Nieu Bethesda
The village of Nieu Bethesda is situated just over 50km from Graaff-Reinet, off the N9, in the Eastern Cape (80km from Richmond and 90km from Middelburg). Nowadays the village boasts a wide variety of businesses, restaurants and art galleries, with Helen Martins’ Owl House still one of the greatest allures.
The Owl House has for years been a major source of attraction to Nieu Bethesda, which largely depends on tourism to survive.
There are currently around 1000 residents in Nieu Bethesda, most of whom reside in Pienaarsig.
The surrounding farming community is still very active with the Sneeuberg Farmer’s Association at the helm. The Nieu Bethesda Sport Club is one of the weekly social gathering spots for locals and services are still being held in the Dutch Reformed Church every Sunday.
Today, the church has 62 confirmed members, with about 35 active members. Although the denomination of the residents has changed over the years, the church still has a very strong history in the village as it is the reason Nieu Bethesda was founded in the first place.