AN ENQUIRY INTO THE ORIGIN AND DERIVATION 

 OF CERTAIN SOUTH AFRICAN PLACE-NAMES— IL 



By Rev. C. Pettman. 



Read July lo, 191 9. 



It is not a little gratifying to see that the origin and deriva- 

 tion of our South African place-names is a subject that is 

 evoking increasing interest among those who are in a position 

 to push their inquiries and investigations in quarters and direc- 

 tions that are closed to most of us. The valuable papers on 

 Bantu place-names, contributed by the Rev. J. R. L. Kingon 

 land the Rev. W. A. Norton, which have appeared in recent 

 Reports of the Association, and the equally valuable little work 

 •on "Place-Names in the Cape District: their Early Origin and 

 History," by Mr. C. Graham Botha, of the Cape Archives 

 Department, are sufficient to indicate how rich in historic and 

 other interest this field of research will prove if followed up 

 by enthusiastic concentration upon definite areas with which the 

 enquirier is familiar. 



The object of this paper, like that of the former (Report 

 S.A.A.A.S., 191 5, p. 159), is to place on record seme further 

 points of interest that have occurred as the result of enquiries 

 into the origin of place-names found on various maps of Africa, 

 or of the sub-continent. 



Some of the older names on our maps have so changed in 

 form and appearance as to obscure the first meaning of the 

 name, and, at the same time, have become, in their latest form, 

 suggestive of an entirely wrong derivation. Take the name of 

 the river known to-day as the Box River. Burchell ("Travels 

 in South Africa," 1822, i., p. 93) mentions this river, and against 

 the -name " Bot River" he places in brackets and with a query 

 the word ("Flounder?) "; obviously the meaning of the name 

 was not apparent to him. According to the Dutch dictionary 

 the word hot, as a substantive, may stand for one of four very 

 different things; in addition to which it may be an adjective, the 

 meaning of which does not appear to be connected with that 

 of any one of the substantives. Burchell suggests as the possible 

 origin of the name of the river the word meaning a plaice or a 

 flounder. In view of such river names as Steenbras, Kabel- 

 jauws, etc., this does not appear to be an impossible origin, until 

 we begin to trace the nanie back. So doing we find that Thun- 

 berg (" Travels," 1795, i., p. 217) gives the name of this river 

 as '■ Booter-river." Then on the " Plan of Baay Fals," by 

 Captain R. F. Gordon, dated December, 1780, the name appears. 



