Viljoen and Meek receive heritage status
Piet Viljoen's family left a living legacy in Heidelberg.
Heidelberg Heritage Association awarded the next blue plaque for heritage on July 19.
Tony Burisch of HHA unveiled the plaque, which was presented to Viljoen and Meek Attorney’s offices in Voortrekker Street.
The plaque is number 79 in the Heritage sites in the Heidelberg area.
Viljoen and Meek Attorneys was established by Piet Viljoen (1886 – 1941).
Viljoen was the son of General Piet Retief Viljoen (Snr, 1853 – 1926). Viljoen (snr) was the mining commissioner of Heidelberg during the second Anglo Boer War.
His mother was Magdalene Margaretha Viljoen, who was part of the Groot Trek.
Piet Retief Viljoen was the grandson of the Voortrekker leader, Piet Retief.
General Viljoen was one of the delegates to the peace conference in Vereeniging. He returned to Heidelberg after the war to his position as mine commissioner.
Viljoen (snr) died in 1926, aged 72, and is buried in the Heidelberg Kloof Cemetery.
Piet Viljoen’s brother, Marthinus (Ouboet 1878 – 1959) was an accountant at the company.
The company was an agent for Santam and the Union-Castle Line at one time.
Previous attorneys and lawyers that practised here were Aurelius van der Spuy (58 years), Boet Lanser (24 years), Piet Oosthuizen (40 years) and Sakkie van der Berg (41 years and counting).
Sakkie is the current attorney at the office and Corrie Human from CJ Human Attorneys/CJ Attorneys moved to the building in 2015 and is also conducting his law practice from the offices.
On October 28, 2023, a fire damaged huge parts of the building.
The fire caused considerable damage to the interior of the building.
The plaque is sponsored by Sakkie van der Berg and Corrie Human.
