April 6, 1652; Jan van Riebeeck arrives at the Kaap de Goede Hoop to establish a fresh produce farm

Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to find a sea route to India. Bartholomeu Dias first rounded the Cape of Storms in 1488. He named the southernmost tip Ponte de Sao Brandao, but it was soon better known as Cabo das Agulhas (Cape of Needles) because navigators noted that magnetic north and true north aligned as they rounded what is today Cape Agulhas.

The Portuguese replenished their supplies of fresh water and meat at the Cape, but considered it too barren and wild to establish a settlement.

Nearly two hundred years later, the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (Dutch East-India Company) was established as a commercial venture to finance trading expeditions. The VOC saw the need for a permanent presence in the Cape to ensure a reliable replenishment station. Jan van Riebeeck was tasked with managing the establishment of the first farm.

The original (VOC) company "garden" (farm) still exists, now as a public park used regularly by @SAparliamentarymonitor