Dirk Ligter
Dirk Ligter is the name of a renowned stock thief and a legend of the Tankwa Karoo.
There have been many versions of the Dirk Ligter story, perhaps the most influential being fictionalised account of his life in the novel Boplaas (1938) by Boerneef (I.W. van der Merwe).
Believed to have been born in the vicinity of Clanwilliam (or somewhat farther north) circa 1885, of Mozambiquan and Bushman parentage. He became a legendary figure in Afrikaans literature largely through accounts of farmers in the districts of Clanwilliam and Ceres, and a fictionalised account of his life in the novel Boplaas (1938) by Boerneef (I. W. van der Merwe). He seems to have died of TB in Somerset Hospital, Cape Town, not far from the Breakwater prison where he spent some time.
Dramatised versions of the Dirk Ligter story
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Daar is baie stories oor Dirk Ligter, ‘n legende van die Tankwa Karoo. Wat waar is en wat nie, is nie altyd duidelik nie. Twee skrywers tree met mekaar in gesprek oor hulle onderskeie weergawes van Dirk Ligter en sy lewe. Die spelers is Nic de Jager, Waldimar Schultz, Dean Balie, Zenobia Kloppers, Wessel Pretorius, Riaan Visman, Marion Holm en Frieda van den Heever.
