Page 91 - The Diary of A. H. W. Behrens

40
1879
₤ 250 he had saved from horse sales and ₤ 250 my mother
had inherited from an old aunt that had died in Germany. But where should he get the other ₤ 500 from? The people or the community had stripped themselves of everything for the above purchases and my father did not want to own a property together with the indigenous people, but still wanted to buy a property for his ₤ 500. Then they found the following solution at a big meeting: It was found that about 100 men had not participated in any previous purchase, but were still using the purchased land as grazing land for cattle, for cutting of wood and for crops. They were requested to each pay ₤ 5 in order to cover the missing ₤ 500. This was done. But father wanted to accept this only as lease for 25 years. This was also accepted and put down in writing (but it was not notarised). So all the people of Bethanie had free wood, free grazing land and a piece of land for crops below the trench and what that meant, you need to experience for yourself.
The land belonged to father and was registered in his name. What happened later, can be read up under 1904/05. Father received ₤ 20 lease per year, about ₤ 1-7-0 per month, not even 1/- per day.