In 1920 Dr H.J. van der Bijl was appointed as a scientific and technical adviser to the government – he was 33.

1 March 1923. Dr Van der Bijl’s passion for industrialisation was given free expression as he took up the reins as ESCOM’s first chairperson. This great South African industrialist laid out exactly what he had in mind for his new-born infant. “There lies before the Electricity Supply Commission a great task and a great opportunity. It will be our endeavour to play our part not as those who follow where others lead, but as pioneers; to foresee the needs of a country fast developing, and by wise anticipation be ever ready to provide power without profit, wherever it may be required.” (Dr Van der Bijl) Although the commission held its first meeting in Cape Town (20 March 1923), it soon situated its headquarters on the first storey of Hofman’s Building in Johannesburg , before moving to Electricity House in 1924. At that time, railways across the country were being electrified, and ESCOM was tasked with taking over electrification of the Glencoe to Pietermaritzburg rail link, as well as the Cape Town suburban railways.

Up to 1960, South Africa used the British system of 12 pennies to a shilling and 20 shillings to a pound (240 pennies to the pound). this coinage system dominated South Africa for more than a century as Lord Charles Somerset issued an ordinance as far back as 6 June 1825 declaring British Sterling as legal tender at the Cape (Arndt, 1928). This was part of a process to introduce a uniform monetary system for the British Colonies at the time. A shortage of coins nevertheless delayed this process for several years, but after 1848, only coins of the Sterling series were accepted. These coins became firmly entrenched throughout the whole of South Africa and even the Kruger coins, minted in the Transvaal Republic during 1892 to 1900, conformed to the British system (Engelbrecht, 1987).
Source: Francois Malan

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