TOWN SITE Bethal declared as town Since 1878 negotiated Peter Johannes Naude and Cornelius Michiel du Plooij with Sir Owen Lanyon, the Transvaal administrator, in an effort to have Bethal declared as town. Preliminary permission for development into township was granted by the British Government which was ruling Transvaal at the time. This permission however, was subjected to certain conditions. Before permission was granted, some plots had to be sold. Lords Du Plooij and Naude decided on the name Bethal, this name was made up by parts of their wives names, Elizabeth and Alida. Bethal would be constructed on the South-East part of the farm *Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (South African Republic) Blesbokspruit, the size of which was 3 000 acres. The property rights were held by the said two founders of the said town. Fifteen years later, this right was taken over by *Z.A.R. Deeds of transfer 367/1879, 440/1882 and 992/1894 – aggregate 334 plots – as well as a Church and Market Square, were surveyed by the Government’s Surveyor, one known as W.A.B. Anderson. Then the plots were sold at public auction. Shortly before the Second Freedom War, 300 more plots were surveyed by the Government and added to the existing town. 5
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