Jan van Riebeeck
Dutch VOC official who established the Cape Colony on 6 April 1652 as a refreshment station for VOC ships. Commanded the settlement for ten years (1652-1662). His journals are the primary source for the colony's early history and the first contacts with the Khoikhoi people. The colony he intended as a mere vegetable garden became the foundation of South Africa.
- Lived: 1619 CE – 1677 CE
- Nationality: Dutch
- Roles: colonial administrator, navigator
