Simon van der Stel (October 14, 1639]] – June 24, 1712) was the last Commander and first Governor of the Cape Colony, the Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

Contents 1 Background 2 Career 3 Legacy 4 References

[edit] Background

Simon was the son of Adriaan van der Stel, an official of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), and Maria Lievens, daughter of a freed Indian slave woman known as Monica of the Coast of Goa, or Monica da Costa. Simon was therefore a mestizo. He is seen by some historians as a Creole, though technically he was not a Creole as he was not born in Mauritius or Cape Colony.

Adriaan was appointed the first Dutch governor of Mauritius in 1639. Simon was born at sea while his father was en route to Mauritius to take up his new posting.^[1] Adriaan had a long tenure in Mauritius, and Simon spent seven years there.

Adriaan's governorship ended after five years, and after a few more years, Adriaan left Mauritius for Ceylon, then also a Dutch colonmy. Adriaan was murdered in Ceylon and Maria also died. Simon went on to Batavia, the Dutch colony in Java. Simon remained in Batavia until he was 20 years of age.

[edit] Career

He then went to the Netherlands, where he associated with the most important members of the VOC, such as Willem Six. He married Willem's daughter, Johanna Jacoba Six (1645-1700). They had four children. Simon seems to have been involved in making wine in Muiderberg.

In 1679, he was appointed "Commander" of the VOC's colony at the Cape of Good Hope, through the growing influence of his relative, Joan Huydecoper II.^[2]

Van der Stel and his wife did not enjoy a good relationship, possibly because he had grown up very differently in the Dutch colonial territories, and she never joined him in the Cape.

In 1691, the VOC replaced the office of "Commander" with "Governor", and van der Stel was promoted to the new position. He retired in 1699 and was succeeded by his son Willem Adriaan van der Stel. In retirement, he devoted himself to his estate at Constantia, where he died in 1712.

[edit] Legacy

The town of Stellenbosch (founded in 1679) was named after him.

Simons Town is also named after him.

Effectively he was the first 'Coloured' or mestizo Governor of the Cape Colony. This was something never acknowledged in South African history during the apartheid era.

[edit] References

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