He was accompanied by 82 men and 8 women, his own wife amongst them.
They had been instructed to establish a colony to provide the Dutch East India Company's ships with fresh groceries, mainly meat and vegetables on the long journey from Europe to Asia.
First Van Riebeeck's men erected the "Fort de Goede Hoop" and a large garden to grow fruit and vegetables. They tried to obtain meat through trade with the natives (Khoikhoi also known as Hottentots) which resisted the invasion until they were forced to retreat to the north.
European settlement in South Africa started in Cape Town, which is why it is still called the "Mother City".
After the British decided against establishing a colony at the Cape of Good Hope, it was the Dutch who realized its strategic and economic importance.
