Elim

Elim was founded in August 1824 by German missionaries from the Moravian Brethren as the third Moravian mission station in the Cape Colony. The site was chosen for its water supply and the suitability of the land for vines — the missionaries needed wine for communion. The village was originally called Genadendal's offspring, built on the same model of self-sufficient mission community.

From 1837 to 1840, the population doubled as emancipated slaves found their way here after abolition. By 1854 there were over 1,200 residents. The community that formed was largely Khoisan and freed-slave families, and their descendants still make up much of the village population today. The first slave monument in South Africa was erected here in 1938, a century after emancipation.

The physical fabric of the village is extraordinary. Most of the cottages date from the 19th century, built from mud-brick, lime-plastered, with thatched roofs. The streets are narrow and unpaved. The Moravian church stands at the centre. The water mill, built in 1833, has the largest waterwheel in South Africa and was declared a national monument in 1974. It was restored in 1990 and occasionally still runs. The pipe organ in the church is the oldest in the country.

Elim is halfway on the dirt road between Bredasdorp and Gansbaai. The access road is gravel. There is minimal signage. Most people who find it were looking for it. The village does not present itself for tourism. It is a living community that happens to be two centuries old.