Williston Northern Cape

Williston was originally known as Amandelboom (Afrikaans "almond tree") as a large almond tree stood as the focal point of the town by the Sak River. The tree had been planted in 1768 by Johan Abraham Nel, a farmer and owner of the land that was to become the town, to commemorate the birth of one of his sons. In the early 19th century, the district was populated by pastoralists who constantly moved their livestock between springs in search of fresh grazing areas. These pastoralists were derogatorily referred to as 'Basters' as the pastoralists were of mixed race and descendants of the Khoi and Dutch.[2] In 1845, the community requested that the Rhenish Church, which had a mission station in Wuppertal, establish another mission station in Williston. Two missionaries were sent to Williston to assist the community with their spiritual needs. By 1845 a Rhenish mission station was established in the area by Johann Heinrich Lutz.