History

The area around Rooiels has been a place of human activity for thousands of years. Long before the arrival of European settlers, the rugged mountains, valleys, and coastline provided shelter and sustenance for the region’s earliest inhabitants – San hunter-gatherers. These communities lived off the land, hunting game, gathering edible plants, and exploiting coastal resources. 

Later, Khoikhoi pastoralists moved into the region. They grazed livestock in areas suitable for seasonal pasturing and made use of the abundant fresh water from streams and rivers. They traded with one another and with other coastal communities, creating a dynamic landscape of human activity long before formal colonial settlements.

Evidence from stone tools and other archaeological traces points to a rich and continuous human presence long before European traders appeared in the 17th century. During this period of increased maritime traffic and trade, the isolation and ruggedness of the Rooiels area attracted deserters, runaway slaves, and other fugitives seeking refuge from the authorities. Hidden valleys and inlets provided shelter for these groups, who often lived off the land and the sea. These early communities contributed to the patchwork of human habitation in the Kogelberg region, shaping its cultural as well as natural history. 

The 19th and early 20th centuries saw gradual European exploration and settlement, although the rugged terrain limited large-scale farming. Smallholdings and seasonal fishing became the main forms of occupation. In 1948, Rooiels was established as a formal township, with plots allocated for residential development.

Since then, the world has changed unrecognisably, but Rooiels has remained a place where both human and natural history remain deeply intertwined. Residents worked tirelessly to protect the fynbos, wetlands, and coastline, established the Rooiels Nature Reserve, supported the village’s inclusion in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve and fended off the environmental threat of the arms industry.