File:Cecil Rhodes Memorial Cape Town.webm

English: Situated on the Northern slope of Table Mountain lies the famous Rhodes Memorial. This vantage point allows a panoramic view of the Cape Flats to the Helderberg and Hottentots Holland Mountain ranges and is one of the few vantage points where both the Atlantic and Indian oceans can be seen.

Cecil John Rhodes, born 1853 in England. At 17yrs his father sent him to his elder brother in Southern Natal. He then journeyed to Kimberley in the Northern Cape in 1870 and began dealing in the hopelessly disorganised uncut stone "digger's market".

After completing his studies at Oriel College, Oxford he returned to Kimberly and convinced Rothchild to provide the finance to buy out his former rival, Barney Bonato, for ultimate control of the diamond market. De Beers Consolidate Mines were formed.

At the tender age of 34 C. J Rhodes was fast becoming the most powerful mining magnate of all time. He was elected to Parliament as Member for Barclay East.

C. J. R's political career flourished, and he became the respected Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. In 1896 Rhodes returned to his Cape Town home at Groote Schuur, and devoted some of his time and money to the development of the fruit industry.To this day, Rhodes Fruit Farm in Groot Drakenstien, is still part of the Anglo American Consortium. But, like most English living in Cape Colony at the time, was racist and denied Africans to votethrough diffrent legislation. [Rhodes]

He had acquired considerable land holdings, including the Groote Schuur Estate and the now Kirstenbosch Gardens, which he later bequeathed to the Botanical Society.

Cecil John Rhodes quietly passed away in 1902. He was 49 years old.