If you plan to visit South Africa any day soon, be warned and feel the fear of the ghosts of a colonial past.
Pitch black hounds that leap at the throats of hapless visitors, only to mysteriously disappear as they are about to tear into the flesh.
An elegant and rather ribald English Lady who continues to sweep through the ballrooms of aged fortifications.
A Dutch schooner, in full sail, that vanishes into thin air before crashing onto the rocks. These are but a sample of the litany of ghostly sightings that tell the tale of the dramatic and terrifying haunting of the South.
Castle of Good Hope
The imposing Castle which guards the entrance to the popular tourist city of Cape Town is the oldest surviving colonial building in the land. Completed in 1679, the Castle was the focal point of early colonial life. Glittering balls were regularly held in the elegant ballroom but at the same time gruesome executions and terrifying torture took place in the central quad and the dark, dank dungeons below. It comes as no surprised that the Castle is reputed to be the most haunted site in the country.
The Lovely Lady Anne
There have been regular sightings of the sophisticated and rather beautiful wife of the erstwhile colonial secretary of the Cape, Lady Anne Barnard sweeping through the ballroom, her gown rustling as she moves.
Well known for her propensity of bathing nude in the springs and pools of the mountain, Lady Anne is not alone in her haunting – there are several other ghostly images that tread the cobbled floors of the Castle.
Divine Retribution
The ghost of the unpopular Governor, Pieter Gysbert van Noodt, who presided over the Cape colony in the 1720’s, is often seen stomping around the Castle, cursing on the top of his voice, before he disappears into oblivion.
Van Noodt, who regularly ordered the summary execution of disobedient soldiers, met his match a year into his governorship. After unjustly condemning seven hapless souls to death, one, a theological student, called for divine retribution at the gallows. Within a couple of hours Van Noodt, who was only 48 at the time, was found dead at his desk.
Right Royal Sighting
Yet another regular apparition that appears at both the Castle and the office of the Presidency of South Africa, De Tuynhuys, is a willowy lady dressed in grey. She has been seen, running through the properties, weeping, with her hands covering her face.
If you think the dear lady is simply a figment of fertile imaginations, think again. During the Royal Tour of South Africa in 1947, several dignitaries, including Princess Margaret, reported sightings of the woman!
The Flying Dutchman
Possibly one of the most famous ghost stories of the Cape is that of the East India Schooner, the Flying Dutchman. The tale of the doomed vessel has inspired several classic novels including Nicolas Monsarrat’s ‘The Cruel Sea’ and Wagner’s opera, Der Fliegende Hollander!
According to local legend the ship’s captain swore he’d round the Cape of Good Hope ‘even if it took him to Doomsday’. It appears his oath has indeed come true as the doomed vessel has been sailing around the Cape for eternity.
Several sightings of the schooner have been reported by reputable personalities over the years including Monsarrat, King George V and a variety of U-boat captains and keepers of the Cape Point Lighthouse!
More Castle Antics
The terrifying account of the aggressive black hound, a partially luminous figure atop the battlements, raised voices and shapeless figures hovering around the guard room and the lights inexplicably going on and off at the Buren Bastion are other ghostly accounts of the haunting of the Castle. Visit it at your peril…you’ve been warned!