89-421: The Freedom Trail is a 2,150 km long, 33,000 metres of ups and downs, mountain bike route across South Africa, from Pietermaritzburg in the east to Wellington in the west. This technically challenging trail was started in 2003 and is made up of dirt roads, dirt tracks and cattle tracks featuring impressive geological and scenic diversity. It traverses seven biomes , from the high mountains of Lesotho , to
178-569: A laager camp at the mouth of the Mvoti River , they proceeded on horseback, but were halted by a flooded Tugela River and forced to return to the laager . The Kommissietrek left Port Natal for Grahamstown with a stash of ivory in early June 1835, following more or less the same route back to the Cape, and arrived at Grahamstown in October 1835. On Piet Uys's recommendation, Bantjes set to work on
267-581: A Nation ( Die Bou van 'n Nasie ) was made in 1938 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Great Trek. The film tells the Afrikaans version of the history of South Africa from 1652 to 1910 with a focus on the Great Trek. A number of Afrikaans organisations such as the Afrikaner Broederbond and Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging continued to promote the centenary's goals of furthering
356-560: A Zulu warrior, were massacred at Inhambane by an impi (a force of warriors) of Manukosi . Those of Tregardt's party that had set up around Soutpansberg moved on to colonise Delagoa Bay , with most of the party, including Tregardt, perishing from fever. A party led by Hendrik Potgieter trekked out of the Tarka area in either late 1835 or early 1836, and in September 1836 a party led by Gerrit Maritz began their trek from Graaff-Reinet. There
445-522: A bus service, which was closed down in the 1980s. Nowadays regular daily bus services connect Pietermaritzburg to other major cities in South Africa. The bus station is located on Burger Street, opposite the McDonalds Centre, and it serves major bus companies. Greyhound and Intercape are the most reliable and they operate several round-trips from Durban to Johannesburg daily, where Pietermaritzburg
534-518: A class of Boers who pursued semi-nomadic pastoral activities, were frustrated by the apparent unwillingness or inability of the British government to extend the borders of the Cape Colony eastward and provide them with access to more prime pasture and economic opportunities. They resolved to trek beyond the colony's borders on their own. Although it did nothing to impede the Great Trek, Great Britain viewed
623-537: A few short decades, the Cape had become home to a large population of "Glidden" , also denoted as "burgers" (free citizens), former Company employees who remained in Dutch territories overseas after completing their contracts. Since the primary purpose of the Cape settlement at the time was to stock provisions for passing Dutch ships, the VOC offered grants of farmland to its employees under the condition they would cultivate grain for
712-459: A lack of public discussion about the war within the Afrikaans community helped set the scene for a large increase in interest in Afrikaans national identity. The celebration of the centenary of the Great Trek along with a new generation of Afrikaners interested in learning about the Afrikaans experiences of the Boer War catalysed a surge of Afrikaans nationalism. The centenary celebrations began with
801-474: A poem written by Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven referring to the Great Trek, was chosen to be the words of the pre-1994 South African national anthem. The post-1997 national anthem of South Africa incorporates a section of " Die Stem van Suid-Afrika " but it was decided to omit the section in "reference to the Great Trek (' met die kreun van ossewa '), since this was the experience of only one section of our community". When apartheid in South Africa ended and
890-652: A public holiday, first called Dingane's Day, later changed to the Day of the Vow . Post-apartheid , the name was changed to the Day of Reconciliation by the South African government, in order to foster reconciliation between all South Africans. Conflict amongst the Voortrekkers was a problem because the trek levelled out the pre-existing class hierarchy which had previously enforced discipline, and thus social cohesion broke down. Instead
979-561: A re-enactment of the trek beginning on 8 August 1938 with nine ox wagons at the statue of Jan van Riebeeck in Cape Town and ended at the newly completed Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria and attended by over 100,000 people. A second re-enactment trek starting at the same time and place ended at the scene of the Battle of Blood River. The commemoration sparked mass enthusiasm amongst Afrikaners as
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#17328757415491068-521: A result of the Treaty of Paris . At the onset of the British rule, the Cape Colony encompassed 100,000 square miles (260,000 km ) and was populated by about 26,720 people of European descent, a relative majority of whom were of Dutch origin. Just over a quarter were of German ancestry and about one-sixth were descended from French Huguenots, although most had ceased speaking French since about 1750. There were also 30,000 African and Asian slaves owned by
1157-520: A result of which the Inkatha Freedom Party won a majority in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, Pietermaritzburg shared its status as capital of the (then newly created) province of KwaZulu-Natal with Ulundi . Pietermaritzburg became the legislative capital of the new province, while Ulundi became the administrative capital. The IFP, being strongly Zulu nationalist, desired that Ulundi,
1246-648: A shield on its shoulder, the dexter supporter's shield displaying the Union Jack and the sinister supporter's the flag of the Natalia republic . Pietermaritzburg is on the N3 highway , the primary route between the harbour city of Durban , some 90 kilometres (56 mi) away, and the Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging conurbation. The R33 connects Pietermaritzburg with Greytown and Paulpietersburg , while
1335-431: A substantial part of the region's industrial output. Pietermaritzburg is also the city where major South African pizza franchise Debonairs Pizza was founded. The Pietermaritzburg borough council assumed a coat of arms in 1861. The shield depicted an elephant standing on grass, and a cross of five stars was placed above the shield. The motto was Umgungunhlovu . It is unclear what the original colours were, but by 1910
1424-472: A treaty for land in what is now Kwa-Zulu Natal . King Dingane, suspicious and untrusting because of previous Voortrekker influxes from across the Drakensberg, had Retief and seventy of his followers killed . Various interpretations of what transpired exist, as only the missionary Francis Owen 's written eye-witness account survived. Retief's written request for land contained veiled threats by referring to
1513-518: Is a major employer in the city due to local, district and provincial government offices located here. The city has many schools and tertiary education institutions, including a campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal . It had a population of 228,549 in 1991; the current population is estimated at over 600,000 residents (including neighbouring townships) and has one of the largest populations of Indian South Africans in South Africa. Pietermaritzburg
1602-585: Is an emerging metropolitan area. The city was occupied by Voortrekkers , in April 1838 following the murder of Piet Retief and his seventy-strong party at the Zulu Capital, Mgungundlovu (6 February 1838), when seeking land to settle around Port Natal (The Natal-Land Treaty), and from where the reprisal Wenkommando departed (November 1838) to defeat Dingane at the Battle of Blood River (16 December 1838). Pietermaritzburg
1691-501: Is approximately 160 km (100 mi) direct from the Zulu capital, Mgungundlovu. Prior to the battle (9 December 1838) a vow was taken that if the Boers were granted victory over the Zulu, then a sacred church would be built which still stands today, The Church of the Vow . It was Jan Gerritze Bantjes, Secretary General to Andries Pretorius, Commander of the campaign who arranged the financing of
1780-596: Is served by two public universities, University of KwaZulu-Natal and Durban University of Technology . There are also many private and public colleges operating in the city, such as Varsity College . Pietermaritzburg is home to a number of prominent civil society organisations including the Abahlali baseMjondolo (shackdwellers) movement, GroundWork, CINDI, PACSA, and the KwaZulu Natal Christian Council. Voortrekkers Battles The Great Trek
1869-523: Is the prestigious Freedom Challenge blanket awarded to all who finish inside the cut-off time. The Race to Rhodes is a shorter non-stop, unsupported event covering the first 500km of the trail from Pietermaritzburg to Rhodes and is also held in winter. An invitational event called the Race to Cradock is held in March. It follows the same non-stop unsupported format and is currently only open to previous finishers of either
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#17328757415491958-473: Is the second to last stop before Durban. Pietermaritzburg has two types of taxi services: metered taxis and minibus taxis . Unlike in many cities, metered taxis are not allowed to drive around the city to solicit fares and instead must be called and ordered to a specific location. A number of companies service Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas. These taxis can also be called upon for airport transfers, point to point pickups and shuttles. Minibus taxis are
2047-465: The Anglo-Boer Wars , was largely to blame. In November 1838 Andries Pretorius arrived to assist in the defence. A few days later on 16 December 1838, the trekkers fought against Zulu impis at the Battle of Blood River . Pretorius's victory over the Zulu army led to a civil war within the Zulu nation as King Dingane's half-brother, Mpande kaSenzangakhona , aligned with the Voortrekkers to overthrow
2136-475: The British Empire in 1843. The Voortrekkers' guns offered them a technological advantage over the Zulu's traditional weaponry of short stabbing spears, fighting sticks, and cattle-hide shields. The Boers attributed their victory to a vow they made to God before the battle: if victorious, they and future generations would commemorate the day as a Sabbath . Thereafter, 16 December was celebrated by Boers as
2225-526: The Cape of Good Hope area was populated by Khoisan tribes. The first Europeans settled in the Cape area under the auspices of the Dutch East India Company (also known by its Dutch initials VOC ), which established a victualling station there in 1652 to provide its outward bound fleets with fresh provisions and a harbour of refuge during the long sea journey from Europe to Asia (Hunt, John (2005)). In
2314-499: The R56 connects Pietermaritzburg with Ixopo and Kokstad . The city is served by Pietermaritzburg Airport , which has regular scheduled services to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. There are 4 flights to Johannesburg and 4 return flights daily, with a reduced number of weekend flights. It once operated flights to Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town – this route
2403-817: The Xhosa on the eastern Cape frontier, the Zulus killed women and children along with men, wiping out half of the Natal contingent of Voortrekkers. The Voortrekkers retaliated with a 347-strong punitive raid against the Zulu (later known as the Flight Commando), supported by new arrivals from the Orange Free State . The Voortrekkers were roundly defeated by about 7,000 warriors at Ithaleni , southwest of uMgungundlovu. The well-known reluctance of Afrikaner leaders to submit to one another's leadership, which later hindered sustained success in
2492-530: The Afrikaner cause and entrenching a greater sense of unity and solidarity within the community well into the 20th century. The Great Trek was used by Afrikaner nationalists as a core symbol of a common Afrikaans history. It was used to promote the idea of an Afrikaans nation and a narrative that promoted the ideals of the National Party . In 1938, celebrations of the centenary of the Battle of Blood River and
2581-653: The Boer leaders of Uitenhage and Grahamstown discussed a Kommissietrek ('Commission Trek') to visit Natal and to assess its potential as a new homeland for the Cape Boers who were disenchanted with British rule at the Cape. Petrus Lafras Uys was chosen as trek leader. At the same time at Graaff-Reinet , Jan Gerritze Bantjes heard about the exploratory trek to Port Natal and, encouraged by his father Bernard Louis Bantjes, sent word to Uys of his interest in participating. Bantjes wanted to help re-establish Dutch independence over
2670-669: The Boers and to get away from British law at the Cape. In early August 1834, he set off with some travellers headed for Grahamstown 220 kilometres (140 mi) away, a three-week journey from Graaff-Reinet . Sometime around late August 1834 he arrived in Grahamstown, contacted Uys and made his introductions. Bantjes was already well known in the area as an educated young man fluent both in spoken and written Dutch and in English. Because of these skills, Uys invited Bantjes to join him. Bantjes's writing skills would prove invaluable in recording events as
2759-476: The Boers belonged, explicitly refused to endorse the Great Trek. Despite their hostility towards the British, there were Boers who chose to remain in the Cape of their own accord. For its part, the distinct Cape Dutch community had accepted British rule; many of its members even considered themselves loyal British subjects with a special affection for English culture. The Cape Dutch were also much more heavily urbanised and therefore less likely to be susceptible to
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2848-458: The Boers in their new homeland. At Port Natal, Uys sent Dick King, who could speak Zulu, to uMgungundlovu to investigate with King Dingane the possibility of granting them land. When Dick King returned to Port Natal some weeks later, he reported that King Dingane insisted they visit him in person. Johannes Uys , brother of Piet Uys, and a number of comrades with a few wagons travelled toward King Dingane's capital at uMgungundlovu, and after making
2937-443: The Boers was particularly amplified by the decision to abolish slavery in all its colonies in 1834. All 35,000 slaves registered with the Cape governor were to be freed and given rights on par with other citizens, although in most cases their masters could retain them as apprentices until 1838. Many Boers, especially those involved with grain and wine production, were dependent on slave labour; for example, 94% of all white farmers in
3026-715: The Cape Colony's white population or 20% of the white population in the eastern district in 1830s) trekked. The first two parties of Voortrekkers left in September 1835, led by Louis Tregardt and Hans van Rensburg . These two parties crossed the Vaal river at Robert's Drift in January 1836, but in April 1836 the two parties split up, just 110 kilometres (70 mi) from the Soutpansberg mountains, following differences between Tregardt and van Rensburg. In late July 1836 van Rensburg's entire party of 49, except two children who were saved by
3115-519: The Company warehouses, and released them from their contracts to save on their wages. Vrijburgers were granted tax-exempt status for 12 years and loaned all the necessary seeds and farming implements they requested. They were married Dutch citizens, considered "of good character" by the Company, and had to commit to spending at least 20 years on the African continent. Reflecting the multi-national character of
3204-618: The Great Trek mobilised behind an Afrikaans nationalist theses. The narrative of Afrikaner nationalism was a significant reason for the National Party's victory in the 1948 elections . A year later the Voortrekker Monument was completed and opened in Pretoria by the newly elected South African Prime Minister and National Party member Daniel Malan in 1949. A few years later, " Die Stem van Suid-Afrika " ('The Voice of South Africa'),
3293-548: The Race to Rhodes or the Freedom Challenge. Then there is the Spring Ride to Rhodes, an introductory ride/tour held in September, where each group rides with a guide and a support vehicle. Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg ( / ˌ p iː t ər ˈ m ær ɪ t s b ɜːr ɡ / ; Zulu : uMgungundlovu ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal , South Africa after Durban . It
3382-413: The VOC's workforce, some German soldiers and sailors were also considered for vrijburger status as well, and in 1688 the Dutch government sponsored the resettlement of over a hundred French Huguenot refugees at the Cape. As a result, by 1691 over a quarter of the colony's European population was not ethnically Dutch. Nevertheless, there was a degree of cultural assimilation through intermarriage, and
3471-472: The Voortrekker's defeat of indigenous groups encountered along their journey. The Voortrekker demand for a written contract guaranteeing private property ownership was incompatible with the contemporaneous Zulu oral culture which prescribed that a chief could only temporarily dispense land as it was communally owned. Most versions agree that the following happened: King Dingane's authority extended over some of
3560-462: The Voortrekkers' cattle. On 20 October 1836, Potgieter's party was attacked by an army of 4,600 Ndebele warriors at the Battle of Vegkop . Thirty-five armed trekkers repulsed the Ndebele assault on their laager with the loss of two men and almost all the trekkers' cattle. Potgieter, Uys and Maritz mounted two punitive commando raids. The first resulted in the sacking of the Ndebele colony at Mosega ,
3649-574: The almost universal adoption of the Dutch language. Cleavages were likelier to occur along social and economic lines; broadly speaking, the Cape colonists were delineated into Boers , poor farmers who settled directly on the frontier, and the more affluent, predominantly urbanised Cape Dutch . Following the Flanders Campaign and the Batavian Revolution in Amsterdam , France assisted in
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3738-477: The area's tourist attractions include; the KwaZulu-Natal Museum, City Hall, Colonial Buildings, Imperial Hotel, Comrades House and SANBI Botanical Gardens . Attractions in the surrounding areas include; Albert Falls Nature Reserve, Howick Falls, Midmar Public Nature Reserve, Queens Elizabeth Park and World's View. Pietermaritzburg has a well-developed higher system of public universities. Pietermaritzburg
3827-598: The arms was granted by the College of Arms in May 1961. It was registered at the Bureau of Heraldry in May 1973. The blazon was: Per fess Azure and Vert, over all an elephant statant Or, tusked Argent (i.e. the shield was divided horizontally into blue over green, and displayed a gold elephant with silver tusks). The crest was changed to a blue sun displaying gold and silver stars, and two black wildebeest were added as supporters. Each had
3916-651: The capital of the Zulu Kingdom at the time of its fall to the British in the Anglo-Zulu War , be the post-apartheid capital of the province. Ulundi had also been the capital of the bantustan KwaZulu , which makes up a portion of modern KwaZulu-Natal. However, Ulundi severely lacked the infrastructure to be an effective seat of government, and the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Party ,
4005-599: The church by the Boer towns folk which by then had taken a low priority after the war. The town grew rapidly to become the capital of the short-lived Boer Republic or Natalia . Britain took over Pietermaritzburg in 1843 and it became the seat of the Natal Colony's administration with the first lieutenant-governor, Martin West , making it his home. Fort Napier, named after the governor of the Cape Colony , Sir George Thomas Napier ,
4094-635: The city center. In 1910, when the Union of South Africa was formed, Natal became a province of the Union, and Pietermaritzburg became one of the capitals of the country. During apartheid , the city was segregated into various sections. 90% of the Indian population was moved to the suburb of Northdale while most of its Zulu inhabitants were moved to the neighbouring township of Edendale and white inhabitants were moved out of those areas. There exist two interpretations about
4183-400: The death of 400 Ndebele, and the taking of 7,000 cattle. The second commando forced Mzilikazi and his followers to flee to what is now modern day Zimbabwe . By spring 1837, five to six large Voortrekker colonies had been established between the Vaal and Orange Rivers with a total population of around 2,000 trekkers. In October 1837 Retief met with Zulu King Dingane to negotiate
4272-547: The end of the train: he refused, and he was removed from the train at Pietermaritzburg. Shivering through the winter night in the waiting room of the station , Gandhi made the momentous decision to stay on in South Africa and fight the racial discrimination against Indians there. Out of that struggle emerged his unique version of nonviolent resistance , Satyagraha . Today, a bronze statue of Gandhi stands in Church Street, in
4361-616: The establishment of a pro-French client state, the Batavian Republic , on Dutch soil. This opened the Cape to French warships. To protect her own prosperous maritime shipping routes, Great Britain occupied the fledgling colony by force until 1803. From 1806 to 1814, the Cape was governed as a British military dependency, whose sole importance to the Royal Navy was its strategic relation to Indian maritime traffic. The British formally assumed permanent administrative control around 1815, as
4450-548: The first draft of the Natalialand Report. Meetings and talks took place in the main church to much approval, and the first sparks of Trek Fever began to take hold. From all the information accumulated at Port Natal, Bantjes drew up the final report on "Natalia or Natal Land" that acted as the catalyst which inspired the Boers at the Cape to set in motion the Great Trek. The first wave of Voortrekkers lasted from 1835 to 1840, during which an estimated 6,000 people (roughly 10% of
4539-754: The founding of several autonomous Boer republics , namely the South African Republic (also known simply as the Transvaal), the Orange Free State and the Natalia Republic . It also led to conflicts that resulted in the displacement of the Northern Ndebele people , and conflicts with the Zulu people that contributed to the decline and eventual collapse of the Zulu Kingdom . Before the arrival of Europeans,
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#17328757415494628-478: The ivory to English traders at Durban (then called Port Natal). Today, the town is still called by its Voortrekker name, although the municipality of which it is part bears the Zulu name. The University of Natal was founded in 1910. In 1922 the University extended to Durban . The two campuses were incorporated into the University of Natal in March 1949. It became a major voice in the struggle against apartheid and
4717-507: The journey unfolded. On 8 September 1834, the Kommissietrek of 40 men and one woman, as well as a retinue of coloured servants, set off from Grahamstown for Natal with 14 wagons. Moving through the Eastern Cape , they were welcomed by the Xhosa who were in dispute with the neighbouring Zulu King Dingane ka Senzangakhona , and they passed unharmed into Natal. They travelled more or less
4806-429: The king and impose himself. Mpande sent 10,000 impis to assist the trekkers in follow-up expeditions against Dingane. After the defeat of the Zulu forces and the recovery of the treaty between Dingane and Retief from Retief's body, the Voortrekkers proclaimed the Natalia Republic . After Dingane's death, Mpande was proclaimed king, and the Zulu nation allied with the short-lived Natalia Republic until its annexation by
4895-514: The land in which the Boers wanted to settle. As prerequisite to granting the Voortrekker request, he demanded that the Voortrekkers return some cattle stolen by Sekonyela , a rival chief. After the Boers retrieved the cattle, King Dingane invited Retief to his residence at uMgungundlovu to finalise the treaty, having either planned the massacre in advance, or deciding to do so after Retief and his men arrived. King Dingane's reputed instruction to his warriors, " Bulalani abathakathi! " (Zulu for "kill
4984-484: The most suitable tracks to negotiate. Eventually, after weeks of extraordinary toil, the small party arrived at Port Natal, crossing the Congela River and weaving their way through the coastal forest into the bay area. They had travelled a distance of about 650 kilometres (400 mi) from Grahamstown. This trip would have taken about 5 to 6 months with their slow moving wagons. The Drakensberg route via Kerkenberg into Natal had not yet been discovered. They arrived at
5073-462: The movement with pronounced trepidation. The British government initially suggested that conflict in the far interior of Southern Africa between the migrating Boers and the Bantu peoples they encountered would require an expensive military intervention. However, authorities at the Cape also judged that the human and material cost of pursuing the settlers and attempting to re-impose an unpopular system of governance on those who had deliberately spurned it
5162-413: The origin of the city's name. One is that it was named after Piet Retief (Pieter Mauritz Retief) and Gerrit Maritz (Gerhardus Marthinus Maritz), two Voortrekker leaders. The other is that it was originally named after Piet Retief's full name alone. In this interpretation the original name was "Pieter Mauritz' Burg", later transliterated to the current name. In 1938, the city announced officially that
5251-398: The party joined them and invited Dick King to become their guide. The Boers set up their laager ('wagon fort') camp in the area of the present-day Greyville Racecourse in Durban , chosen because it had suitable grazing for the oxen and horses and was far from the foraging hippos in the bay. Several small streams running off the Berea ridge provided fresh water. Alexander Biggar
5340-562: The production of Doc Marten shoes. However, these industries have declined in the area due to lower production costs in Asia. Extensive timber plantations and numerous citrus farms surround the city, contributing a significant share of the city's output. The Liberty Group has made major investments in several phases in the region since 2002 with the development of the Liberty Midlands Mall (the area's largest shopping centre by gross lettable area and its most prestigious) and Stay Easy hotel. Hulett's Aluminium and Willowton cooking oil contributes
5429-490: The re-enactment trek passed through the small towns and cities of South Africa. Both participants and spectators participated by dressing in Voortrekker clothing, renaming streets, holding ceremonies, erecting monuments, and laying wreaths at the graves of Afrikaner heroes. Cooking meals over an open fire in the same way the Voortrekkers did became fashionable amongst urbanites, giving birth to the South African tradition of braaing . An Afrikaans language epic called Building
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#17328757415495518-411: The region. Since 2004, progress such as the modernisation of several buildings in the city centre and a proliferation of retail and housing developments in the suburbs are results of recent investment in the city by both the public and private sectors. Until the late-1990s, the region was renowned for the production of high quality textile, clothing and footwear products. An example of the latter included
5607-458: The rise of the Zulu Empire, the site that was to become Pietermaritzburg was called uMgungundlovu. This is popularly translated from the Zulu as "Place of the Elephant", although it could also be translated to mean "The elephant wins". Umgungundlovu is thus thought to be the site of some Zulu king's victory since "Elephant" (Indlovu) is a name traditionally taken by the Zulu monarch. Legend has it that Shaka had his warriors hunt elephant there to sell
5696-472: The same route that Smith and Berg had taken two years earlier. The trek avoided the coastal route, keeping to the flatter inland terrain. The Kommissietrek approached Port Natal from East Griqualand and Ixopo , crossing the upper regions of the Mtamvuna and Umkomazi rivers. Travel was slow due to the rugged terrain, and since it was the summer, the rainy season had swollen many of the rivers to their maximum. Progress required days of scouting to locate
5785-450: The same rural grievances and considerations as those held by the Boers. In January 1832, Andrew Smith (an Englishman) and William Berg (a Boer farmer) scouted Natal as a potential colony. On their return to the Cape, Smith waxed very enthusiastic, and the impact of discussions Berg had with the Boers proved crucial. Berg portrayed Natal as a land of exceptional farming quality, well watered, and nearly devoid of inhabitants. In June 1834,
5874-405: The second element Maritz should also honour Gert Maritz. In fact, neither Retief nor Maritz ever reached Pietermaritzburg. Retief was killed by Dingane , successor to Shaka , king of the Zulus . Maritz died of illness on 23 September 1838 near the present-day town of Estcourt , some eighty kilometres northwest of Pietermaritzburg, after the battle with the Zulus at Bloukranz. At the time of
5963-430: The settlers, and about 17,000 indigenous Khoisan . Relations between the settlers – especially the Boers – and the new administration quickly soured. The British authorities were adamantly opposed to the Boers' ownership of slaves and what was perceived as their unduly harsh treatment of the indigenous peoples. The British government insisted that the Cape finance its own affairs through self-taxation, an approach which
6052-469: The settlers. This had the effect of further alienating the colony's white population. Boer resentment of successive British administrators continued to grow throughout the late 1820s and early 1830s, especially with the official imposition of the English language. This replaced Dutch with English as the language used in the Cape's judicial and political systems, putting the Boers at a disadvantage, as most spoke little or no English. Britain's alienation of
6141-487: The shield had been coloured blue. By 1931, the council had approved new artwork in which the stars were placed on a radiant sun. The arms were registered with the Natal Provincial Administration in November 1950. Many early renditions of the coat of arms, visible on older public building and wrought iron lampposts, features an elephant which is clearly an Asian elephant rather than an African elephant . More recent versions reflect an African elephant. The final version of
6230-623: The standard mode of transport for the majority of the population who cannot afford private vehicles. A bus rapid transit system is currently being developed in Pietermaritzburg. The initial phase would see the development of a west to east corridor from Edendale to Northdale. The BRT route will traverse the CBD along Church Street. Pietermaritzburg has a dry-winter humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification : Cwa ). Summers are warm and occasionally hot, with frequent rainfall. Winters are dry with high diurnal temperature variation , with light air frosts being possible. Some of
6319-422: The sweltering hot bay of Port Natal in February 1835, exhausted after their long journey. There, the trek was soon welcomed with open arms by the few British hunters and ivory traders there such as James Collis, including Reverend Allen Francis Gardiner , an ex-commander of the Royal Navy ship Clinker , who had decided to start a mission station there. After congenial exchanges between the Boers and British sides,
6408-453: The trail are the autumn months of March to May, and in the spring from September to early October. The summer months from November to February may be very hot, while winter months from June to August may be very cold, with possible snowfalls at high points along the route. The Freedom Trail passes through both public and private land and any ride along the route is subject to availability and has to be pre-arranged and booked in advance. Many of
6497-469: The trail passes. There are a number of events held annually along the trail, the best known being the iconic Freedom Challenge (also referred to as RASA - Race Across South Africa), The Freedom Challenge is held in mid-June to mid-July. This winter navigation race has a completion deadline of 26 days. Food and accommodation are provided at fixed overnight stops, but competitors are otherwise unsupported and cannot use GPS to navigate. The only official reward
6586-602: The traversing rights granted over private land are contingent on riders making use of the overnight accommodation facilities and therefore camping is not allowed along the trail. The Freedom Trail is managed by the Freedom Trail Foundation, which also administers the Freedom Challenge Scholarship Fund, a charity set up by past Freedom Challenge riders to provide education scholarships to underprivileged scholars living in certain areas through which
6675-488: The trek leaders became more reliant on patriarchal family structure and military reputation to maintain control over their parties. This had a large and lasting impact on Afrikaans culture and society. The celebration of the Great Trek in the 1930s played a major role in the growth of Afrikaans nationalism . It is thought that the experiences of the Second Boer War and the following period, between 1906 and 1934, of
6764-468: The two other strong political parties in the province, among others, called for Pietermaritzburg alone to be the capital. The debate came to an end when the ANC came to power in the province in 2004, and named Pietermaritzburg the sole capital of KwaZulu-Natal. This has resulted in the relocation of several government offices to Pietermaritzburg, an action that has generally been welcomed as a positive development for
6853-651: The vicinity of Stellenbosch owned slaves at the time, and the size of their slave holdings correlated greatly to their production output. Compensation was offered by the British government, but payment had to be received in London , and few Boers possessed the funds to make the trip. Bridling at what they considered an unwarranted intrusion into their way of life, some in the Boer community considered selling their farms and venturing deep into South Africa's unmapped interior to preempt further disputes and live completely independent from British rule. Others, especially trekboers ,
6942-629: The wide open spaces of the Great Karoo , crossing six mountain ranges, criss-crossing countless valleys, venturing through unspoilt wilderness areas, national parks, private farms and some nature reserves. The trail is unmarked and requires proficiency in navigation, with riders making use of maps and narratives to follow the route. Accommodation stops are usually 6-8 hours apart, and include guest houses, country hotels, game lodges, nature reserve cottages and farm stays. Most of these stops are fully serviced, allowing riders to travel light. Coolest times for
7031-556: The witches") may indicate that he considered the Boers to wield evil supernatural powers. After killing Retief's delegation, a Zulu army of 7,000 impis were sent out and immediately attacked Voortrekker encampments in the Drakensberg foothills at what later was called Blaauwkrans and Weenen , leading to the Weenen massacre in which 532 people were killed, including 282 Voortrekkers, of whom 185 were children, and 250 Khoikhoi and Basuto accompanying them. In contrast to earlier conflicts with
7120-463: Was a northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyond the Cape's British colonial administration. The Great Trek resulted from the culmination of tensions between rural descendants of the Cape's original European settlers, known collectively as Boers , and the British . It
7209-465: Was alien to both the Boers and the Dutch merchants in Cape Town. In 1815, the controversial arrest of a white farmer for allegedly assaulting one of his servants resulted in the abortive Slachter's Nek Rebellion . The British retaliated by hanging at least five Boers for insurrection. In 1828, the Cape governor declared that all native inhabitants but slaves were to have the rights of "citizens", in respect of security and property ownership, on parity with
7298-405: Was also at the bay as a professional elephant-hunter and provided the trekkers with information regarding conditions at Port Natal. Bantjes made notes suggested by Uys, which later formed the basis of his more comprehensive report on the positive aspects of Natal. Bantjes also made rough maps of the bay - although this journal is now missing - showing the potential for a harbour which could supply
7387-515: Was also reflective of an increasingly common trend among individual Boer communities to pursue an isolationist and semi- nomadic lifestyle away from the developing administrative complexities in Cape Town . Boers who took part in the Great Trek identified themselves as voortrekkers , meaning "pioneers" or "pathfinders" (literally "fore-trekkers") in Dutch and Afrikaans . The Great Trek led directly to
7476-417: Was built to house a garrison. In 1893, Natal received responsibility for its own government, and an assembly building was built along with the city hall. On 7 June 1893, while the young Mahatma Gandhi was on his way to Pretoria , a white man objected to Gandhi's presence in a first-class carriage. Despite Gandhi having a first-class ticket, he was ordered by the conductor to move to the van compartment at
7565-583: Was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality . The town was named in Zulu after King Dingane's royal homestead uMgungundlovu . Pietermaritzburg is popularly called Maritzburg in Afrikaans and is often informally abbreviated to PMB . It is a regionally important industrial hub, producing aluminium , timber and dairy products, as well as the main economic hub of uMgungundlovu District Municipality . The public sector
7654-466: Was no clear consensus amongst the trekkers on where they were going to settle, but they all had the goal of settling near an outlet to the sea. In August 1836, despite pre-existing peace agreements with local black leaders, a Ndebele (Matebele) patrol attacked the Liebenberg family part of Potgieter's party, killing six men, two women and six children. It is thought that their primary aim was to plunder
7743-451: Was not worth the immediate risk. Some officials were concerned for the tribes the Boers were certain to encounter, and whether these tribes would be enslaved or otherwise reduced to a state of penury . The Great Trek was not universally popular among the settlers either. Around 12,000 of them took part in the migration, about a fifth of the colony's Dutch-speaking white population at the time. The Dutch Reformed Church , to which most of
7832-496: Was one of the first universities in the country to provide education to African students. It became the University of KwaZulu-Natal on 1 January 2004. Pietermaritzburg was the capital of the Colony of Natal until 1910, when the Union of South Africa was formed, and Natal became a province of the Union. Prior to 1994, Pietermaritzburg was the capital of Natal Province . Following the first post-apartheid elections in South Africa, as
7921-514: Was terminated in 2019. Pietermaritzburg Railway Station is served by long distance trains on the Durban-Johannesburg and Durban-Cape Town routes of Shosholoza Meyl . It has been proposed that the Metrorail commuter rail system be expanded from Cato Ridge to Pietermaritzburg. The Pietermaritzburg Municipality historically operated a tram service, which was closed down in the 1940s, and
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