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The article recalls Hendrik van den Bergh’s arrest on 20 January 1942 and describes the wider wartime context of the Ossewabrandwag, police loyalties, and internment at Koffiefontein. It also reflects on the historical significance of the event and Van den Bergh’s later career.
During the SAP’s Fiftieth Anniversary celebrations in March 1963, BSAP rugby and golf representatives joined their South African counterparts for a programme of sport, ceremony, and hospitality in Pretoria. The tour strengthened ties between the forces and showcased athletic excellence, tradition, and goodwill.
This article traces the layered history of Koffiefontein, a Free State town shaped by diamond discovery, military conflict, and evolving systems of law enforcement. Beginning as a vital rest stop for 19th‑century transport riders, Koffiefontein rose to prominence after a diamond was found at its fountain in 1870, sparking a local diamond rush. The narrative follows three major eras: the diamond‑mining boom, the Anglo‑Boer War—during which British forces fortified the town with blockhouses—and the Second World War, when Koffiefontein became a major internment camp holding Italian and German POWs as well as South Africans suspected of pro‑Nazi activity, including future Prime Minister B.J. Vorster. The article also explores the development of policing in the region, from early constables of the Orange Free State Republic to the establishment of the SAP in 1913 and highlights the architectural heritage of the historic Hampden Street police station. Finally, it reflects on modern community concerns and the station’s dual identity as both a heritage landmark and an active centre of law enforcement.
