{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}} {{Use South African English|date=January 2015}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Nieu-Bethesda | image_skyline = {{multiple image | total_width = 280 | border = infobox | perrow = 1/2/2 | caption_align = center | image1 = Nieu-Bethesda vallei.jpg | image2 = Owl house 2003 18.JPG | image3 = NG kerk Nieu-Bethesda.jpg | image4 = Nieu-Bethesda, Karoo, Eastern Cape, South Africa (20484318556).jpg}} | image_caption = '''Clockwise from top''': A view of Nieu-Bethesda, [[The Owl House (museum)|The Owl House]], [[Dutch Reformed Church, Nieu-Bethesda|Dutch Reformed Church]], A street in Nieu-Bethesda | pushpin_map = South Africa Eastern Cape#South Africa | coordinates = {{coord|31|52|S|24|33|E|region:ZA|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [[South Africa]] | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = [[Eastern Cape]] | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = [[Sarah Baartman District Municipality|Sarah Baartman]] | subdivision_type3 = Municipality | subdivision_name3 = [[Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality|Dr Beyers Naudé]] | subdivision_type4 = Main Place | established_title = Established | government_type = Ward 7 | leader_title = Councillor | leader_name = Arthur Ronald Knottcraig | area_footnotes = <ref name="census2011">{{cite web |url=http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/261001 |title = Main Place Nieu-Bethesda |work=Census 2011}}</ref> | area_total_km2 = 34.05 | population_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" /> | population_total = 1540 | population_as_of = 2011 | population_density_km2 = auto <!-- demographics (section 1) --> | demographics_type1 = Racial makeup (2011) | demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" /> | demographics1_title1 = [[Bantu peoples of South Africa|Black African]] | demographics1_info1 = 25.1% | demographics1_title2 = [[Coloureds|Coloured]] | demographics1_info2 = 65.2% | demographics1_title3 = [[Indian South African|Indian]]/[[Asian South African|Asian]] | demographics1_info3 = 0.6% | demographics1_title4 = [[White South African|White]] | demographics1_info4 = 8.7% | demographics1_title5 = Other | demographics1_info5 = 0.5% <!-- demographics (section 2) --> | demographics_type2 = [[First language]]s (2011) | demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" /> | demographics2_title1 = [[Afrikaans]] | demographics2_info1 = 92.0% | demographics2_title2 = [[South African English|English]] | demographics2_info2 = 6.4% | demographics2_title3 = [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]] | demographics2_info3 = 1.0% | demographics2_title4 = | demographics2_info4 = | demographics2_title5 = Other | demographics2_info5 = 0.6% <!-- blank fields (section 2) --> <!-- Other information --> | timezone1 = [[South African Standard Time|SAST]] | utc_offset1 = +2 | postal_code_type = [[List of postal codes in South Africa|Postal code]] (street) | postal_code = | postal2_code_type = [[Post-office box|PO box]] | postal2_code = | area_code_type = [[Telephone numbers in South Africa|Area code]] }} '''Nieu-Bethesda''' ([[Afrikaans]] for ''New Bethesda'') is a village in the [[Eastern Cape]] at the foot of the [[Sneeuberge]], approximately {{Convert|50|km|mi}} north of [[Graaff Reinet]]. It was founded in 1875 as a church town, like many other [[Karoo]] villages, and attained municipal status in 1886.
== Etymology == The town's original name, Nieu-Bethesda, is an Afrikaans name of biblical origin ({{bibleverse|John|5:2-4|KJV}}) meaning "place of flowing water."<ref>{{cite book|last=Raper|first=P. E. |title=Dictionary of Southern African Place Names|url=https://archive.org/stream/DictionaryOfSouthernAfricanPlaceNames/SaPlaceNames#page/n332/mode/2up|year=1989|publisher=Jonathan Ball Publishers|isbn=978-0-947464-04-2|page=332|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Referring to the [[Pool of Bethesda]] from an account of [[Healing the paralytic at Bethesda|Jesus healing a paralyzed man]] at a pool of water, in addition to the flowing waters of the Gats River that runs through the town.
In 2023, it was proposed for Nieu-Bethesda to be renamed to Kwa-Noheleni.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 October 2023 |title=Name changes coming to 4 more towns in South Africa |url=https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/724870/name-changes-coming-for-4-more-towns-in-south-africa/ |access-date=26 September 2024 |website=BusinessTech}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Call to stop name changes for towns in South Africa |url=https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/760247/call-to-stop-name-changes-for-towns-in-south-africa/ |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=BusinessTech |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ellis |first=Estelle |date=2024-08-11 |title=Graaff-Reinet’s name may still change because process has ‘not been finalised’ |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-08-11-graaff-reinets-name-may-still-change-as-process-not-finalised/ |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-24 |title=DA marches to stop Karoo town name changes - Scrolla.Africa |url=https://scrolla.africa/da-marches-to-stop-karoo-town-name-changes/ |access-date=2026-03-31 |language=en-ZA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-28 |title=Goodbye East London, hello KuGompo City, as name changes approved |url=https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2026-01-28-goodbye-east-london-hello-kugompo-city-as-name-changes-approved/ |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=The Herald |language=en}}</ref> The name change was approved in January 2026 by the [[Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=East London is getting a new name |url=https://www.jacarandafm.com/shows/breakfast/east-london-getting-new-name/ |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=Jacaranda FM}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-28 |title=Goodbye East London, hello KuGompo City, as name changes approved |url=https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2026-01-28-goodbye-east-london-hello-kugompo-city-as-name-changes-approved/ |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=The Herald |language=en}}</ref> although it was reported the following month by [[The Herald (South Africa)|The Herald]] that the name change for Nieu-Bethesda was not among the gazetted names, indicating that the name change hadn't been finalized.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-02-10 |title=Communities given a month to object to new town names |url=https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2026-02-10-communities-given-a-month-to-object-to-new-town-names/ |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=The Herald |language=en}}</ref>
== Pre-History == [[File:Gats River fossil bed.jpg|thumb|A palentologist standing in the Gats River fossil bed.]] The Gats River fossil bed runs through the town where well exposed rocks from the [[Daptocephalus Assemblage Zone|Dicynodont Assemblage Zone]] of the [[Karoo Supergroup]] are easily accessible. The fossil bed has yielded a large number of [[Synapsida|proto-mammal]] [[Therapsida|therapsid]] reptiles that were common in the area 253 million years ago during the [[Permian Period]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=May 2024 |title=Background to Declaration of the Gats River fossil bed |url=https://www.sahra.org.za/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Gats-River-Background-History_for_website_stakeholders.pdf |website=www.sahra.org.za |publisher=[[South African Heritage Resources Agency]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nieu-Bethesda {{!}} South African History Online |url=https://sahistory.org.za/place/bethesda-road-graaf-reniet |access-date=2026-03-04 |website=sahistory.org.za |language=en}}</ref> The fossilised remains of ''[[Youngina capensis]]'', ''[[Dicynodon leoniceps]]'', ''[[Oudenodon baini]]'', ''[[Cynosaurus]] kitching'', ''[[Ictidosuchops]] intermedius'', ''[[Theriognathus]]'', and ''[[Procynosuchus delaharpeae]]'' are present in the fossil bed.<ref name=":1" />
==History==
Nieu Bethesda is situated on the farm, Uitkyk, which belonged to BJ Pienaar. There was a very strong water supply on the farm and BJ Pienaar changed the course of the Gats River to drain the marshes and turn the area into fertile fields – where Nieu Bethesda stands today. The original marshlands were known to [[San peoples|indigenous people]] as ''"/hue≠ga"'', possibly a [[ǀXam language|San]] word meaning either ''wide-marsh'' or ''baboon-marsh''.<ref>https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/60644/9781928424031.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y</ref> On 15 December 1874, the farmers of this area met for the first time with a view to establishing a village and [[Dutch Reformed Church]] congregation. A town council was elected. In February 1875, a petition group of 169 men met the church council of Graaff-Reinet, headed by the Reverend Charles Murray, son of the first preacher Andrew Murray. On the same day, negotiations were concluded to buy Uitkyk from Pienaar's sons.
It was not until 1878 that [[Graaff-Reinet]] agreed to the petitions of the Nieu Bethesda people. Rev. Charles Murray named the new settlement Nieu Bethesda in reference to the strong fountain and its biblical reference. In 1880, the church struggled to run the village so, in 1886, it became a municipality, but with administrative rights only. The church retained the properties. This meant that residents had to pay two taxes, an arrangement that led to friction for many generations. The town experienced a period of growth from its establishment in 1870s to about 1930.<ref name="NieuBethesda">{{cite web| title= About Nieu Bethesda | publisher= Nieu Bethesda| url=http://www.nieubethesda.info/index.htm| access-date=29 July 2017}}</ref> Nieu-Bethesda was eclipsed by larger towns during the 1930s and ‘40s.<ref name="SAVENUES">{{cite web| title= SA Venues| publisher= Nieu Bethesda| url=https://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsec/nieu-bethesda.php| access-date=29 July 2017}}</ref> Improved transport and the town's isolated location led to a mass exodus during the [[Great Depression]], leaving the town in an impoverished and depopulated state.<ref name="NieuBethesda" />
The town of Nieu Bethesda carries a peculiar history and has therefore become a tourist attraction. The [[Dutch Reformed Church, Nieu-Bethesda|Dutch Reformed Church]] which was founded in 1875 in the area began holding its services in BJ Pienaar's wagon house. A new church building was inaugurated in 1905. The Wagon House (now known as the Old Church Hall) was then used as a church hall and a venue for English church services.<ref name="NieuBethesda"/>
=== The Owl House === {{Main|The Owl House (museum)}} In the 1930s, a Nieu Bethesda-born teacher known as [[The Owl House (museum)|Helen Martins]] returned to the town. After her father's death in 1945, Martins began transforming her home into a work of art. She employed Koos Malgas, a Nieu Bethesda local to assist her with her artwork. She and Malgas constructed cement and glass statues inspired by biblical texts, the poetry of [[Omar Khayyam]], and the works by [[William Blake]].<ref name="OwlHouse">{{cite web| title= Nieu Bethesda - Helen Martins' Owl house & Camel Yard | publisher= Ganora Guest Farm| url=http://www.ganora.co.za/listing/nieu_bethesda_helen_martins_owl_house_and_camel_yard| access-date=29 July 2017}}</ref> In 1976, Martins aged seventy-eight, took her own life by swallowing caustic soda.<ref name="NieuBethesda" /> Martin's house known as [[The Owl House (museum)|The Owl House]] is now run by the Owl House Foundation formed in 1996 and is now a major tourist attraction.<ref name="SAVENUES" />
=== Fossil Exploration === The town was also thrust into the spotlight by one of its residents [[James Kitching]], vertebrate palaeontologist. Kitching became famous for collecting specimens in Nieu Bethesda for [[Robert Broom]], the keeper of vertebrate palaeontology at the South African Museum. Kitching was the first member of staff to be appointed to the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research, set up at the [[University of Witwatersrand]] in 1945. In 1970,he was the first person to collect and identify a specimen of a Karoo therapsid in Antarctica and so demonstrate that Antarctica and southern Africa were once connected. Today, Kitching's work is stored at the Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre which depicts the setting in the area around Nieu Bethesda 253 million years ago.<ref name="Kitching">{{cite web| title= Nieu Bethesda - James Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre (KFEC)| publisher= Ganora Guest Farm| url=http://www.ganora.co.za/listing/nieu_bethesda_james_kitching_fossil_exploration_centre_kfec| access-date=29 July 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Road to Nieu-Bethesda.jpg|thumb|Road to Nieu-Bethesda]]
==Nieu Bethesda today== [[File:A way of transport.jpg|left|thumb|Donkey-drawn cart ( 2013)]] The town of Nieu Bethesda has about 1540 residents.<ref name="Census">{{cite web| title= Nieu Bethesda Census 2011| publisher= Adrian Firth| url=https://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/261001| access-date=29 July 2017}}</ref> The town is still racially divided with the Black African (25.06%) residents staying mostly in the Kloofroad area of Pienaarsig. The [[Coloureds|Coloured]] (65.19% of the town population) and Black African (22% of the population) residents abide in Pienaarsig, the former township and the White residents (8.70% of the town population) stay along the banks of the Gats River that runs through the town. Nieu Bethesda is surrounded by 8 commercial farms which provide employment for locals.
There are also tourism projects such as Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre, Bethesda Arts Centre and The Owl House which generate income for the town. There are no ATMs in Nieu Bethesda and the town relies on Graaff Reinet for banking services. There is one school known as the Lettie de Klerk Primary School in Pienaarsig. For health services, Nieu Bethesda has one clinic and a resident sister.<ref name="ResearchOnNieuBethesda">{{cite web| title= The Arid Areas Programme Case Study 6: Nieu Bethesda | publisher= Adrian Firth| url=http://www.aridareas.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/Papers/Kruger%20N%20-%20The%20arid%20areas%20programme%20%20Case%20study%206%20-%20Nieu%20Bethesda.pdf| access-date=29 July 2017}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
== In popular culture ==
* The town is the focal point in [[Athol Fugard]]'s 1985 play, "[[The Road to Mecca (play)|Road to Mecca]]."
== External links == {{Wikivoyage|Nieu-Bethesda}} {{commons category-inline}}
* [http://www.owlhouse.co.za/nieu.html Owl House] * [http://www.kfec.co.za/nieu.html Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre]
{{Sarah Baartman District Municipality}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Populated places in the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1875]] [[Category:Karoo]]