TWEEFONTEIN – Close to a century of history has been stripped bare by thieves.
On Monday, the looters broke into the historic farmhouse at Tweefontein, ripping out light fittings, taps, sinks, pipes and even two of the original Oregon Pine doors.
Farm owner, Marianne Ehlers made the awful discovery.
After contacting both SAPS and Newcastle 911 Policing, the level of destruction and loss reduced Mrs Ehlers to an emotional state.
“Those Oregon Pine doors are gone, and you can’t get them back. That is 100 years of history stolen.”
Tweefontein made headlines in 2014, when Mrs Ehlers applied to Amafa (Heritage KwaZulu-Natal) to have the original house preserved as a heritage site.
The farmhouse will be 100 years old in 2018.
Situated alongside Ouklip Avenue in Hutten Heights, Tweefontein is approximately 170 hectares and stretched to both sides of the R34 Memel Road, and a small portion bisected by Nagtegaal Street in Aviary Hill.
At the time, the Ehlers poured their hearts into restoring the farmhouse to its glory days.
It is the amount of work put into that very task, which made the recent robbery at Tweefontein almost unbearable for Mrs Ehlers.
Fortunately, there is a light on the horizon for the farm.
Pastor Thomas Beneke, who heads the Evangelical Lutheran Church on Ouklip Avenue, currently rents the site and has a grand vision for its future.
“One of the congregation’s plans was to reach out to the community in a caring way. I went around to determine the need, and found Morester Home Meah is at capacity most of the time.”
Pastor Beneke consulted with the Department of Social Development and confirmed there was a need for a sanctuary for abandoned children, particularly those with disabilities.
He then approached Mrs Ehlers about renting the land.
“As a congregation, we can give continuity and support to children as they grow. The home will not be in the congregation’s name, but we are busy with the NGO registration.”
Pastor Beneke plans to use the upcoming Christmas Market to kickstart the project, and believes funds raised there will go a long way to launching the home.
He promised more details in the next few weeks.
Any residents who are interested in the project, and want to become involved in any way, can contact Pastor Beneke on 081 387 9152 or email beneke.thomas@gmail.com.
