and in the almost parental fondness with which he regards the new city he has for so long seen growing up by and with him, [he]… is eminently the right man in the right place as Mayor of Capetown,” it said.12
Graaff’s pride as a citizen was closely linked to the British civilian culture that was predominant in Cape Town, but even stronger in Natal, during that time. The community of British settlers regarded themselves as essentially British at that stage: part of and loyal to the British Empire. Symbols and rituals reflected this – the flag, public monuments and buildings and public celebrations and ceremonies, as well as the inauguration of officials, the reception of dignitaries, welcoming of royals and opening ceremonies.13
At the end of his first term Graaff delivered his first mayor’s minute at the council meeting of Thursday, 6 August 1891 – the day his patron, oud-oom Combrinck, died. At 62 years of age Combrinck succumbed to cancer after he had been ill for a few weeks.
Graaff’s report was a long and detailed account of what had been achieved in the municipal domain in the preceding year, as well as what had happened years ago and what would happen in the years ahead. It was regarded as one of the most comprehensive and informative mayor’s minutes ever issued in Cape Town.14 The same afternoon the report appeared over five newspaper columns in the Cape Argus – and next to it was a story about Combrinck’s death.15
Graaff described his term thus far as “steadily progressive”, but remarked that “[t]here is a great deal to do and much to undo to bring the city in harmony with its magnificent surroundings”.
The report almost read like a historical novel, since he painted a picture of the city as the beautiful queen who was held captive by the evil forces of decline and was freed by the loyal knights of progress – the mayors and councillors. Graaff referred to the year 1667, when the first municipal authority, the Burgher Council, was established under the rule of the DEIC. That was followed by the Civic Senate of 1796 when the Cape was a British Crown colony. In the Batavian era (1803–1806) field cornets were responsible for the different wards. In 1828 the municipality was taken over by the British colonial government, which, however, returned the management of municipal affairs to the local authorities in 1840 (when Michiel van Breda became the first citizen of the city). The Municipal Act of 1861, which divided the city into 12 districts and 48 wards, was amended in 1867 when a mayor was officially elected for the first time. Graaff gave the complete list of mayors since De Korte had officially become the first mayor in 1867.
Graaff declared that his term of office was resting on two cornerstones: a “magnificent drainage system” and “the provision of funds”. He took pride in the fact that the foundations for the drainage system, which ensured a healthy city, had been laid during his term at the helm. It replaced the old and foul-smelling sewerage system. Secondly, he referred to financial matters, an issue that would earn him great praise, especially because he had completely overhauled the city’s loans programme. It was his doing that the city council acquired the right to levy taxes on government property.16 That became possible after the introduction of the Crown Property Rating Bill in the Cape Parliament by the premier, Cecil John Rhodes. Rhodes pointed out that an eighth of the property in Cape Town was state property on which no municipal taxes were paid. That was unfair to the capital of the colony, which had to make sure that the buildings were safe and in good sanitary condition.17
With the approval of the legislation a new source of income from previously untaxed property was ensured. Therefore, in the Graaff era Cape Town acquired the necessary capital to take on considerable expansions and improvements within the municipal borders. For an effective drainage system, for example, a loan of £162 000 was negotiated.
In his report Graaff gave detailed comments about a variety of municipal and related matters, ranging from the mayoral parlour, the insignia of office and mayoral chain to a sea-wall promenade, the railway to Sea Point and the tramlines. He believed the fish market was unhygienic and had to be demolished. Furthermore, he recommended that an epidemic hospital be built on Rentzki Farm because the existing one was not suitable. He also proposed a shelter for stray dogs and that the removal of night soil should be organised better.18
Among the most important events of the preceding year, he mentioned the planned new theatre on the Grand Parade, the purchase of the stand of the Commercial Exchange for the construction of the new post office and the planning of a new fire station.
Other activities included the removal of offensive notice boards. Roads had been paved and new ones built. There was considerable room for improvement in the design of buildings; verandas had been removed and balconies broken down. Electric street lights, like those introduced a few years previously in Kimberley, required urgent attention, he declared. The same applied to a new city hall, since the Burgher Watch House had been build in 1775 and the building was no longer adequate for the needs of the city.
The Company Gardens were transferred to the municipality by government, a step he welcomed enthusiastically. He also referred to the voters’ roll and the census, important visitors from abroad and the London agents of the city council. In conclusion, he thanked the councillors and officials, as well as the press. According to an observer, Graaff’s report “vibrate[d] with energy and activity”.19
Various councillors praised Graaff after this report for what he had achieved in his year of service. The oldest councillor, G.A. Ashley, deemed it his duty to add his congratulations to those of the earlier speakers. He declared that Graaff, in his opinion, had achieved more in his year of service than all his successors together.20
Graaff thanked the speakers and declared to applause:
“He had always understood that public service men in Cape Town got more kicks than halfpence for public service, but he must say that he was very glad to admit that his experience had been quite the contrary. Not only had he been thanked and supported by the Councillors in Council, but even the outside public had been eager to acknowledge any little good that had been done to promote the interests and the welfare of the city and its inhabitants. His experience had been a most pleasing one… He only desired to see Cape Town made the queen of South African cities, a metropolis worthy of the country. His heart was full, and all he could do was to thank them earnestly and sincerely.”21
Combrinck’s funeral was held the following Saturday, 8 August 1891. According to an extensive report in the Cape Times a large number of mourners, including various Cape dignitaries, came to pay their last respects – a strong indication of the esteem in which Combrinck was held in the Cape community.
After a short service in Woodstock House the funeral procession departed for the Groote Kerk in Cape Town, where Combrinck had been an elder. David Graaff was in the first coach behind the hearse with his sister, Hannie, his younger brother, Kobie, and his wife, Susan Elsabie Maria (née Theunissen, whom Kobie had married in 1889). More relatives followed in the next three coaches. The fifth, the private coach of the deceased with its own driver and his favourite horses, contained a large number of wreaths of flowers. That was followed by a long procession of about fifty coaches, horse-drawn carts and other vehicles.
In Cape Town the coffin was carried into the church by the Cape premier, Cecil John Rhodes, Sir John Henry de Villiers (the subsequent chief justice of the Union), J.W. Sauer, Onze Jan Hofmeyr, Sir Gordon Sprigg, Colonel F. Schermbrucker, M.L. Neethling and D.C. de Waal. The minister, Reverend A.I. Steytler, who delivered the memorial service in Dutch, declared that Combrinck had always been prepared to help with any plan that could improve the welfare of Cape Town. Though he had never married, the deceased had always loved children, and had adopted a number of children of deceased relatives into his house and educated them. Earlier he had referred to his home as an orphanage. As a politician – he was an energetic member of the Afrikaner Bond – he had not been known for his eloquence, but his common sense had been appreciated by all who had known him.
After the service the funeral procession moved to the Cape Town station, where a special train took the mourners to the Maitland Cemetery. There the pall-bearers lowered the coffin of Cape teak into the grave, which Combrinck had picked himself. Rhodes placed two bunches of white and blue violets on the coffin. After the grave had been filled up, wreaths were laid on top, including one from relatives David and Johanna Graaff, a second from