housedalllevelsofgovernment,andwas also
thegovernmentalseatoftheBritish.Breytenbach Theatre
WHILEit’sa bustlingauditoriumnow,decades
agotheBreytenbachTheatrewasactuallya
temporaryhospitaltoassistthoseaffected
bythetragicfluepidemicthatkilled 500000
SouthAfricans– makingourcountrythe
fifth hardest hit by the pandemic.Thecellar
belowthe
stageonce
housed
thebodies
ofmen,
womenand
children
who
succumbed
tothevirus.
It is saidthatonenursenamedHeather,who
eventuallydiedofthediseaseherself,haunts
thegrounds,withseveralallegedsightings
ofherhavingbeenmade.Therehavealso
beenclaimsofthesoundsofa pianoplaying,
childrenlaughingandcrying,andeventhe
apparitionsoflittlefeetrunningaroundthe
stageThe Flying Dutchman
Wreck At CapePoint
IN 1641 HendrikvanderDeckenandhis
crewwerereturningtoHollandfromthe
FarEastthroughtherockypassagearound
The Cape of Good Hope whena stormbroke
andtheship
wasripped
apart.Over
theyears
lighthouse
keepersat
theCapeof
GoodHope
havereported
multiple
sightingsofthe ghost ship during wild
weather.REALLIFE
SOURCE:SOCIAL MEDIA / ADOBESTOCKF
ROMsightingsofghostsand
unexplainablechantingtofootstepsand
thefaintsoundofchildrenlaughing,in
thespiritofHalloweenwetakea lookat
someofthemosthistoricalplacesinSouthAfrica
believedtobehometoguestsbeyondthisworld.
MelroseHouse Museum
FEATURINGa hauntedatticsupposedlyhome
toghosts,it’snothardtounderstandwhythis
three-storey
Victorian
mansionin
Pretoriahas
beenthe
centreof
spookytales.
It’sbelieved
a paranormal
teameven
capturedelectronicvoicephenomenaofseveral
‘entities’onceinsidethedoorsoftheformerhome
ofGeorgeHeys,whomadea fortunefroma coach
transportingbusinessduringthediamondrushin
Kimberly.Themansionwasalsotheheadquarters
ofBritishsoldiersduringtheAnglo-BoerWar–
whichsawover 28000 livestaken,themajority
ofwhichwerecivilianswhodiedfromdiseasein
concentrationcamps.Visitorstothemuseumhave
reportedhearingfootstepsintheattic,seeing
visionsandbeingovercomewitheerie feeling of
being‘unwelcome’orwatched.
Ou Raadsaal
IT’SsaidPaulKrugerandhiswifeGezinahaunt
theOuRaadsaalbuilding,withvisitorsclaiming
tohaveseenGezinaonthebalconyandheard
strangevoicesandfootstepsintheprisoncells
below,aswellasbeingshovedandpokedinthe
hallways.Theheadrailingsallegedlymoveontheir
own, the cast-iron knights rattle andghostsoften
descendsthe
staircase.The
buildingwas
firstusedin
Mayof 1890
and has since
Things That Go
THESE seven haunted places, rich with South
African heritage, will chill you to the bone.
BUMP IN
THE NIGHT
Castle OfGood Hope
OPENEDin1679,theCastleis theoldestsurviving
buildinginSouthAfrica.Insidetherewereamong
othersa church,bakery,workshops,living
quarters,officesandcellsmanybelievewere
usedtoholdandtortureprisoners.Duringrains,
thewaterrosealmosta metreinthere,drowning
someoftheconvictswhowerechainedtothe
dungeonwalls.Themostfamous‘ghost’sighting
insideis thatofGovernorPieterGysbertvan
Noordt.Believedtohaveunjustlysentencedseven
soldierstodeathformilitarydesertiononApril
23,1728,hewasfounddeadinhisofficefrom
a heartattack.Othersightingsincludea 2mtall
ghostwhichhauntsthebattlements,theghost
ofLadyAnneBarnardwholivedthere,theghost
ofa soldierwhohangedhimselfinthebelltower
andtheghostsofsoldierspacingthebattlements.
Therehaveevenbeenreportsoftheghostofa
largeblackdogrunningtowardsvisitorsbefore
mysteriouslydisappearing.NottinghamRoad Hotel
THIShotelinKwaZulu-Natalusedtobea popular
stopforBritishsoldiersontheirwaytothe
interiorduringtheBoerWar.Guestsstayinginside
NottinghamRoadHotelhavereportedseeing
thepeacefulghostofa womannamedCharlotte
rearrangingflowers,tidyingthebedspreadand
dustingobjectsinsidetheirroom.Charlottewas
said to have been in love with aBritishsoldier
whodiedon
thebattlefield.
Shewasso
grief-stricken
thatsheflung
herselfoverthe
balconyatthe
hotel––orwas
shepushed?We
willneverreally
knowbuthersightingshavemadeNottingham one
of the most talked about hotels.BY VA N ESSA PA PAS