Everything Everywhere Daily · Thursday, July 30, 2026
In the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) established the first permanent European presence in South Africa, initially as a supply station for spice ships. The VOC focused on a small agricultural area around Cape Town, primarily for wheat and wine production, importing enslaved people to work the fields and coming into conflict with the Khoikhoi people.
“In the 17th century, Cape Town, South Africa emerged as a crucial supply station for spice ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope on their way to the East Indies in the Indian Ocean.”
“The Dutch East India Company, or VOC, to use the Dutch acronym, was the first to establish a permanent European presence in the region.”
“To the Dutch, South Africa was just a midway point on a long journey, and beyond their control over the Table Mountain region around Cape Town, they had no interest in establishing a massive inland colony.”