The Dutch Reformed presence in the Tsitsikamma region goes back considerably further than the present Dutch Reformed Church building in Sanddrift. The Uitenhage Dutch Reformed congregation was established 1817, and the western part of the Uitenhage Division stretched from the Gamtoos River westwards as far as the Bloukrans River. This large rural area was served spiritually from Uitenhage, with Rev. Alexander Smith ministering to the district for about 40 years from 1821.
This is important because it shows that Dutch Reformed families in the Tsitsikamma and Kareedouw area were part of a much wider rural church network long before Storms River became the village we know today.
The new Humansdorp congregation was approved/constituted in 1848 and formally separated from Uitenhage a year later.
The congregation in Kareedouw was established in 1906, when it separated from the Humansdorp congregation and the Tsitsikamma congregation separated from Kareedouw in 1944.
The cornerstone of the Tsitsikamma church building was laid in 1955. This was at the same time as the development of the N2 route and the construction of Storms River Bridge. This was an important period in the Tsitsikamma’s history when it transitioned from an isolated forestry and farming district into a much more accessible community.
The church building was designed by Louw & Louw, with Wouter de Wet (Wollie) Bronkhorst associated with the project.
The church can be found in Sanddrift along the R102 route.
