About Diep River

Diep River is a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa. The suburb is named after the Diep River or Dieprivier in Afrikaans, that runs through the area. Diep River is bordered by Heathfield to the south and Plumstead to the north. Diep River railway station is on the main line from Cape Town to Simon’s Town.

Source: Wikipedia 

History:

Johann Georg Rathfelder was born in Stuttgart in 1811 and emigrated to the Cape in 1835. Following his marriage in the colony, he inherited a halfway-house near Wynberg, on the Cape Town-Simonstown road. Rathfelder’s Inn, as it soon became known, was famous for its hospitality and in the 1840’s became the headquarters of the Cape Hunt. It also became a popular destination for Cape Town day-trippers.

The site, which was officially known as Halfway House, Simonstown Road, was also a mail-coach halt, and thus became the obvious location for a post office. Consequently when one was opened there on 7 September 1854, Rathfelder was appointed its first postmaster. When the inn was sold to WH Coghill in 1861, these duties were passed on to the new owner. Today the buildings house the Eaton Convalescent Home. In 1858 the name of the village was changed to Diep River. The Cape Town-Wynberg suburban railway was extended to Diep River on 15 December 1882.

Original Source: South African History Online