New Krotoa painting unveiled in CT amid Heritage Day celebrations
The Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town marked Heritage Day by putting the spotlight on the life and legacy of Krotoa , a historical figure whose story remains deeply connected to South Africa’s colonial past.
A new painting of Krotoa will be unveiled on Thursday, with visitors also able to attend a Khoi cultural ceremony and traditional performances.
Krotoa was a young Khoi woman, who became an interpreter and servant in the household of Dutch colonial commander, Jan van Riebeeck.
Her life was shaped by the encounter between Khoi society and Dutch colonial rule, and she was later banished to Robben Island .
She died in 1674, at the age of 31 and was buried at the Castle of Good Hope.
HERITAGE DAY | The Indigenous Cultural Festival at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town will today unveil a painting of Krotoa, the young indigenous woman who served as an interpreter following the arrival of the Dutch East India Company at the Cape in 1652. pic.twitter.com/S9tIRcmdMz — SABC News (@SABCNews) September 24, 2026 Castle of Good Hope CEO, Calvyn Gilfellan says Krotoa’s story continues to carry significance beyond its historical context, particularly when viewed against violence experienced by women and girls today.
“This particular thing is important because Krotoa, the first servant in the household of Commander van Riebeeck, was buried here when she died after she was banished to Robben Island.
Now, Krotoa for me is symbolising the kind of gender-based violence (GBV) that we see today, including the nine bodies of these gruesome murders of the young girls that was found in Kempton Park,” says Gilfellan.
The artwork unveiling is also the culmination of a decade-long journey for artist, Lizelle Kruger.
She says researching Krotoa’s life changed her understanding of the woman behind the historical account and inspired her to focus on the innocence and dignity she believes were taken from her.
“I think it’s always the fact that she was pulled in two.
She couldn’t just be a normal child; she couldn’t just live a normal child’s life.
She was pulled in two.
On the one side was a Khoi and on the other side was the Dutch, and they both thought she was siding with the other.
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