Paul Weinberg South African, b. 1956
Twee Rivieren (literally “two rivers”, referring to the Liesbeek and Swart rivers) is at once a
site of conflict and one of spirituality. Widely acknowledged as the site of the first conflict
between European settlers and indigenous Khoi people in South Africa, the actual site of
the battle is unknown. However, “the historicity of this site draws significance from the
precolonial inhabitation by the Khoi, the hippo, the lion and wildlife that were wiped out
by the intrusion of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). It is an area of contact with the
Portuguese in 1510 when a great battle was fought between Viceroy Francisco D’Almeida, the
first governor and viceroy of the first Portuguese State of India, and the Goringhaiqua. On 1
March, he was defeated in battle by the Khoi.”5 Twee Rivieren is also the site of a present-day
contested development project.
