Nieu Bethesda

Municipality

Municipality: Camdeboo Local Municipality
District Municipality: Cacadu District Municipality

Name

Bethesda, meaning Flowing Waters, is named after a Biblical place with this name. Nieu is Dutch, meaning New.

Attractions

Also see the neighbouring towns

Also see photos of the Owl house

TOP

History

Nieu Bethesda was founded in 1875 by the Reverend Andrew Murray in a small valley through which water from the mountains flow. The story of its name giving involves a later misunderstanding by someone who did not understand Murray's Dutch properly. Murray's words for establishing the town were: Laten sy dese plaats nu Bethesda noemen. The Dutch word Nu was later misunderstood as New, instead of Now (the English of this sentence is: Let us now name this place Bethesda). Nieu Bethesda became a municipality in 1886.

TOP