Tuinplaats Church

Tuinplaats Church near Sutherland

The Tuinplaats church was built in 1829 and is known to be one of the oldest churches in the area that is still in use.

Due to the very cold winters in the high Roggeveld, most farmers have two farms. One in Roggeveld and another down in the warmer Karoo. Once a year, usually in early May, the farmers pack up everything, except for their furniture and them and their families along with their livestock "trek" down to the warmer weather. The "trek" takes anything up to four days to complete but it is worth the effort as the cold is detrimental to the animals.

Every year all the farmers still gather at the Tuinplaats Church for the annual Communal Service.

The Tuinplaats Church is situated in the Karoo in South Africa. The church is approximately 50 km South of Sutherland (towards Maatjiesfontein) on the R354. (Take the R356 Ceres turn and follow the road until it does a sharp right turn. Follow the sign to Martjiesfontein for 3kms and you will see the church on your right.