Pessoa

De Veer, Johannes

Jan de Veer (1 February 1874-19 January 1964), a Dutch immigrant, describes his work at the Nederlandse Zuid Afrikaanse Spoorweg Maatschapij (N.Z.A.S.M.) and life on the Reef and in Pretoria, in the old Transvaal province. Also included in his autobiography are several vivid descriptions of various incidents in his life, as well as the lifestyle, entertainment and relaxation of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in this area. The Jameson Raid played a role in his experiences as well. The story moves on to his involvement in the second Boer War mainly in the siege at Colesburg and the destruction of the Norvaals Pont bridge. In 1901 he was interned in the Bird Cage concentration camp which was located on the hill in the Pretoria Zoo where the lion enclosures are now situated on a charge of assisting the Boers. He was tried and found not guilty of treason due to lack of evidence, and released. De Veer later ran a shop and post office business, followed by a few years of farming, before settling into the teaching profession and raising a family in Pretoria, where he had a street named after him de Veer Avenue, in Arcadia.