In the 1850's there was a resurgence in the local wine business caused by the devastation of the European vineyards by powdery mildew, which pushed Cape exports to 1 112 449 gallons, but it was short lived.

Despite the debt burden he faced, du Toit struggled on.

Powdery mildew was in the Cape by 1859 and unfortunately, although some of the upland farms escaped, the Franschhoek valley suffered.

Then, in 1860, Britain signed a trade agreement with France that reduced the tariff on imports from there and virtually killed the export trade of the Cape wine farms.

By 1861, the powdery mildew was at its worst in the winelands. While the application of sulphur proved an effective antidote, lurking in the background was Phylloxera. Discovered in America in 1854, the pest had crossed the Atlantic and had been recognised in hothouses in Hammersmith in 1960. By 1863 it was rife in France.

In 1866 a strange infection was noticed at the Cape and the Cape of Good Hope Agricultural Society suggested wine farmers should try growing linseed, cochineal and some new varieties of tobacco.

The 1867 recognition that the ‘blink klippies’ around Kimberley were diamonds saved South Africa’s economy and encouraged many farmers to sell up and try their luck at Kimberley, for du Toit, even that was too late.

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