The town of Kirkwood is situated in the heart of the Sundays River Valley and can be considered the citrus capital of the Eastern Cape. It is hard to believe that this beautiful valley was witness to bloody border wars a mere two hundred years ago. Also a place where, a little more than a 100 years ago, Afrikaner farmers (Boers) fought for freedom against the British Empire.
At the turn of the 19th century, the Sundays river formed the eastern border of the then Cape colony. This is one of the few areas where all of the South African ethnic groups were at war at one time or another. Khoi against Xhosa, Khoi and Xhosa against Boer and British, and finally Boer against the British. During the Anglo Boer war, General Smuts and his Commando of 250 men passed through the valley on their epic quest to the northwest. The three men who died the furthest south during the war, were killed on Cecil John Rhodes's farm, "Brakkefontein". Arri van Onselen and Henri Rittenberg were buried in the Kariega cemetery, which is next to the main road towards Jansenville. Cornelius Vermaas was buried in Uitenhage. After these casualties, a major battle ensued on the "Bedrogsfontein" mountain pass.