EVERT’s freedom allowed him the right as a Free Burgher or “Vryburger” to to lease property and to farm for his own account.  EVERT acquired the rights of this property (60 morgen at the time) from the VOC or Dutch East India Company on the loan hold system.  This transaction allowed the family to start a new life as vegetable farmers.

EVERT built a fortified building using “koffieklip”  (stone from the area) and clay in an effort to protect a fountain on the property that was used to water his crops. This koffieklip structure is believed to form part of the middle section of the current restaurant site.

EVERT prospered as a successful farmer and provided fruit and vegetables to the way station of the VOC trade route between the Netherlands and the East Indies.

EVERT invested in his daughter Zwarte Maria by teaching her how to farm and how to trade.  He developed her entrepreneurship talent by teaching and allowing her to sell their produce.  EVERT further taught her invaluable business skills on how to make deals and how to acquire land. 

The coaching Zwarte Maria received developed her into a formidable business woman with many contacts and strong networks that allowed her to become a respected entrepreneur. 

Zwarte Maria was recognized as one of the formidable farmers of the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries and rose above adversity to such an extent that she became the owner of several farms in Cape Town and along the West Coast by planting vines, fruit trees, wheat, corn and she also raised cattle and sheep.

Anna died in 1684, EVERT died in 1688 and Zwarte Maria died in June 1713.

In 2003 when opening Cape Town’s new International Convention Centre, President Thabo Mbeki paid tribute to the pioneering and innovative spirit of Zwarte Maria Evert and said: “This is surely a triumph for descendants of slaves who came in chains and yet epitomise the very role models, which we now seek in re-shaping and renewing our African continent.”   video