Kokstad

Kokstad is named after the Griqua chief Adam Kok III who settled here.

Kokstad (elevation 1280m) lies in the valley of the Umzimhlava River between Mount Currie (2'224m) and the Ingeli Mountains.

Attractions

Also see the neighbouring towns

The original settlement (Adam Kok's Laager) of 1863 can be visited about 5Km from town off the Franklin-Swartberg road, the R617.

Brook's Nek Pass is about 10Km south of Kokstad on the N2.

Kokstad Museum

The Kokstad Museum (or East Griqualand Museum) is a national monument and exhibits the culture of the Griqua people.

104 Main Street, Kokstad.
Phone: 039-797-6610

Adam Kok Monument

The Adam Kok memorial is located in Hope Street.

Bandstand

In the Main Street there is a 1912 cast iron bandstand, which became a national monument in 1983.

Architecture

The Griqua National Independent Church has a "Peach Bell". This church was opened in 1877 by the wife of Adam Kok, Margaret Kok.

The Catholic Cathedral has two steeples.

Dutch Reformed Church was established in 1923.

Boy Scouts Monument

There is a monument commemorating Boy Scouts who died in the two 20th century World Wars.

Mount Currie Nature Reserve

Mount Currie Nature Reserve covers about 1'700Ha and lies between Kokstad and Franklin off the R617. The vegetation in the reserve ranges from grasslands to wetlands.

The Crystal Spring Dam in the reserve covers 30Ha and is up to 6m deep offers water sport and fishing.

Fishing: bluegill, bass, trout.

Birding: 80 recorded bird species

Sport

The Kokstad golf course is an 18 hole course.

There is a Kokstad Polo club.

Other sport: tennis, squash, bowls, cricket, hockey, rugby, cycling, road running, 4x4

History

The Griqua tribe settled in Griquatown in the early 1800s. In 1820 the town became the capital of the Griqualand Colony. Andries Waterboer was elected as the first Captain. Unhappy with this result, a large group of Griquas, under the leadership of Adam Kok III, moved away and first settled in Philippolis in the Free State. In the 1840s, encountering friction with the Dutch-Afrikaans pioneers (Voortrekkers) they departed from Philippolis and moved further east across the Drakensberg to the vicinity of the modern Kokstad. At that stage the area's previous population had been exterminated by the Zulu forces of King Shaka, so the land was quite empty, and called No Man's Land. Adam Kok named this area East Griqualand.

The Griquas settled on the steep mountain slope, living in mud huts. They named this mountain Mount Currie after Sir Walter Currie who supported their efforts to settle here.

In 1869 the Reverend William Dower was asked by the Griquas to establish a mission. He agreed on condition that they resettle in a more suitable place on the banks of the Umzimhlava River. The town was built at this location.

In 1974 the British annexed East Griqualand into the Cape Colony.

The first hotel in town, the Royal, was opened by an Afro-American who also started a newspaper (Kokstad Advertiser) in 1881.

Kokstad became a municipality in 1892.

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Climate

Winters are cold with snowfalls on the mountains.

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