History of Pearly Beach | Overberg | Western Cape

Kleinhagelkraal, the farm that encompassed Pearly Beach, used to be a cattle farm. During the early 1900s it belonged to three Matthee brothers, but when motor cars came into vogue during the 1920s, the brothers turned their interests to cars, neglecting their farm, which eventually had to be sold.

During the years when Danie Lötter owned Kleinhagelkraal, the seaside section of the farm, then known as Afsaal, was a popular holiday destination where generations of families came to spend their summer vacation. The Afsaal cafe exists to this day. During later years, the Land Service Association started holding their camps there, and continued to do so even after the holiday resort had been developed. Charlie van Breda, an engineer from Worcester, bought the farm from Lötter in the 1940s. Charlie enjoyed nothing more than taking walks on the long stretch of white beach, calling it the pearl of all beaches. To him, this was the most beautiful of all, and he named it Pearly Beach. The name had nothing to do with shells.

Charlie van Breda established the Pearly Beach company and started selling plots. Every person who paid cash received a share in the company. Initially, very few owners erected houses on their plots. For many years there were only five houses. One day, people from Johannesburg who had bought land at Pearly Beach, unseen, with the intention of building a filling station there, stopped at Coena Haman's cafe in Hermanus to ask the way to Pearly Beach. On learning what the purpose of their visit was, Coena asked them whether the filling station was for the tortoises. The people from Johannesburg did not believe his insinuation, but on their way back they admitted to him that they had been conned with beautiful pictures of Pearly Beach, whereas all they found was veld and bushes and a handful of houses.

Only during the 1980s did the area start developing. Many holiday homes were built, and also some permanent residences. Thys Lourens, who grew up on Kleinhagelkraal where his father, Hennie Jakkie, was a herdsman, and who knows the area like the palm of his hand, relates how he accompanied Charlie van Breda everywhere as his chauffeur. He was sorry when Charlie's business collapsed and the Pearly Beach company became insolvent. It was then bought by a group of five: Messrs Puren, two Theron brothers and a Jurgens. They paid £7,000 for the farm, which included the entire Pearly Beach. One of the Purens, in particular, was later responsible for the smooth development of Pearly Beach as a holiday resort. In 1952 they built the first six rondavels.

The resort expanded gradually as more rondavels were built. A house was built for the manager. The camping site became popular as a Christian camp destination. Today, the resort still belongs to the Purens. One of their married daughters lives on a nearby dairy farm, and another daughter lives on the resort premises. The original farmstead of Kleinhagelkraal is now known as Kleinparadys and has been turned into a guesthouse for international visitors.

Pearly Beach has become a very popular beach and retirement resort. Many plots have been developed and the number of permanent residents is steadily growing. Prior to the inauguration of the town's first Dutch Reformed church in June 2003, this outlying ward was served for many years by a minister from Gansbaai. Pearly Beach has its own ratepayers association and is served by the newly-formed Overstrand Municipality.

THE OVERBERG is a journey through this beautiful region. The reader will find anecdotes and other tales of 41 towns, villages and hamlets around the Overberg. These stories are presented in the informal style, characteristic of the author of the popular Stanford Stories and Hermanus Stories I & II.
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