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52-454: Standerton was founded in 1878 on a farm called Grootverlangen and named after its owner Commandant Adriaan Henrik Stander. The South African Republic's Volksraad approved the formation of a town at the drift in 1876 and proclaimed two years later. It was granted municipal status in 1903. The crossing over the Vaal River , now bridged, was known as Stander's Drift and a hill close to the town

104-756: A Voortrekker victory against the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River . The area was previously named Natália by Portuguese sailors, due to its discovery on Christmas ("Natal" is the Portuguese word for Christmas). The republic came to an end in 1843 when British forces annexed it to form the Colony of Natal . After the British annexation of the Natalia Republic, most local Voortrekkers trekked northwest into Transorangia , later known as

156-540: A unicameral body, the Volksraad was divided into two chambers in 1890 in order to keep Boer control over state matters while still giving Uitlanders (foreigners) — many of whom were temporarily employed in the mining industry — a say in local affairs, in order to fend off British complaints. From 1890 the Volksraad consisted of two houses of 24 members each. The "Second Volksraad " had suffrage for all white males above 16 years, and had limited legislative powers in

208-506: A Dutch vessel sent out by Gregorius Ohrig , an Amsterdam merchant who sympathized with the farmers, reached Port Natal. Johan Arnold Smellekamp concluded a treaty with the volksraad assuring them of the protection of the Netherlands. The Natal Boers believed the Netherlands to be one of the great powers of Europe, and were firmly persuaded that its government would aid them in resisting Great Britain. On 1 April 1842 Captain T. C. Smith with

260-455: A detachment of the 72nd Highlanders from Cape Colony. While the governor of the Cape, Major-General Sir George Napier , had invited the British emigrants from Natal to return to the colony, and stated his intention to take military possession of the port. In sanctioning the occupation of the port the British government of the day had no intention of making Natal a British colony, but wished to prevent

312-516: A force of 263 men left his camp at the Umgazi, on the eastern frontier of Cape Colony , and marching overland reached Durban without opposition, and encamped, on 4 May, at the base of the Berea hills. The Boers, cut off from their port, called out a commando of some 300 to 400 men under Andries Pretorius and gathered at Congella at the head of the bay. On the night of 23 May, Smith made an unsuccessful attack on

364-481: A large tract of land extending from St Lucia Bay to be part of the Natalia Republic. Meantime the Boers had founded Pietermaritzburg , named in honour of leaders Piet Retief and Gerrit Maritz . They made it their capital and the seat of their Volksraad . Legislative power was vested in the volksraad (consisting of 24 members), while the president and executive were changed every three months. For issues of importance,

416-399: A meeting was called of het publiek , that is, of all who chose to attend, to sanction or reject it. "The result," says the historian George McCall Theal , "was utter anarchy. Decisions of one day were frequently reversed the next, and every one held himself free to disobey any law that he did not approve of. ... Public opinion of the hour in each section of the community was the only force in

468-575: A special commissioner to explain to the Natal volksraad the decision of the government. There was a considerable party of Natal Boers still strongly opposed to the British, and they were reinforced by numerous bands of Boers who came over the Drakensberg from Winburg and Potchefstroom . Commandant Jan Mocke of Winburg (who had helped to besiege Captain Smith at Durban) and others of the "war party" attempted to induce

520-492: A vow which became known as the "Day of The Vow or Covenant" that "if the Lord might give us victory, we hereby deem to found a house as a memorial of his Great Name at a place where it shall please Him", and that they also implore the help and assistance of God in accomplishing this Vow and that they write down this Day of Victory in a book and disclose this event to our very last posterities in order that this will forever be celebrated in

572-598: Is a rural town surviving mainly on agriculture, it has produced talented people prominent in South African society. Volksraad (South African Republic) The Volksraad of the South African Republic (English: "People's Council" of the South African Republic, Afrikaans : Volksraad van die Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek ) was the parliament of the former South African Republic (ZAR), it existed from 1840 to 1877, and from 1881 to 1902 in part of what

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624-862: Is now South Africa . The body ceased to exist after the British Empire 's victory in the Second Anglo-Boer War . The Volksraad sat in session in Ou Raadsaal in Church Square, Pretoria . In 1840, at the beginning of the Natalia Republic , an adjunct Volksraad was created in Potchefstroom for settlers west of the Drakensberg . The Potchefstroom Volksraad continued despite the British annexation of

676-431: Is situated in the upper reaches of the Vaal River less than 10 km upstream of Standerton. It has a catchment area of 8,195 km, a mean annual precipitation of approximately 750 mm, a mean annual potential evaporation at the dam site of 1,400 mm and a natural inflow of 580 million m/a. The full supply capacity of the reservoir is 364 million m. The Grootdraai dam was completed in 1982. Although Standerton

728-574: The African National Congress in October 2009. The riots included the burning of tyres and blocking some entries to the town. The area around the town promotes mixed agriculture with crops such as maize , sunflower seeds , ground nuts and potatoes . Poultry and dairy farming is also conducted in the region. Standerton Mills Pty Ltd was established in 1947. Mainly manufacturing and supplying yarn and woven industrial fabrics. Grootdraai Dam

780-523: The Orange Free State , and the South African Republic . On Christmas Day 1497 Vasco da Gama was sailing past the region now known as Transkei and named the country Terra Natalis. He next sighted the bluff at the entrance to what is now the harbour of Durban . Da Gama made no landing here, but in later years the name Natália became associated with it. Like the rest of South Africa, Natal

832-496: The Tugela River near its mouth. On 17 April, in a desperate fight with a Zulu force, the British were overwhelmed and only four Europeans escaped to the bay. Pursued by the Zulus, the surviving inhabitants of Durban took refuge on a ship then in harbour. After the Zulus retired, fewer than a dozen Englishmen returned to live at the port; the missionaries, hunters, and other traders returned to Cape Colony . The Boers had repelled

884-603: The Zulu . After three hours, the Boers had killed thousands of Zulus and had fewer than a dozen of their men wounded. The Zulus withdrew in defeat, many crossing the river which had turned red with blood and thereafter known as the Battle of Blood River . Modern-day Boers still celebrate the Day of the Vow every year on 16 December. Returning south, Pretorius and his fighters found that the British had annexed Port Natal (now Durban ) on 4 December with

936-652: The kraal of Shaka’s successor Dingane , ruler of the Zulu Kingdom , to obtain a cession of territory for the Boer farmers. Dingane consented on condition that the Boers recover cattle stolen by another chief. Retief managed that and, with the help of missionary the Rev Francis Owen, living at Dingane’s kraal, he drew up a deed of cession in English. Dingane and Retief signed it on 4 February 1838. Two days later, Dingane ordered

988-411: The Boer camp, losing his guns and fifty men were killed or wounded. On 26 May the Boers captured the harbour and settlement, and on 31 May blockaded the British camp, the women and children being removed, on the suggestion of Pretorius, to a ship in the harbour of which the Boers had taken possession. Meantime, an old Durban resident, Dick King , had undertaken to convey tidings of the perilous position of

1040-550: The Boers establishing an independent republic upon the coast with a harbour through which access to the interior could be gained. After remaining at the port just over a year the Highlanders were withdrawn, on 24 December 1839. After the battle, Pretorius took advantage of dissension in the Zulu kingdom to ally himself with Mpande , brother of the Zulu king Dingane . Dingane's attempt to extend his kingdom north to compensate for losses to

1092-488: The Boers had failed. He was defeated by the Swazi people in 1839, leading to discontent with his rule. In exchange for cattle and territory Pretorius agreed to support Mpande's bid to overthrow Dingane. A Boer force supported Mpande's Zulu impi in the invasion. At the Battle of Maqongqo , Dingane was crushed and was put to flight with what retainers chose to follow him into exile. Pretorius took 36,000 head of cattle and proclaimed

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1144-431: The Boers who would not acknowledge British rule trekked once more over the mountains into what became the Orange Free State and Transvaal provinces to seek their freedom and independence. At the end of 1843 there were not more than 500 Dutch families left in Natal. Cloete, before returning to the Cape, visited Mpande and obtained from him a valuable concession. Hitherto the Tugela River from source to mouth had been

1196-450: The Boers' attack on the Xhosa. On 21 February 1842 the settlers responded, with a document written by Jacobus Boshoff . The farmers complained about the lack of representative government, and concluded by a protest against the occupation of any part of their territory by British troops. Soon after, an event occurred which encouraged the Boers in their opposition to Great Britain. In March 1842

1248-523: The British force to the commandant at Grahamstown . He started on the night of 24 May, and escaping the Boer outposts rode through the dense bush, and in nine days reached his destination—a distance of 360 miles (580 km) in a direct line, and nearly 600 miles (970 km) by the route to be followed. This remarkable ride was accomplished with one change of mount, obtained from a missionary in Pondoland . A comparatively strong force under Colonel A. J. Cloete

1300-656: The Natalia Republic in 1843. It eventually passed the Thirty-three Articles, the precursor to the 1858 constitution ( Grondwet ), in 1849. In 1858 the Grondwet permanently established the Volksraad as the supreme authority of the nation. Volksraad was initially a unicameral body. It consisted of three members for each of the districts of Potchefstroom , Lydenburg , Rustenburg , Zoutpansberg , Pretoria , Wakkerstroom , Utrecht , Middelburg , Heidelberg , Waterberg, Marico, and Bloemhof , and one member for each of

1352-435: The Zulu attacks on their laagers; joined by others from the Drakensberg , about 400 men under Hendrik Potgieter and Piet Uys advanced to attack Dingane. On 11 April, they fell into a trap and with difficulty cut their way out. Among those slain were Piet Uys and his son Dirk, aged 15. Toward the end of the year, the Boers received reinforcements. In December 460 men set out under Boer general Andries Pretorius to take on

1404-407: The Zulus. Andries Pretorius selected Jan Gerritze Bantjes (1817-1887) as his scribe and secretary in recording events of the campaign and coming retaliation battle with the Zulus. Bantjes documented daily in his journal the progress of the commando, from their start on 27 November 1838 until they reached their selected battle site on 15 December 1838. They avoided being led into a trap as happened on

1456-519: The battle was fierce and noisy, even the discharging of small arms fire from our marksmen on all sides was like thunder. After more than two hours of fierce battle, the Commander in Chief gave orders that the gates be opened and mounted men sent to fight the enemy in fast attacks, as the enemy near constantly stormed the laager time and again, and he feared the ammunition would soon run out. The Boers fought off

1508-465: The damage and prohibited attempts to remove another statue erected in memory of Anglo-Boer war concentration camp victims. In May 2010, the memorial was rebuilt on its original site. The township of Sakhile near Standerton was the site of violent, service delivery riots that led to the Lekwa Municipality mayor Juliet Queen Radebe-Khumalo and other senior municipal officials, being recalled by

1560-405: The distant Zulus approaching. All the patrols were called back into the laager by firing alarm signals from the cannons. The enemy came forward at full speed and suddenly they had encircled the area around the laager. As it got lighter, so we could see them approaching over their predecessors who had already been shot back. Their rapid approach (though terrifying to witness due to their great numbers)

1612-411: The execution of Retief and all of his party, 66 whites and 34 Khoikhoi servants. The Zulu king commanded his impis to kill all the Boers who had entered Natal. The Zulu forces crossed the Tugela River the same day, and the most advanced parties of the Boers were massacred, many at a spot near where the town of Weenen now stands, its name (meaning wailing or weeping) commemorating the event. Other of

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1664-617: The facade of the municipality building, was constructed by Afrikaners to mark the 150th anniversary of the Great Trek . The Lekwa municipality's mayor Queen Radebe-Khumalo ordered the structure demolished in April 2007. "That piece of thing means nothing to us. It's just a piece of cement with tracks. I do not even know where it comes from", Radebe-Khumalo declared in a statement quoted by the Beeld newspaper. The incident led to widespread condemnation by

1716-400: The farmers hastily laagered and were able to repulse the Zulu attacks; the assailants suffered serious loss at a fight near Bushman River . In one week after the murder of Retief, the Zulus had killed 600 Boers. Hearing of the attack on the Boers, the British settlers at the bay sent a force to help them. Robert Biggar commanded 20 British and a following of 700 friendly Zulus and crossed

1768-459: The fields of mining, road construction, copyright and certain commercial affairs, all subject to ratification by the "First Volksraad ". This was the highest authority in charge of state policy, with preference being given to fully franchised burghers for appointment to government posts. The members of the First Volkraad were elected for four years. First Volksraad members had to be born in

1820-457: The honour of God." On 16 December 1838, while laagered near the Umslatos River or Hippo Pool, they were attacked by more than 10,000 Zulus. As Bantjes wrote in his journal: Sunday, December 16 was like being newly born for us - the sky was clear, the weather fine and bright. We hardly saw the twilight of the break of day or the guards, who were still at their posts and could just make out

1872-402: The land." The Zulus continued to exist as a distinct and numerous people with their own dispensation within their own territory to the north and east, in the region known as Zululand . The settlers were in loose alliance with and in quasi-supremacy over the Boer communities that had left the Cape and settled at Winburg and at Potchefstroom . They declared a free and independent state under

1924-619: The local Afrikaans community. Jan Bosman, a spokesperson for the Afrikanerbond , claimed that "actions like these undo the spirit of reconciliation as promoted by former president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu ". In June 2007, a joint initiative between AfriForum and Solidarity lodged an application to the Pretoria High Court requesting that the mayor offer compensation for damages claimed. A subsequent court order ruled that Radebe-Khumalo and her municipality would pay for

1976-656: The people would accept a military force to defend against other European powers. Sir George communicated this decision to the volksraad in September 1841. The Boers strongly resented the contention of the British that they could not shake off British nationality, though beyond the bounds of any recognized British possession. They also wanted control of the British Natal Port (now renamed Durban). They rejected Napier's overtures. On 2 December 1841, Napier announced his intention to resume military occupation of Port Natal, citing

2028-467: The previous attempt to attack the Zulus in April which ended in disaster. On the journey, they had small skirmishes with various kraals but the main Zulu army had not arrived yet to attack. Boer and Zulu scouts were constantly monitoring each other's whereabouts. On 9 December 1838 as Bantjes wrote in his journal, the Boers congregated under a clear sky to sing appropriate psalms and celebrate the Sabbath, taking

2080-451: The recognized frontier between Natal and Zululand. Mpande gave up to Natal all the territory between the Buffalo and Tugela rivers, which later formed Klip River county. Proclaimed a British Colony of Natal in 1843, it became a part of Cape Colony in 1844, not being separated again until 1856. The power of the volksraad did not truly end until 1845, when an effective British administration

2132-648: The situation. Finally, in deference to the strongly urged views of Sir George Napier, Lord Stanley, in a despatch of 13 December, received in Cape Town on 23 April 1843, consented to Natal becoming a British colony. The institutions adopted were to be as far as possible in accordance with the wishes of the people, but it was a fundamental condition "that there should not be in the eye of the law any distinction or disqualification whatever, founded on mere difference of colour, origin, language or creed." Sir George then appointed Mr Henry Cloete (a brother of Colonel Josias Cloete)

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2184-601: The state. The Second Volksraad, of the Uitlanders, was allegedly without power. The chairmen of the unicameral Volksraad ( Voorzitter van den Volksraad ). The chairmen of the First Volksraad ( Voorzitter van den Eersten Volksraad ). The chairmen of the Second Volksraad ( Voorzitter van den Tweede Volksraad ). Natalia Republic The Natalia Republic was a short-lived Boer republic founded in 1839 after

2236-553: The title of "The Republic of Port Natal and adjacent countries," and sought (September 1840) from Sir George Napier an acknowledgment of their independence by Great Britain. Sir George did not give an answer but was friendly to the Boer farmers. He was disturbed when a commando force under Andries Pretorius attacked the Xhosa in December 1840. The national government declined to recognize Natalia's independence but proposed to trade with it if

2288-494: The town of Durban , established in 1835. The next Europeans to settle in the country were emigrant Boers from the Cape Colony , who came by land over the passes of the Drakensberg . These Voortrekkers were led by Piet Retief . Passing through the almost deserted upper regions, Retief arrived at Port Natal in October 1837. During this journey, he chose a site for the capital of the future state that he envisioned. He went to

2340-483: The towns of Potchefstroom, Lydenburg, Rustenburg, and Pretoria. The members had to be of European origin, over thirty years old, possessed real estate, never convicted of crime, member of a Protestant church, and voters in the Republic of at least three years. Before 1873 the members were elected for two years, and half of the members retired every two years. The Volksraad met once a year in ordinary session. Initially

2392-476: The volksraad not to submit, and a plan was formed to murder Pretorius , Boshoff and other leaders, who were now convinced that the only chance of ending the state of complete anarchy into which the country had fallen was by accepting British sovereignty. On 8 August 1843 the Natal Volksraad unanimously agreed to the terms proposed by Lord Stanley, setting Drakensberg as the northern limit of Natal. Many of

2444-416: Was an impressive sight. The Zulus came in regiments, each captain with his men behind (as the patrols had seen them coming the day before) until they had surrounded us. I could not count them, but I was told that a captive Zulu gave the number at thirty-six regiments, each regiment calculated to be "nine hundred to a thousand men strong. The battle now began and the cannons unleashed from each gate, such that

2496-420: Was at once sent by sea to Port Natal, and on 26 June, Captain Smith was relieved. The besieged had suffered greatly from lack of food. Within a fortnight Colonel Cloete received the submission of the volksraad at Pietermaritzburg . The burghers represented that they were under the protection of the Netherlands, but this plea was peremptorily rejected by the commander of the British forces. The British government

2548-515: Was called Standerskop were also named after Stander. During the First Boer War (1880–81), a British unit was besieged by the Boer forces who shelled them from the nearby hill, the former holding out until the end of the war in February 1881. The town has received nationwide media attention in 2007 and 2008 following the destruction of an important voortrekker memorial. This monument, located near

2600-675: Was established under Martin West as lieutenant-governor. After the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, the British defeated the Zulu army, and annexed Zululand to Natal in 1897. One of the four founding provinces of South Africa , it is now KwaZulu-Natal . This province is still home to the Zulu nation; native speakers of the Zulu language form 77.8% of the population. The province also has a large ethnic Indian population, as well as Boer -descended residents and ethnic British descendants. [REDACTED]   This article incorporates text from

2652-501: Was neglected by the Portuguese, whose nearest settlement was at Delagoa Bay . It is not proven when the clan settled in the region which was inhabited by Nguni people . A small clan living north of the Tugela River, the amaZulu, was greatly enlarged by its leader Shaka , and between 1818 and 1820 his Zulu Kingdom 's military campaigns overran the area. British traders established a small settlement at Port Natal, so founding what became

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2704-541: Was still undecided as to its policy towards Natal. In April 1842 Lord Stanley , then Secretary of State for War and the Colonies in the second Peel Administration , wrote to Sir George Napier that the establishment of a colony in Natal would be attended with little prospect of advantage, but at the same time stated that the pretensions of the emigrants to be regarded as an independent community could not be admitted. Various measures were proposed which would but have aggravated

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