April, 2013, Vol. 17, No. 8
Steenberg, the Mountain of Stone
Migrating from Germany to Constantia, South Africa in 1662, Catharina Ustings discovered a life of hardship. At the time, the area, which would later become South Africa’s noted winelands, was total wilderness. It was a country where women had no rights. Catharina, a twenty two year old widow, married Hans Ras, a soldier who had homesteaded on the Liesbeck River. The new bride was unaware that Hans lusted for women slaves.