# Kaapsehoop

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaapsehoop
> Source revision: 1312043475
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{{Refimprove|date=April 2011}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Kaapschehoop 
| other_name              = Alt spelling: Kaapsehoop
| image_skyline           = Rockfields near the town.JPG
| image_caption           = Rock fields near the town of Kaapschehoop
| pushpin_map             = South Africa Mpumalanga#South Africa
| coordinates             = {{coord|25|35|S|30|46|E|region:ZA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = [South Africa](/source/South_Africa)
| subdivision_type1       = Province
| subdivision_name1       = [Mpumalanga](/source/Mpumalanga)
| subdivision_type2       = District
| subdivision_name2       = [Ehlanzeni](/source/Ehlanzeni_District_Municipality)
| subdivision_type3       = Municipality
| subdivision_name3       = [Mbombela](/source/Mbombela_Local_Municipality)
| subdivision_type4       = Main Place
| established_title       = Established
| leader_title            = Councillor
| area_footnotes          = <ref name="census2011">{{cite web |url=http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/874070002 |title = Sub Place Kaapsehoop |work=Census 2011}} </ref>
| area_total_km2          = 0.35
| population_footnotes    = <ref name="census2011" />
| population_total        = 182
| population_as_of        = 2011
| population_density_km2  = auto
<!-- demographics (section 1) -->
| demographics_type1      = Racial makeup (2011)
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" />
| demographics1_title1    = [Black African](/source/Bantu_peoples_of_South_Africa)
| demographics1_info1     = 24.7%
| demographics1_title2    = [Coloured](/source/Coloureds)
| demographics1_info2     = 
| demographics1_title3    = [Indian](/source/Indian_South_African)/[Asian](/source/Asian_South_African)
| demographics1_info3     = 
| demographics1_title4    = [White](/source/White_South_African)
| demographics1_info4     = 75.3%
| demographics1_title5    = Other
| demographics1_info5     = 
<!-- demographics (section 2) -->
| demographics_type2      = [First language](/source/First_language)s (2011)
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" />
| demographics2_title1    = [Afrikaans](/source/Afrikaans)
| demographics2_info1     = 51.1%
| demographics2_title2    = [English](/source/English_language)
| demographics2_info2     = 25.0%
| demographics2_title3    = [Swazi](/source/Swazi_language)
| demographics2_info3     = 20.0%
| demographics2_title4    = [Southern Ndebele](/source/Southern_Ndebele_language)
| demographics2_info4     = 1.1%
| demographics2_title5    = Other
| demographics2_info5     = 2.8%
<!-- blank fields (section 2) -->
<!-- Other information -->
| timezone1               = [SAST](/source/South_African_Standard_Time)
| utc_offset1             = +2
| postal_code_type        = [Postal code](/source/List_of_postal_codes_in_South_Africa) (street)
| postal_code             = 
| postal2_code_type       = [PO box](/source/Post-office_box)
| postal2_code            = 
| area_code_type          = [Area code](/source/Telephone_numbers_in_South_Africa)
}}
'''Kaapschehoop''' or '''Kaapsehoop''' is a village situated in [Mpumalanga](/source/Mpumalanga) province (formerly Eastern Transvaal) of [South Africa](/source/South_Africa). 

It is situated 1640&nbsp;m (5380&nbsp;ft.) above sea level on the [Drakensberg](/source/Drakensberg) [Highveld](/source/Highveld) [escarpment](/source/escarpment), about 28&nbsp;km from [Mbombela](/source/Mbombela) (also known as Nelspruit), the capital of Mpumalanga. The name of the village was derived from [gold](/source/gold) discoveries in and around the area. The find created hope for the early inhabitants of the De Kaap Valley (The Cape Valley) below, it offered the chance of attaining great wealth.

Today Kaapschehoop is a scenic mountain top village with vibrant arts & crafts shops, confectionaries, restaurants, pubs and accommodation. It is surrounded with expansive views, nature reserves, golden grass land, wild flowers, pine plantations, unique sandstone formations, flowing streams, and unique endangered wildlife. Kaapschehoop village is set out between large natural clearings in the rock fields near the top of the escarpment overlooking the lush [De Kaap Valley](/source/De_Kaap_Valley) situated some 800 metres below, with distant views towards [Barberton](/source/Barberton%2C_Mpumalanga), [Mbombela](/source/Mbombela), [White River](/source/White_River%2C_Mpumalanga), and [Eswatini](/source/Swaziland).

==History==
<gallery>
Image:Entrance to Kaapsehoop.jpg|Entrance to Kaapsehoop
Image:Kaapsche Hoop streetscape.JPG|Kaapsehoop streetscape
Image:Mining Commissioner's House 1884 Kaapsche Hoop.jpg|Mining Commissioner's House 1884 Kaapsehoop
</gallery>
Kaapsehoop originally gained fame as a [gold mining](/source/gold_mining) town once known as the [Duiwels Kantoor](/source/Duiwels_Kantoor) – the Devil's Office – towards the end of the 19th century, when gold was discovered in 1882 in a small creek running through the town. This led to portion of the original township layout being canceled and opened up for gold diggings. However, the earlier better paying discoveries of gold at both [Pilgrim's Rest](/source/Pilgrim's_Rest%2C_Mpumalanga) in 1873 and [Barberton](/source/Barberton%2C_Mpumalanga) in 1881, followed by the discovery of gold on the [Witwatersrand](/source/Witwatersrand) in 1886 (later to become the town of [Johannesburg](/source/Johannesburg)), coupled with the meager returns obtained at Kaapsche Hoop led to the town going into decline.  
<gallery>
Image:Edge of escarpment overlooking De Kaap valley.jpg|Edge of escarpment overlooking De Kaap valley
Image:Kaapsehoop-berg.jpg|The Kaapsehoop heights seen from below
Image:Surveyor General Map of Kaapsche Hoop.JPG|Old Surveyor General Map of Kaapsche Hoop showing diggings area crossed out
</gallery>
The town has been "re-discovered" in recent time and has now become a popular weekend retreat with its period housing including accommodation establishments. New housing (some not period) has also been established on some of the remaining vacant stands (erven). The town is also within commuting distance of the centre of [Mbombela](/source/Mbombela) situated some 30 odd kilometres away.

The rock field formations near the town are made up of [quartzites](/source/quartzites) of the [Black Reef Formation](/source/Black_Reef_Formation) of the [Transvaal Supergroup](/source/Transvaal_Supergroup).

== Origin of the name ==
Kaapschehoop has had multiple names and spellings since 1874 and the discovery of gold. Kaapsche Hoop is the original [Dutch](/source/Dutch_language) spelling of Kaapsehoop as now spelled in [Afrikaans](/source/Afrikaans). 

It was first known as Duiwels Kantoor (Devils Office) and later changed to Kaapsche Hoop (Cape Hope) due to objections by the church that the former was considered a "heathen" name by the standards of the time.

The village is sometimes referred to in past documents as De Kaap (The Cape) because of its landmass jutting into De Kaap valley (The Cape valley). The valley often fills with cloud, resulting in the image of a costal cape jutting out into the ocean.

[Marthinus Wessel Pretorius](/source/Marthinus_Wessel_Pretorius) of the Transvaal Repbublic, when visiting Duiwels Kantoor, was reminded of the view from Table Mountain. Encouraged by the discoveries of gold, he renamed the settlement to Kaapsche Hoop in 1886. 

The name of the town was no doubt derived from the fact that gold was discovered in the town which sits high above the [De Kaap Valley](/source/De_Kaap_Valley) (The Cape Valley) and the find then created the hope for the early inhabitants of the nearby De Kaap Valley area of attaining great wealth.

[Dutch](/source/Dutch_language) was the official language of the two original [Boer Republics](/source/Boer_Republics) of the [Orange Free State](/source/Orange_Free_State) or Oranje-Vrijstaat and the [South African Republic](/source/South_African_Republic) or Suid Afrikaanse Republiek or Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR). Dutch was eventually to be replaced by [Afrikaans](/source/Afrikaans) a colloquially spoken language of many of the European descended settlers. Afrikaans was largely derived from Dutch and incorporating words derived or adopted from [French](/source/French_(language)), [German](/source/German_(language)), [English](/source/English_(language)) and indigenous [African languages](/source/African_languages).

<ref>‘Memories of the Lowveld’s Eland Valley 1854 -1983’ by Paddy Davies-Webb</ref>
<ref>‘A History of Kaapsehoop – the Forgotten Town’ by Kieren Bailey & Lewis Craig</ref>
<ref>‘Lost Trails Of The Mokhonjwa Mountains‘ by Bernard John Lovell de Souza</ref>
<ref>‘The History Of Mining In the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa, With An Emphasis On Gold (1868 – 2012)’ by Carl R. Anhaeusser</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=111211005875166410863.00000112821204764c36a&ll=-25.551424,30.766869&spn=0.163236,0.431213&z=12&iwloc=addr&om=1 Google Map showing location of town]
*[http://www.kaapschehoop.com  www.kaapschehoop.com]
*[https://map.chronicle.rip/kaapsehoop_cemetery Kaapsehoop Cemetery deceased records and online map] at Chronicle Cemetery Map

{{Ehlanzeni District Municipality}}

Category:Populated places in the Mbombela Local Municipality
Category:Populated places founded by Afrikaners

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kaapsehoop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaapsehoop) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaapsehoop?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.