For whom the bell tolls — NMB’s oldest church mourns stolen 200-year-old relic

A sombre atmosphere hangs over the Van der Kemp Memorial Church in Bethelsdorp – not because of a funeral or the death of a congregant, but because of a profound loss of history.

Nelson Mandela Bay’s oldest church has been robbed of a priceless relic dating back long before the area became the bustling metro it is today. For more than 200 years, the Mission Bell, also known as the Slave Bell, hung in the square outside the old church. This week, it was stolen.

“We reported the theft to the police; they assured us they are treating it with the same urgency as a missing person. That bell can never be replaced, and we fear that it might end up at a scrapyard,” said the church’s deacon and verger, Rosaline Norkie.

Historic precinct 

The area where the church stands was first inhabited by the indigenous Khoi people, for whom it still holds great cultural significance. 

As recently as last February, Khoi queen Cynthia Triegardt was laid to rest on the hills overlooking the Van der Kemp’s Kloof reserve.

Her ancestors were already living along the banks of the Little Zwartkops River before the London Missionary Society (LMS) sent the Rev JT van der Kemp to Algoa Bay in 1801. At the time, the only official settlement in the area was a military outpost near the coast, with Fort Frederick overlooking the bay.

In 1803, Van der Kemp trekked about 15km inland after he was granted the farm Roodepan to establish a missionary station. He renamed it Bethelsdorp and built what remains Nelson Mandela Bay’s oldest church. Historical accounts paint Van der Kemp as a polarising figure due to his religious beliefs and his marriage to a former slave of Madagascan descent.

By the time of his death in 1811, the farming community had developed and expanded around the existing Khoi settlements along the river.

Over the years, several other historic sites developed around the church, including the Alms Houses, built in 1822 by the LMS to house missionaries, and the tiny stone cottage of Scottish missionary Dr David Livingstone, built in 1841.

The current church building was erected in 1926 on the site of the original 1803 structure. Named the Van der Kemp Memorial Church, it serves as the mother church to three local congregations, which together form the Bethelsdorp Congregational Church.

Although Bethelsdorp grew steadily over the decades, its population rapidly expanded from the 1950s onward due to the apartheid government’s forced removals under the Group Areas Act. Many black, coloured, and Indian families were displaced from mixed urban neighbourhoods like South End and forcibly relocated to the city’s Northern Areas, where Bethelsdorp is situated.

Historic artefacts

The church today houses several significant historic artefacts, including what is believed to be the oldest Bible in South Africa, a Dutch translation dated 1664, which was gifted to Van der Kemp in 1799 before he embarked on his journey to South Africa.

Many of the pews and the pulpit were salvaged from the 1803 original and reinstalled when the current structure was completed in 1926. The church’s stained glass windows also date back roughly a century to the completion of the new building.

But the artefact that captured the attention of Nelson Mandela Bay this week arrived at the church in 1815.

As the community grew in the early 1800s, it became necessary to establish a market square for community gatherings. Once the square was completed, a wooden frame was erected, and the Mission Bell was hung. Some records date the copper bell back to 1793, but its history before Bethelsdorp is unclear. 

The bell was used to summon residents to the square for important events or announcements. Locals referred to it as the Slave Bell, as it was also used to summon farmworkers to public trials and the meting out of punishment to lawbreakers.

In recent years, the bell was rung before church services.

Norkie said the bell was still in the square on Sunday after the weekly church service. When she returned on Tuesday, it was missing.

“I live just up the road, so I walk to the church. My husband was working an afternoon shift, and after he left home just after lunchtime, I went to prepare the church for an event that was coming up.

“As I approached the square, I immediately noticed something was missing. I could not believe my eyes. It never even occurred to me that the bell could actually be stolen.”

Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg confirmed that a case of theft was being investigated.

Norkie said their congregants scoured the neighbourhood and visited local scrap metal dealers to see if the bell had been sold there. While the bell was officially valued at R50,000, the historic and sentimental value was immeasurable, she said.

“We suspect it was stolen with the intention to be sold as scrap metal. What worries us is that the culprit will likely cut it up into smaller pieces to make it unidentifiable. We hope and pray that their conscience urges them to return it to us in one piece,” said Norkie. 

Last week, DA officials conducted an oversight visit at the site as part of their campaign, emphasising the area’s historical importance and outlining plans to revitalise it. The party has since offered a R2,500 reward for information leading to the recovery of the missing bell. DM