My grandpa built the 1929 tunnel, and lived at Kleinstraat and Tonnel respectively. The British wouldn't entrust them with dynamite after the Anglo Boer War, and they had to use 2lb and 4lb hammers with cold chisels. The labourers were white men marginalized by the English, and couldn't find work elsewhere. My uncle, with a BA degree, used pick and shovel. My late grandfather lived near Osplaas and often passed through those tunnels with a 5cyl Isuzu forward control bakkie (these were sold with the 3-litre OM617 Mercedes-Benz engine; not many know that.) Almost nobody had 4x4's in those days, and we used 2WD only on the farms. My late father, in the 1950's, drove the only 4x4 in Worcester district, an International V8 owned by the municipality, when he installed the pipeline from Stettynskloof Dam to Pokkraal pressure reduction reservoir. My grandpa Piet Marais later succesfully proposed the Theewaterskloof Dam, built many dams, including the Fernkloof III at Hermanus. That is how I know the true origin of the name of Botrivier, which vastly differs from the popular misconception of butter trade. People should never assume and also never jump to conclusions.
