JOHANNESBURG 19 SEPTEMBER 2013 09:31
DYING DREAMS
PIET RETIEF - BOERE VERRAAIERS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011
PIET RETIEF AND MERCENARIES MURDERED IN KZN
PIET RETIEF AND MERCENARIES MURDERED IN KZN
Amanda Selebi - Zululand Chronicle
6 February 1838 12:00
Notorious Boere Mercenary Soldier leader Piet Retief, of the
Boere KZN Kommando, comprising of his whole Brigade, after having repossessed
cattle from Chief SEKONYELA, for Zula King Dingane, were savagely slaughtered
today.
The incident happened at the hill at KwaMatiwane, where the
Boere were slaughtered liked sheep while the Zulu Impi were drinking Scotch
Whiskey.
It is alleged that Retief and his Boere countrymen wanted to
buy land off the Zulu Nation at reduced prices. Dingane negotiated the deal on
Real Estate and drew up the ‘offer to purchase!’
Retief and his men in turn had to repossess cattle stolen by
Sekonyela, which he did.
According to Dingane’s spokesman, Themba Cwele, Retief had
kept some of the repossessed cattle for himself.
Retief was invited to a local Zulu Shebeen at the Royal
Village Ngungunhlovu, where the deal would be clinched. A braai and strip were
organised for the Merchant Soldiers. The Boere were ordered to leave their
weapons and horses at the front door. The premises being a “GUN FREE ZONE!”
After a dispute about the price of the Lap Dancers and
Twala, the Boere were rounded up, taken to KwaTiwane hills and killed execution
style.
No arrested made and no witnesses found on the slaughter
scene.
Police investigations continue.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Names: Retief, Piet
Born: 12 November 1780, Wagenmakersvallei, (now Wellington),
Cape Province
Died: 6 February 1838, kwaMatiwane, Natal
In summary: Voortrekker leader
Piet Retief was born on 12 November 1780 in the
Wagenmakersvallei, known as Wellington today, and was the fifth of 10 children
of Jacobus and Debora Retief. His ancestors were from Provence in France. His
father was a farmer and Piet Retief lived with him until he was 27, after which
he left the farm. He settled in Stellenbosch and tried his hand at a number of
businesses such as working as a clerk in a store, prospecting for land,
building and the liquor trade. His liquor license was not renewed because
Colonel Thomas Willshire complained that his soldiers were always drunk because
of Retief's alcohol license. Most of his businesses were never really
successful. He was constantly involved in lawsuits and financial difficulties.
In 1814 Retief married a widow, Magdalene Johanna (Lenie)
Greyling, and adopted three sons and two daughters. He was an educated man and
because of his involvement in various commandos he gained good leadership
qualities. His letters indicate that he was a refined and intelligent person
and he was known for his honesty, moral integrity and benevolence. These
factors made him a good candidate for leadership in the Voortrekker community.
He was also known for his restless nature and energy.
Retief bought a farm near the Koega River and eventually
moved to Grahamstown, where he made his fortune. He lost his money in a bad
business decision and was forced to return to farming near the Great
Winterberg.<>
During this time the Cape became a British colony. Great
Britain began to introduce a series of reforms that angered many Boers. The
Anglican Church became the official church of the Cape Colony, and with it came
the English language and legal practices and norms.<>
Reforms that deeply affected many Afrikaners were laws
prohibiting the slave trade and later, the abolition of slavery at the Cape.
Moreover, compensation given for the loss of slaves was very little and should
they wish to lodge a complaint, they were expected to do so in London. This
meant that many Dutch farmers at the Cape lost a great deal of their wealth and
Retief provided the Voortrekkers with leadership in this period. He mediated
between the Afrikaner farmers and the British government, and when talks
failed, helped to organise the migration of farmers to the north of the
country, which eventually became known as the Great Trek.
He imagined a place where there would be "prospects for
peace and happiness for their children" and "with resoluteness, the
principle of true freedom will be esteemed" and a government with
"proper laws," based upon the fundamental concept of
"righteousness." He published a manifesto to this effect on 22
January 1837 in the Grahamstown Journal, which functioned as a declaration of
independence for the Voortrekker farmers. He also became a leader of a group of
Voortrekker group that later followed other Voortrekkers who had already
decided to leave the Cape Colony in search of a better place far away from
British control.
In 1837 his group arrived in Thaba Nchu and there it
combined with a group of 300 Voortrekkers that had arrived in Thaba Nchu
earlier. They considered Piet Retief to be their leader and elected him their
governor. Thaba Nchu did not become a final settlement for the Voortrekkers.
Piet Retief led his group across the Drakensberg mountain range in the hope of
settling in a more fertile Zululand. This area was under the kingship of
Dingaan, Shaka Zulu's half brother. Using the missionary Francis Owen, Piet
Retief sent a letter to Dingaan telling him that he wished to live in peace
with the Zulu people. In the same letter he pointed to the Voortrekker defeat
of King Mzilikazi as a tactic to threaten King Dingaan and prevent him from
attacking the Voortrekkers.
Dingaan tested the military capability of Retief's men by
asking them to retrieve his cattle from Chief Sekonyela. He promised them that
if they succeeded he would give them land to live on. Their success made
Dingaan aware that an outright battle with the Voortrekkers would not lead to
Zulu victory. Dingaan was also suspicious that the Voortrekkers were planning
to ambush him. One night Piet Retief's men were seen moving closer to the
inkandla, a Zulu royal homestead.
These events, together with Retief messages that bad kings
do not rule forever, was seen as sufficient proof that Retief was planning an
attack against Dingaan. As a result, Dingaan conceived a plot to kill all of
them. Piet Retief and his men where invited to a party to celebrate the return
of King Dingaan's cattle. They were requested not to bring their weapons to the
king's kraal. On 6 February 1838, once they were all inside the kraal they were
killed.
References
•Encyclopedia of World Biography on Pieter Retief [online]
Thomson Gale [accessed 17 September 2009]
POSTED BY SONNY COX AT 4:42 AM
LABELS: PIET RETIEF MURDERED
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