The iconic Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika (Dutch Reformed Church of Africa), Du Toit Street, Pretoria is situated to the east of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). The building was designedby Dutch architects - J.G Kraan and J.B. Wijers of Kraan Wijers Architects and was constructed in 1904 by the Dutch building contractor, G. Dorlas. The building was declared a National Monument in 1980 (under the old National Monuments Act that was superseded by the NHRA 25 of 1999).
This site forms part of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) expansion project and will be used by the SARB as a museum dedicated to the history and development of money in South Africa. *MEMORIAL STONE (southeast corner of church building): The memorial stone commemorates Dutch nationals who fought and died in the Anglo Boer War (1899-1902).
Among those listed on the memorial stone is Vincent and Theo van Gogh’s youngest brother - Cornelis Vincent van Gogh. Cornelis was an engineer on the Gold Mines of Johannesburg and subsequently worked as a draftsman at the NZASM (Netherlands-South African Railway Company), after which he served alongside the Boers in the Anglo-Boer War. Shortly after Cornelis van Gogh’s arrival in South Africa in 1890, he penned a letter to his brother Theo van Gogh in which he stated: “Johannesburg is a place of dust and gold.”
