Stavenisse wrecked on the south-eastern coast

On the night of 16 February 1686, the VOC ship Stavenisse was wrecked on the coast about 112 kilometres south of the Bay of Natal. Under Willem Knyf, the surviving crew travelled north and west through territories governed by African leaders, relying on local routes, food supplies and permission to pass. Their account described settlements, herding, chiefly authority and exchanges along the journey before the group eventually reached the Cape.

Significance

The survivors’ journey produced an important early account of Xhosa, Mpondo and neighbouring coastal societies and their political authority.