Johan Anthonisz “Jan” van Riebeeck died on 18 January 1677 at the age of 57 in Batavia, now Jakarta, Indonesia, in the former Dutch East Indies. He landed at the Cape in April 1652 to establish a refreshment station for ships travelling to the East on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. Van Riebeek landed in three ships, with 82 men and 8 women, including his wife Maria de la Quellerie.
He landed two ships (The Drommedaris and Goede Hoope) at the future Cape Town site on 6 April 1652 and the Reijger on 7 April 1652 and then commenced to fortify it as a way station for the Dutch East India Company trade route between the Netherlands and the East Indies. The primary purpose of this way station was to provide fresh provisions for the their fleets sailing between the Dutch Republic and Batavia, as deaths en route were very high.
Portrait of Jan van Riebeeck
This Day in History: January 18, 1677
Additional Date: January 18, 1677