The village was formerly the site of a prisoner-of-war camp established by the South African forces in 1915 to house German soldiers captured during the First World War. The inmates initially lived in tents but later built clay- brick houses. The number of prisoners initially reached 1500, but after all the volunteer soldiers were sent home, their numbers in the camp remained at 1200. In May 1919 all the soldiers were repatriated and the camp was closed. A plaque marks the site today and it is demarcated as a historical heritage site.