62-620: Pieter Mauritz Retief (12 November 1780 – 6 February 1838) was a Voortrekker leader. Settling in 1814 in the frontier region of the Cape Colony , he later assumed command of punitive expeditions during the sixth Xhosa War . He became a spokesperson for the frontier farmers who voiced their discontent, and wrote the Voortrekkers' declaration at their departure from the colony. He was a leading figure during their Great Trek , and at one stage their elected governor. He proposed Natal as
124-514: A desire for political independence. In 1853, the Cape Colony became a British Crown colony with representative government. In 1854, the Cape of Good Hope elected its first parliament , on the basis of the multi-racial Cape Qualified Franchise . Cape residents qualified as voters based on a universal minimum level of property ownership, regardless of race. Executive power remaining completely in
186-511: A nearby ridge, kwaMatiwane, named after Matiwane , one of Dingane's tribal chiefs who was executed in a horrific manner. The Zulus killed Retief's entire party by clubbing them, and killed Retief last, so as to witness the deaths of his son, and his comrades. Retief's chest was sawn open and his heart and liver removed and brought to Dingane in a cloth. Their bodies were left on the KwaMatiwane hillside to be eaten by vultures and scavengers, as
248-528: A small amount of corn or sit down with him for prayer unless ordered to do so. Dingane kept his 500 or so concubines in severe bondage. He referred to them as his sisters or children, and placed them in various ranks. They could leave the royal enclosure only with his permission, and when doing so were not allowed to cast an eye on any man or boy. Owen observed them a few times outside the palace, once when brought out to sing, and also when they were instructed to bring him thatch for his hut. Some would run away when
310-546: A surviving member of Pretorius's commando. A monument recording the names of the members of Retief's delegation was erected near the grave in 1922. The town of Piet Retief was named after him as was (partially) the city of Pietermaritzburg . It is reported by the Voortrekker Minister of that time, Erasmus Smit, whom served with Piet Retief, in his Diary, that on 23 October 1838 the Voortrekker "Council of
372-523: Is reported to have gone bankrupt at least twice, while at the colony and on the frontier.) Such losses impelled many frontier farmers to become Voortrekkers (literally, "forward movers") and to migrate to new lands in the north. Retief wrote their (Dutch-speaking settlers, or Boer) manifesto , dated 22 January 1837, setting out their long-held grievances against the British government. They believed it had offered them no protection against armed raids by
434-628: The 1820 Settlers . They also began to introduce the first rudimentary rights for the Cape's Black African population and, in 1834, abolished slavery ; however, the government proved unable to rein in settler violence against the San, which continued largely unabated as it had during the Dutch period. The resentment that the Boers felt against this social change, as well as the imposition of English language and culture , caused them to trek inland en masse. This
496-672: The Cape , now nominally controlled by the Batavian Republic , was occupied again by the British after their victory in the Battle of Blaauwberg . The temporary peace between the UK and Napoleonic France had crumbled into open hostilities, whilst Napoleon had been strengthening his influence on the Batavian Republic (which Napoleon would subsequently abolish and directly administer later
558-621: The Cape of Good Hope , was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope . It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa , then became the Cape Province , which existed even after 1961, when South Africa had become a republic, albeit, temporarily outside the Commonwealth of Nations (1961–94). The British colony
620-521: The Edict of Fontainebleau . This so-called "Huguenot experiment" was deemed a failure by the colonial authorities a decade later, as many of the Huguenot arrivals had little experience with agriculture and had become a net burden on the colonial government. There was a degree of cultural assimilation due to Dutch cultural hegemony that included the almost universal adoption of the Dutch language. Many of
682-704: The Seven Provinces of the Dutch Republic , the mother country of the Dutch United East India Company . This prompted Great Britain to occupy the Cape Colony in 1795 as a way to better control the seas in order to stop any potential French attempt to reach India . The British sent a fleet of nine warships which anchored at Simon's Town and, following the defeat of the VOC militia at the Battle of Muizenberg , took control of
SECTION 10
#1732791634316744-467: The Weenen massacre . The nearby present-day town of Weenen ( Dutch for "weeping") was named by early settlers in memory of the massacre. Dingane ordered his army to seek and kill the group of Voortrekkers under Andries Pretorius . The Zulu impis attacked the Voortrekker encampment, but they were defeated in the ensuing Battle of Blood River . An estimated 3,000 Zulus were killed. Dingane's commander at
806-533: The eastern-western division was largely laid to rest. The system of multi-racial franchise also began a slow and fragile growth in political inclusiveness, and ethnic tensions subsided. In 1877, the state expanded by annexing Griqualand West and Griqualand East – that is, the Mount Currie district ( Kokstad ). The emergence of two Boer mini-republics along the Missionary Road resulted in 1885 in
868-430: The "Kommissitrek" reconnaissance mission. At Port Natal Retief was taken by the potential of the bay and the possibilities of it becoming a Dutch free trade port. Bantjes and two companions were sent back to the laager at Kerkenberg with a message to the camp on 2 November 1837, announcing to the trekkers that they may now enter Natal. Due to his favourable impression of the region, Retief started negotiations for land with
930-585: The 1802 Treaty of Amiens . It was re-occupied by the British following the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806, and British possession affirmed with the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 . The Cape of Good Hope then remained in the British Empire , becoming self-governing in 1872. The colony was coextensive with the later Cape Province , stretching from the Atlantic coast inland and eastward along
992-603: The 1865, 1875, 1891 and 1904 censuses. Groups marked "nd" are Not Distinguished in the censuses for those years. * Includes both free Coloured people and Whites Dingane kaSenzangakhona Dingane ka Senzangakhona Zulu ( c. 1795 –29 January 1840), commonly referred to as Dingane or Dingaan , was a Zulu prince who became king of the Zulu Kingdom in 1828, after assassinating his half-brother Shaka Zulu . He set up his royal capital, uMgungundlovu , and one of numerous military encampments, or kraals , in
1054-550: The 1994 creation of the present-day South African provinces , the Cape Province was partitioned into the Eastern Cape , Northern Cape , and Western Cape , with smaller parts in North West province. An expedition of the VOC led by Jan van Riebeeck established a trading post and naval victualing station at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. Van Riebeeck's objective was to secure a harbour of refuge for VOC ships during
1116-534: The Boers did, their reputation and rifles cowing the people into handing over some 700 head of cattle. At Retief's request, J.G. Bantjes drew up the famous Piet Retief/Dingaan Treaty outlining the areas of Natal to be secured for the Boers to settle and start their new farms and harbour. This was done and to be ratified at the Zulu King's kraal. Despite warnings, Retief left the Tugela region on 25 January 1838, in
1178-447: The British colonists and the Boers. Rhodes also brought in the first formal restrictions on the political rights of the Cape of Good Hope's black African citizens. The Cape of Good Hope remained nominally under British rule until the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, when it became the province of the Cape of Good Hope, better known as the Cape Province . The districts of the colony in 1850 were: Population figures for
1240-554: The Cape's Prime Minister in 1890, he instigated a rapid expansion of British influence into the hinterland. In particular, he sought to engineer the conquest of the Transvaal, and although his ill-fated Jameson Raid failed and brought down his government, it led to the Second Boer War and British conquest at the turn of the century. The politics of the colony consequently came to be increasingly dominated by tensions between
1302-683: The Umgungundhlovu enclosure, supplied with beer and seated in a semi-circle, a few rows deep. Dingane reacted with some irritation to the message, proclaiming that it was old news to them, and incompatible with their views: "I and my people believe there is only one God – I am that God. ... I am the Great Chief – the God of the living; Umatiwane [whom I killed] is the Great Chief of the wicked." Dingane built his capital city of umGungundlovu in 1829 and enlarged it five years later. UmGungundlovu
SECTION 20
#17327916343161364-632: The Warren Expedition, sent to annex the republics of Stellaland and Goshen (lands annexed to British Bechuanaland ). Major-General Charles Warren annexed the land south of the Molopo River as the colony of British Bechuanaland and proclaimed a protectorate over the land lying to the North of the river. Vryburg , the capital of Stellaland, became capital of British Bechuanaland, while Mafeking (now Mahikeng ), although situated south of
1426-778: The Winterberg District in early February 1837 and joined a party of 30 other wagons. The pioneers crossed the Orange River into independent territory. When several parties on the Great Trek converged at the Vet River, Retief was elected "Governor of the United Laagers " and head of "The Free Province of New Holland in South East Africa." This coalition was very short-lived, and Retief became
1488-766: The Zulu king Dingane kaSenzangakhona (known as Dingane/ Dingaan) in November 1837. After Retief led his band over the Drakensberg Mountains, he convinced Voortrekker leaders Gerrit Maritz and Andries Hendrik Potgieter to join him in January 1838. On Retief's second visit to Dingane, the Zulu agreed to Boer settlement in Natal, provided that the Boer delegation recover cattle stolen by the rival Tlokwa nation. This
1550-433: The ancestral vineyard Welvanpas , where he worked until the age of 27. After moving to the vicinity of Grahamstown , Retief, like other Boers, acquired wealth through livestock, but suffered repeated losses from Xhosa raids in the period. These prompted the 6th Cape Frontier War . (Retief had a history of financial trouble. On more than one occasion, he lost money and other possessions, mainly through land speculation. He
1612-450: The authority of the British governor did not relieve tensions in the colony between its eastern and western sections. In 1872, after a long political battle, the Cape of Good Hope achieved responsible government under its first Prime Minister, John Molteno . Henceforth, an elected Prime Minister and his cabinet had total responsibility for the affairs of the country. A period of strong economic growth and social development ensued, and
1674-487: The battle was Ndlela kaSompisi . In January 1840, Pretorius and a force of 400 Boers helped Mpande in his revolt against his half-brother Dingane, which resulted in the latter's overthrow and death. Mpande succeeded Dingane. At the Battle of Maqongqo , many of Dingane's own men deserted to Mpande's army. Dingane had his general, Ndlela kaSompisi , executed, and with a few followers, he sought refuge in Nayawo territory on
1736-553: The belief that he could negotiate with Dingane for permanent boundaries for the Natal settlement. The deed of cession of the Tugela - Umzimvubu region, although dated 4 February 1838, was signed by Dingane on 6 February 1838, with the two sides recording three witnesses each. Dingane invited Retief's party to witness a special performance by his soldiers, whereupon Dingane ordered his soldiers to capture Retief's party and their coloured servants. Retief, his son (Pieter Cornelis), men, and servants, about 100 people in total, were taken to
1798-615: The colonists and the Khoe-speaking indigenes , followed by the Xhosa , both of which they perceived as unwanted competitors for prime farmland. VOC traders imported thousands of slaves to the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch East Indies and other parts of Africa. By the end of the eighteenth century the Cape's population swelled to about 26,000 people of European descent and 30,000 slaves. In 1795, France occupied
1860-425: The colonists who settled directly on the frontier became increasingly independent and localised in their loyalties. Known as Boers , they migrated beyond the Cape Colony's initial borders and had soon penetrated almost a thousand kilometres inland. Some Boers even adopted a nomadic lifestyle permanently and were denoted as trekboers . The VOC colonial period had a number of bitter, genocidal conflicts between
1922-416: The complex, directly opposite the main entrance. The king, his mistresses and female attendants (Dingane never married officially), a total of at least 500 people, resided here. The women were divided into two groups: the black isigodlo and the white isigodlo . The black isigodlo comprised about 100 privileged women, and within that group was another elite, the bheje , a smaller number of girls favoured by
Piet Retief - Misplaced Pages Continue
1984-564: The contents of the document or have understood the concept of permanent land ownership since it was not a custom of the Zulus to assign land to individuals permanently. On 6 February 1838, after two days of feasting, the chief had Retief and his diplomatic party killed. They had been told to leave their firearms outside the royal kraal. Suddenly, when the dancing had reached a frenzied climax, Dingane leapt to his feet and shouted Bulalani abathakathi! The men were overpowered and dragged away to
2046-430: The distributed meat, they rose and exclaimed with raised hands: "Thou that art greater than the heavens." The habit of Dingane's ministers, concubines and servants was not to think, act or speak, except at Dingane's suggestion or command. Owen observed that even Dingane's prime minister, Ndlela kaSompisi , refused to pay him a visit, when such a visit was not expressly ordered by the king. Nor would anyone grind Owen even
2108-642: The eMakhosini Valley just south of the White Umfolozi River , on the slope of Lion Hill ( Singonyama ). Dingane came to power in 1828 after assassinating his half-brother Shaka with the help of another brother, Umhlangana , as well as Mbopa, Shaka's bodyguard. They were traditionally said to have killed Shaka because of his increasingly brutal behaviour after the death of his mother, Nandi . The assassination took place at present-day KwaDukuza . Captain Allen Gardiner related that Dingane
2170-568: The final destination of their migration and selected a location for its future capital, later named Pietermaritzburg in his honour. The massacre of Retief and his delegation by the Zulu King Dingane and the extermination of several Voortrekker laagercamps in the area of the present town of Weenen led to the Battle of Blood River on the Ncome River. The short-lived Boer republic Natalia suffered from ineffective government and
2232-478: The fledgling colony's borders; in exchange they received tax exempt status and were loaned tools and seeds . Reflecting the multi-national nature of the early trading companies, the VOC granted vrijburger status to Dutch, Swiss, Scandinavian and German employees, among others. In 1688 they also sponsored the immigration of nearly two hundred French Huguenot refugees who had fled to the Netherlands upon
2294-508: The floor of this large hut was approximately 10 metres in diameter. Archaeologists found evidence inside the hut of 22 large supporting posts completely covered in glass beads. These had been noted in historical accounts by Piet Retief , leader of the Voortrekkers , and the British missionaries George Champion and Francis Owen. On the south side, just behind the main complex, were three separate enclosed groups of huts. The centre group
2356-514: The government of the Cape Colony as well as Boer settlers finally died down when the Xhosa took part in a mass destruction of their own crops and cattle , in the belief that this would cause their ancestors to wake from the dead. The resulting famine crippled Xhosa country and ushered in a long period of stability on the border. Peace and prosperity, in addition to the Convict crisis of 1849, led to
2418-527: The hill kwaMatiwane, named after a chief who had been killed there. Retief and his men were killed . It is alleged by some that they were killed because they withheld some of the cattle recovered from Chief Sekonyela. The general opinion is that Dingane did not wish to yield the land ceded to them in the treaty and mistrusted the presence of the Voortrekkers. At the same time, Dingane's forces killed Retief's undefended trek party, about 500 Boers and native servants, including women and children. The Boers called it
2480-425: The king as his mistresses. A small settlement was built for them behind the main complex, where they could enjoy some privacy. The remainder of the king's women were the white isigodlo . They were mainly girls presented to the king by his important subjects. He also selected other girls at the annual first fruit ceremony ( umkhosi wokweshwama ). A huge half-moon shaped area was included in the black isigodlo ; here
2542-600: The legislative body...has named the first village settlement... Pieter Maritz Burg. The first name is after the late deceased His Excellency Pieter Retief, formerly the Governor, and the second name is after His Honour the late deceased G.M. Maritz, the President of the Council of policy in the camp." Some however continue to speculate that the "Maritz" part was a naming after Gerrit Maritz , another Voortrekker leader, from
Piet Retief - Misplaced Pages Continue
2604-556: The lone leader of the group moving east. On 5 October 1837 Retief established a camp of 54 wagons at Kerkenberg near the Drakensberg ridge. He proceeded on horseback the next day, accompanied by Jan Gerritze Bantjes and fourteen men with four wagons, to explore the region between the Drakensberg and Port Natal , now known as kwaZulu Natal . This was Bantjes's second visit to Port Natal, his first having been there in 1834 on
2666-402: The long voyages between Europe and Asia. Within about three decades, the Cape had become home to a large community of vrijlieden , also known as vrijburgers ('free citizens'), former VOC employees who settled in the colonies overseas after completing their service contracts. Vrijburgers were mostly married citizens who undertook to spend at least twenty years farming the land within
2728-652: The native bantus, no redress against Foreign Government Policies (British), and financially broke them through the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 which freed their slaves, with compensation offered to owners that hardly amounted to a quarter of the slaves' market value. Retief's manifesto was published in the Grahamstown Journal on 2 February and De Zuid-Afrikaan on 17 February, just as the emigrant Boers started to leave their homesteads. Retief's household departed in two wagons from his farm in
2790-514: The opportunity availed, only to be apprehended and executed. Though Dingane allowed Owen to reside just outside his capital, he considered the Christian faith a fiction of the English, which was of no use to him or his subjects. On a particular Sunday, he did allow Owen to expound the main precepts of Christianity before an assembly of almost 1,000 Zulu men. These were assembled at the center of
2852-560: The protectorate border, became the protectorate's administrative centre. The border between the protectorate and the colony ran along the Molopo and Nossob rivers. In 1895, British Bechuanaland became part of the Cape Colony. However, the discovery of diamonds around Kimberley and gold in the Transvaal led to a return to instability, particularly because they fuelled the rise to power of the ambitious imperialist Cecil Rhodes . On becoming
2914-524: The same year). The British , who set up a colony on 8 January 1806, hoped to keep Napoleon out of the Cape, and to control the Far East trade routes. The Cape Colony at the time of British occupation was three months' sailing distance from London . The White colonial population was small, no more than 25,000 in all, scattered across a territory of 100,000 square miles. Most lived in Cape Town and
2976-521: The southern coast, constituting about half of modern South Africa: the final eastern boundary, after several wars against the Xhosa , stood at the Fish River . In the north, the Orange River , natively known as the ǂNūǃarib (Black River) and subsequently called the Gariep River, served as the boundary for some time, although some land between the river and the southern boundary of Botswana
3038-537: The start. However, Pietermaritzburg was originally Pietermauritzburg, thereby incorporating both Retief's first and second name. It was only afterwards that the "u" was dropped and it was decreed that Maritz also be remembered in the title. Rhodes University has a residence named after Retief, in Kimberley Hall. [REDACTED] Media related to Piet Retief at Wikimedia Commons Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( Dutch : Kaapkolonie ), also known as
3100-606: The surrounding farming districts of the Boland , an area favoured with rich soils, a Mediterranean Climate and reliable rainfall. Cape Town had a population of 16,000 people. In 1814 the Dutch government formally ceded sovereignty over the Cape to the British , under the terms of the Convention of London . The British started to settle the eastern border of the Cape Colony, with the arrival in Port Elizabeth of
3162-616: The territory. The United East India Company transferred its territories and claims to the Batavian Republic (the Revolutionary period Dutch state) in 1798, and went bankrupt in 1799. Improving relations between Britain and Napoleonic France , and its vassal state the Batavian Republic , led the British to hand the Cape of Good Hope over to the Batavian Republic in 1803, under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens . In 1806,
SECTION 50
#17327916343163224-500: The women and the king sang and danced. The huts in the black isigodlo were divided into compartments of about three huts each, enclosed by a two-metre-high hedge of intertwined withes , which created a network of passages. The king's private hut ( ilawu ) was located in one such triangular compartment and had three or four entrances. His hut was very large and was kept very neat by attendants; it could easily accommodate 50 people. Modern archaeological excavations have revealed that
3286-471: Was Dingane's custom with his enemies. Dingane then directed the attack against the Voortrekker laagers , which plunged the migrant movement into temporary disarray and in total 534 men, women and children were killed. Following the Voortrekker victory at Blood River , Andries Pretorius and his "victory commando" recovered the remains of the Retief party. They buried them on 21 December 1838. Also recovered
3348-400: Was built according to the characteristic layout of a Zulu military settlement (singular: ikhanda , plural: amakhanda ). The ikhanda consisted of a large, central circular parade ground ( isibaya esikhulu ), surrounded by warriors' barracks ( uhlangoti ) and storage huts for their shields. The isibaya was entered from the north. The royal enclosure ( isigodlo ) was on the southern side of
3410-612: Was eventually annexed to the British Cape Colony . Retief was born to Jacobus and Debora Retief in the Wagenmakersvallei, Cape Colony, today the town of Wellington , South Africa . His family were Boers of French Huguenot ancestry: his great-grandfather was the 1689 Huguenot refugee François Retif, from Mer, Loir-et-Cher near Blois ; the progenitor of the name in South Africa. Retief grew up on
3472-468: Was exacerbated by armed conflict with the newly arrived Voortrekkers . In November 1837 Dingane met with Piet Retief , leader of the Voortrekkers. In return for their recovering some stolen cattle, Dingane signed a deed of cession of lands (written in English) to the Voortrekkers. It is generally believed that Dingane knew what he was signing although he could not have had any formal education, have read
3534-545: Was known as the Great Trek , and the migrating Boers settled inland, eventually forming the Boer Republics . British Immigration continued in the Cape, even as many of the Boers continued to trek inland, and the ending of the British East India Company 's monopoly on trade led to economic growth. At the same time, the long series of Xhosa Wars fought between the Xhosa people in the east and
3596-667: Was later added to it. From 1878, the colony also included the enclave of Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands , both in what is now Namibia . It united with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa in 1910, and was accordingly renamed the Province of the Cape of Good Hope . South Africa became a sovereign state in 1931 by the Statute of Westminster . In 1961, it became the Republic of South Africa . Following
3658-428: Was preceded by an earlier corporate colony that became an original Dutch colony of the same name , which was established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) . The Cape was under VOC rule from 1652 to 1795 and under rule of the Napoleonic Batavia Republic from 1803 to 1806. The VOC lost the colony to Great Britain following the 1795 Battle of Muizenberg , but it was ceded to the Batavia Republic following
3720-568: Was revered as the "great idol" of the Zulu nation, while a missionary, Rev. Francis Owen , who observed his rule at close quarters while stationed at Umgungundlovu , highlighted several aspects of his despotic governance. Dingane's subjects applied god-like attributes to him, not admitting for instance that his reign might have had a beginning. He was deemed immortal, one who was neither born, nor would ever die. When asked when his reign started, his subjects replied "hundreds and hundreds of years ago." At their morning and evening meals, after receiving
3782-459: Was the undamaged deed of cession from Retief's leather purse, written by Jan Gerritze Bantjes, Retief's secretary, as later verified by a member of the "victory commando", E.F. Potgieter. Two exact copies survive, (either of which could be the original) but legend states the original deed disappeared in transit to the Netherlands during the Anglo-Boer War. The site of the Retief grave was more or less forgotten until pointed out in 1896 by J.H. Hattingh,
SECTION 60
#17327916343163844-438: Was used by the uBheje women of the black isigodlo . In this area, they initiated chosen young girls into the service of the king. Dingane lacked Shaka's military and leadership skills; rebel chiefs broke away from his rule. Chiefs who fell out of favour with Dingane, fled the country, including Signabani. The subjects of Signabani who were unable to flee with him were rounded up in their refuges and massacred. The dissension
#315684