Early history of the Victoria West branch of the Standard Bank of South Africa

Abstract

The Victoria West Branch of the Standard Bank of South Africa was only the second to be established when it opened on 15 April 1863. The Bank occupied several premises consecutively before moving into the present modern building. For more than a century it has shared the weal and woe of the local population. The Bank's inspection reports are a valuable source of information on local economic conditions, such as the effects of droughts and floods on farming, the exploitation of the farmers by shopkeepers, the change in farming methods, and the contribution of the region to the country's total production. The Bank, never an indifferent spectator, was itself hard-pressed in difficult times.