Slave Washerwomen’s Stream

This site (also known as Platteklip Stream) forms part of the Camissa River System. Washerwomen tasks involved soaking, pounding, washing, rinsing and drying clothing from either private families or the Company. Often hundreds of women would spend the whole day washing clothing. The Slave Washerwomen’s Stream is particularly important as it relates to the most tragic event in Cape History in 1713. This is when a Danish Ship arrived, on which there had been an outbreak of smallpox. The contaminated clothing was given to the slave washerwomen who washed the clothes in the stream and thus unconsciously contaminated the water-supply. They too became contaminated and smallpox spread, causing great devastation amongst all communities. Hardest hit was the indigenous people whose numbers dwindled from around 160,000 to around 30,000. The growing prosperous class amongst the Free Black community were wiped out too as were many slaves. This single event must count as one of the most devastating occurrences in slave and indigene history.