Tokai Manor House
Ghost stories
The story of Tokai Manor begins in 1792 The land was first granted to Johan Rauch, who soon sold it to Andries Teubeswho was eager to establish a legacy. So he commissioned renowned architect Louis Michel Thibault to design a house that would become one of the Cape’s most outstanding homesteads. Thibault, designed a home with unique features such as a raised front stoep and one of the earliest rectangular pediments in Cape architecture.
However, this ambition came at a great financial cost, and by 1799 he was bankrupt. The estate changed hands several times before being purchased in 1802 by Petrus Eksteen.
The Eksteen family was known for their wealth and extravagant lifestyle. Under their ownership, Tokai Manor became a social hub. They held lavish parties regularly. One year in the late 1900s they threw a wild drunken New Year party. That year young Frederick Eksteen was challenged to ride his horse into the living room. He did this to great applause but because of the rowdy guests the horse was spooked and it tumbled down the stairs on the veranda.
Frederick was dragged to his death. The horse also died. Since that date, workers at the manor house have reported hearing sounds of partying and of horse hooves. Some have even claimed to have seen a man on horseback galloping around late at night, particularly at the new year.
In 1883, the colonial government purchased Tokai Manor and repurposed it as a reformatory. The once grand estate fell into disrepair over the years but was restored in the 1960s and declared a National Monument in 1961. Today, however, the building sits vacant but its ghostly reputation grows, with visitors drawn by tales of spectral riders, phantom hooves, and eerie sounds emanating from within its walls.
Address: Porter Reform Estate
