Less than a year following the arrival of Jan Van Riebeeck, the first enslaved person arrived at the Cape. He was Abram van Batavia. He arrived in Table Bay on the return fleet from Batavia as a stowaway aboard the Malacca. Abram claimed to have run away from slaveholder Cornelis Lichthart of Batavia. Abram worked at the Cape in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) until he was sent back to Batavia.
eventREF E-0074547Revised
Event record
The first slave arrives at the Cape
SlaverySource: https://myfundi.co.za
- Updated
- 22 Aug 2019
SlaverySource: https://myfundi.co.za
South African History Online. (2012, February 24). The first slave arrives at the Cape. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074547
South African History Online (2012) 'The first slave arrives at the Cape', South African History Online, 24 February. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074547 (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
South African History Online, The first slave arrives at the Cape [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074547, (accessed 14 October 2026).
"The first slave arrives at the Cape." South African History Online, 24 Feb. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074547. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.
South African History Online. "The first slave arrives at the Cape." South African History Online. February 24, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074547.
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