Johannes Swellengrebel (1728-1798) came to live in this building in 1763. His father, Hendrik Swellengrebel (1700-1760), was governor of the colony Cape of Good Hope from 1739 to 1751. Cape of Good Hope was a Dutch coastal colony in South Africa from 1652 to 1795. It was mostly used for agriculture and replenishing ships that were sailing to and from the Dutch East Indies. Enslaved people were taken from Africa and Asia to work on the lands and households of VOC officials. In 1750, 1300 VOC employees and 4000 other Europeans lived in the Cape along with 5500 enslaved people. The number of enslaved people at the colony rose to 25.000 at the end of the 18th century. Johannes and his siblings grew up in the Cape with enslaved people working in their house and community, but it is not known if enslaved people worked at Drift 21 while Johannes lived there. . Hendrik Swellengrebel passed away in 1760 and is buried in the Janskerk His position as governor left him with a fortune: all 8 of his children inherited 30.000 guilders (250.000 euros).
Johannes also came into possession of Drift 29 in 1775 through his aunt’s inheritance. His wife, Geertruida Elisabeth Hilgers (1734-1815), sold that building to Lodewijk Napoleon in 1807 after Johannes’ passing.