Belhar Main Road in Highbury was officially renamed John van de Rheede Drive on Saturday 17 October, honouring the community activist who served the area for more than three decades.

Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews, representatives from the Highbury Foundation and the Van de Rheede family revealed the new road sign on the traffic circle at the corner of Highbury Road. The unveiling came four days after the third anniversary of Van de Rheede’s passing on 13 October 2023.

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Middleton pays tribute

Highbury Foundation chair Winston Middleton, who led the renaming proposal, paid tribute to Van de Rheede’s legacy of community activism.

He recalled how Van de Rheede, together with Professor Randall Carolissen and others, persuaded the municipality to shelter around 300 families left homeless by a fire at an informal settlement alongside the railway line in about 1990. Months of advocacy followed before the families were resettled in Kalkfontein, where Van de Rheede secured provincial funds for a brick-making project enabling residents to build their own homes.

Middleton noted with sadness the derelict state of that building today. “I’m sure his heart would stop if he had to see it now,” he said. “Why can’t we look after that which we receive and fight for?”

He highlighted Van de Rheede’s role in championing early childhood development centres in Highbury, Kalkfontein and Wesbank, establishing Highbury’s first neighbourhood watch, and securing the construction of Belhar Main Road through the foundation’s pressure on authorities.

Middleton thanked Andrews for ensuring the occasion remained above party politics, focussing purely on the service of a great man. “As cars drive down John van de Rheede Drive for generations to come, let that road sign stand as a reminder of what true servant leadership looks like,” he said.

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Carolissen recalls Kalkfontein struggle

Carolissen recalled the founding of the Kuils River Residents Association (KIV, Kuilsrivier-inwonersvereniging), and the relentless pressure the organisation placed on the Kuils River Town Council to secure land at Kalkfontein. He described Van de Rheede as an irrepressible driving force who never sought recognition and who never turned away anyone who sought his help.

“Randall, we must never forget why we are doing this work,” Carolissen recalled Van de Rheede telling him during difficult times.

Daughter’s tribute

Jade van de Rheede, speaking on behalf of the family, recalled growing up running after her father to “tag along” mostly to Kalkfontein. She said despite his busy schedule, he never missed a school meeting or awards evening, and always ensured his children had cake to take to school on their birthdays.

“My father was passionate about righteousness and equality, and he kept God at the core of everything he did,” she said.

She thanked Middleton for leading the renaming application, Carolissen for travelling from Pretoria, and the City of Cape Town, Andrews and ward councillor Ebrahim Sawant for honouring her father’s legacy.

“This act is more than just a road renaming. It is a declaration of the legacy he dedicated his entire life to, a legacy of service, righteousness, equality, faith and a genuine commitment to his community,” she said.

Contribution recognised

Andrews, who chairs the City’s Naming Committee, said the committee honours exceptional human beings and approaches street naming with care and respect.

“Our streets are more than routes that take us from one place to another. They are part of our shared landscape and collective memory,” he said. “When we name a street after someone like John van de Rheede we make a conscious decision about whose legacy we want to recognise and what values we want future generations to remember.”

He said street naming gives the City an opportunity to recognise people whose contributions may not always have received the public acknowledgement they deserved, and that the renaming reflected the wishes of the community after the Highbury Foundation submitted the proposal.

“To the Van de Rheede family, I hope that whenever you pass this road you feel a sense of pride, that John’s contribution was not temporary, that the values he lived by will continue to resonate in the community he loved,” Andrews said.

He thanked the family for sharing Van de Rheede with the community and called on residents of Highbury and Kuils River to carry his example forward. “May his name inspire you to serve with integrity, to stand for what is right, to invest in young people and to work together to build a safer, stronger and more caring community,” he said.

Sawant, who delivered the welcome remarks, paid tribute to Van de Rheede as “his friend, colleague and a father to the community”. “You left the council but never left your people,” he said. “We are not just renaming a street, we write your name where it always belonged at the heart of the place you love.”

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