the roof straps.

When machines make mighty progress O'er roads no longer rough There'll be that elfin echo Of the coach so tried and tough.