V.O.C. Kruithuis

The town of Stellenbosch was established in 1697 and from the date of the arrangement of the main Landdrost in 1685, the nearby subjects or free burghers instead of the workers of the Dutch East India Organization were sorted out into mounted and infantry units knows as burgher commandos.

These commandos needed to go to Cape Town once every year for military preparing.

As ahead of schedule as 1703, in any case, the military officers of the burgher rangers and infantry of Stellenbosch and Drakenstein asked for consent to prepare in Stellenbosch.

It appears to be likely, consequently, that as of now in that year.