YEARS ago I learnt about the black and white wars of the 1800s. Recently I visited the battlefields where those wars took place. I totally loved the experience.
I walked in the footsteps of Zulu kings - Shaka, Dingane, Cetshwayo and his father Mpande and Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Jan Smuts and Louis Botha. These men were all part of the KwaZulu-Natal battlefields.
The tour started early on a Friday morning with specialised tour guide Dave Sutcliffe at Blood River.
It all began when Dutch inhabitants of the Cape Province wanted to free themselves from British domination and settled in the Orange Free State and Transvaal. These people continually clashed with local black tribes until one group, under Piet Retief, crossed into Natal.
Retief and Dingane, who ruled the area, entered into an agreement that allowed Retief and his people to stay along the Tugela and Mzinyathi rivers.
Later, however, Dingane changed his mind and lured Retief and 64 of his men into a trap and killed them. Dingane sent more of his men where Retief's other men were camping and they killed them and took their live stock. Initial attempts by the whites to avenge the killings were fruitless.
It was under the leadership of a man of God, Andries Pretorius, who is said to have prayed every night to God to bring closer their enemy (blacks) and they (whites) would worship Him forever that they attacked and defeated the Zulus at Blood River. The war continued to Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.
In the museums in the three areas that we visited, there is a record of how many white men were killed, but just an estimated number of blacks who were killed.
Sutcliffe said one needed five days to tour the battlefields. I agree.
The tour is both breathtaking and emotional.
Tourism Enterprise Programme , a non -profit company, sponsored the tour . Since 2000, the programme has assisted more than 6400 small tourism businesses, which in turn helped create more than 57000 jobs in the tourism industry.
Fascinating tour of Boer War Battlefields
YEARS ago I learnt about the black and white wars of the 1800s. Recently I visited the battlefields where those wars took place. I totally loved the experience.
I walked in the footsteps of Zulu kings - Shaka, Dingane, Cetshwayo and his father Mpande and Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Jan Smuts and Louis Botha. These men were all part of the KwaZulu-Natal battlefields.
The tour started early on a Friday morning with specialised tour guide Dave Sutcliffe at Blood River.
It all began when Dutch inhabitants of the Cape Province wanted to free themselves from British domination and settled in the Orange Free State and Transvaal. These people continually clashed with local black tribes until one group, under Piet Retief, crossed into Natal.
Retief and Dingane, who ruled the area, entered into an agreement that allowed Retief and his people to stay along the Tugela and Mzinyathi rivers.
Later, however, Dingane changed his mind and lured Retief and 64 of his men into a trap and killed them. Dingane sent more of his men where Retief's other men were camping and they killed them and took their live stock. Initial attempts by the whites to avenge the killings were fruitless.
It was under the leadership of a man of God, Andries Pretorius, who is said to have prayed every night to God to bring closer their enemy (blacks) and they (whites) would worship Him forever that they attacked and defeated the Zulus at Blood River. The war continued to Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.
In the museums in the three areas that we visited, there is a record of how many white men were killed, but just an estimated number of blacks who were killed.
Sutcliffe said one needed five days to tour the battlefields. I agree.
The tour is both breathtaking and emotional.
Tourism Enterprise Programme , a non -profit company, sponsored the tour . Since 2000, the programme has assisted more than 6400 small tourism businesses, which in turn helped create more than 57000 jobs in the tourism industry.
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