Andries Pretorius

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Andries Pretorius (1798-1853) was a South African political leader and general and till his death the most prominent and colorful Afrikaner figure.

In November 1838 the Voortrekker leader Pieter Retief and his companions were murdered at the village of the Zulu chief Dingane, and afterward the Voortrekker camp were massacred by Zulu warriors. The first efforts of both Boer and Briton to avenge these horrors met with dismal failure, leaving the Boer emigrants in a serious plight. At this stage Andries Pretorius was invited to become their leader and command a punitive expedition against Dingane.

Andries Pretorius was born on Nov. 27, 1798, at Graaff Reinet in the Cape Colony. It is unfortunate that only the scantiest details of his early life are available. He was taught by wandering teachers but in later life could express himself well in word and writing. A female admirer wrote of him as "a handsome, tall figure of between six and seven feet, upright, friendly, and captivating." The historian Theal said of him that "his knowledge and his opinions, as well as his virtues and his failings, were those of the seventeenth, not of the nineteenth century." He had his human share of temperamental imperfections and was often quick to anger, but he had no unreasoning obstinacy.

Farmer and Voortrekker Leader

Pretorius enters the historical scene in 1837 as a prosperous townsman at Graaff Reinet; he also owned farms in the district. He does not appear to have been consulted in the early projects of the border farmers, but he soon displayed a deep interest in the emigration movement. Before he finally joined the Voortrekkers in Natal, he paid a preliminary visit to the interior. He took part in the battle of Mosega, in which Mzilikazi and his Matabele (Ndebele) warriors were put to flight. Thereafter he purchased a farm near Port Natal and returned to Graaff Reinet only to sell his property. At this stage a deputation arrived from the stricken Voortrekkers in Natal and implored him to lead an expedition against Dingane. He accepted the invitation, hastened his departure, and reached the main laager in Natal on Nov. 22, 1838.

Setting out with a commando of 464 men, from the outset Pretorius insisted on the maintenance of proper discipline, which certainly had been lacking in previous cases. Though a man of decision, he never acted without calling a council of his officers.

On December 9 the Voortrekkers took the famous "Vow." It was the desire of Pretorius that the Voortrekkers make a collective promise to God that if He granted them victory they would celebrate the day of triumph, each year, as a Holy Sabbath to the glory of His name and that they would impress this duty upon their children.

Battle of Blood River

By December 15 the commando marched up the west bank of a tributary of the Buffalo named Income (Cattle River) by the Zulu but ever since known as Blood River. Under his inspired leadership his small force put to flight the vast Zulu army of more than 10, 000 men in one of the most fateful battles ever fought in South Africa.

The rejoicing which greeted the commando on its return was dampened by the grim tidings that British troops had arrived at Port Natal to occupy the territory temporarily because "of the disturbed state of the native tribes" resulting from the "unwarranted occupation" of the interior by the Voortrekkers.

Republic of Natal

The Voortrekkers remained undaunted, ignored the British, and proceeded under Pretorius to establish their own republic on the land granted by Dingane. Assisted by regiments of Dingane's brother Mpande, Pretorius in 1840 succeeded in finally overthrowing Dingane. Meanwhile the British troops had also left, and the Voortrekkers had at last achieved the independence they had been looking for. Within 3 years, however, the British were back, this time to remain. Pretorius defeated them at Congella and besieged them for over a month. After their relief, an uneasy peace followed for a year, and then Britain annexed Natal.

Differences with England

Pretorius settled near Pietermaritzburg, resigned his office, and became a British subject. In 1847 he journeyed to Grahamstown to protest before Sir Henry Pottinger, the representative of the Crown, the injustices the Natal Voortrekkers felt they had suffered. Pottinger unwisely refused to see him. This cavalier treatment infuriated Pretorius and aroused great indignation throughout South Africa.

In 1848 Sir Harry Smith, who had succeeded Pottinger, met Pretorius and a number of Voortrekkers at the foot of the Berg in Natal. The meeting was cordial, but unfortunately both men viewed the position from a totally different aspect: Smith was determined that Natal remain British, and Pretorius was adamant on the question of his people's independence. The result was that Pretorius and his followers cast off their allegiance to England.

Pretorius established himself in Rustenburg (Transvaal) and then took the bold, if unwise, step of urging burghers in Transvaal to join him in a campaign against England. Although he succeeded in evicting the British Resident from Bloemfontein, he was defeated at Boomplaats by Sir Harry Smith. He was proclaimed a rebel, and a reward of £2, 000 was offered by the Cape government for his apprehension.

Sand River Convention

Meanwhile, discord ruled among the Voortrekkers in Transvaal. There were three parties, two attached to the persons of the Voortrekker leaders Pretorius and Potgieter, and that of the Volksraad, whose authority was not clearly defined. Pretorius recognized that affairs in Transvaal would never be satisfactorily settled until recognition of the independence of its people was obtained from England. At his instigation the Volksraad decided that representations should be made to the British government for peace and a permanent understanding.

In August 1851 the burghers at Winburg, who were not reconciled to life under British rule, invited Pretorius to take upon himself the government of the territory between the Orange and Vaal rivers. Being an outlaw from that territory, Pretorius could not accept the invitation, but he informed the British authorities that he had received it.

To prevent Pretorius from interfering outside Transvaal, his outlawry was reversed, and two commissioners were instructed to effect a settlement regarding the burghers beyond the Vaal. Acting without the blessing of the Volksraad, Pretorius met them and signed the Sand River Convention on Jan. 17, 1852, whereby England recognized the independence of Transvaal. It was ratified by the Volksraad after Pretorius and Potgieter had at last become reconciled.

After the bitterness of the Anglo-Boer struggles had died down, Pretorius frequently came into amicable intercourse with British officials, who invariably spoke of him in terms not merely of high respect but of warm friendliness. Perhaps the highest testimony to the regard in which he was universally held is the fact that, as he lay on his deathbed, several native chiefs who had heard of his illness and had come to pay their respects exhibited intense grief "as they knelt successively and kissed his hand." He died on July 23, 1853, at Magaliesberg.

Further Reading

South African historiography lacks an objective biography of Pretorius. Gustav Preller, who had an intense admiration for Pretorius and an almost naive partisanship for the Afrikaner people, published a biography, Andries Pretorius (1939), but the book, meritorious for its thrilling and picturesque accounts, is far from a critical study. Recommended for general background are Sir George E. Cory, The Rise of South Africa (6 vols., 1910-1940); Eric Anderson Walker, The Great Trek (1934; 4th ed. 1960); Manfred Nathan's outstanding work, The Voortrekkers of South Africa (1937); and George McCall Theal, History of South Africa, vol. 6 (1964).

Additional Sources

Liebenberg, Barend Jacobus, Andries Pretorius in Natal, Pretoria: Academica, 1977.

Andries Pretorius
1st Chairman of the United Volksraad
Personal details
Born	Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius 27 November 1798(1798-11-27) Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony
Died	23 July 1853(1853-07-23) (aged 54) Magaliesberg, South African Republic
Children	Marthinus Wessel Pretorius
Military service
Allegiance	South African Republic Natalia Republic Voortrekkers
Years of service	1838-1852
Rank	Commandant-General
Commands	Transvaal and Orange River Commandos
Battles/wars	Battle of Blood River Battle of Boomplaats

Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius (27 November 1798 – 23 July 1853) was a leader of the Boers who was instrumental in the creation of the Transvaal Republic, as well as the earlier but short-lived Natalia Republic, in present-day South Africa.

Contents 1 Early life and Education 2 Career 3 See also 4 References

Early life and Education

Born in 1798, Pretorius received his education at home and grew up to become a farmer, like his parents, in Graaff-Reinet in the Cape Colony. He was a descendant of one of the earliest Dutch settlers in South Africa and a "descendant of two East Indian slave women, Catharina van Bengale on his mother’s side, and Helena van Malabar on his father’s side."^[1][2][3]

Career

Discontented under British rule, he left his home and joined the Great Trek to the north. By way of the Orange Free State, he crossed the Drakensberg into Natal, arriving in November 1838, when the emigrants lacked a recognized leader following the death of Piet Retief in February. They chose Pretorius as commandant-general, and he quickly collected a force to avenge the deaths of Piet Retief and his party, who had been killed by the Zulu king Dingane's forces in February under treacherous circumstances.

Statue of Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius (27 November 1798 – 23 July 1853) in Pretoria

On 16 December 1838, Pretorius' force of some 500 men was attacked by over 10,000 Zulus. With superior weaponry and tactics, the Dutch beat them off, killing an estimated 3,000 warriors in what became known as the Battle of Blood River.

Afrikaners memorialized the day as "Dingane's Day" until 1910. It was renamed "Day of the Vow", later "Day of the Covenant", and made a public holiday by the first South African government. After the fall of apartheid in 1994, the new government kept the day as a public holiday as an act of conciliation to Afrikaners, but renamed it "Day of Reconciliation".

In January 1840, Pretorius with a commando of 400 burghers, helped Mpande in his revolt against his half-brother Dingane. He was also the leader of the Natal Boers in their opposition to the British. In 1842, Pretorius besieged the small British garrison at Durban, but retreated to Pietermaritzburg on the arrival of reinforcements under Colonel Josias Cloete. Afterward, he exerted his influence with the Boers to reach a peaceful solution with the British, who annexed Natalia.

Remaining in Natal as a British subject, in 1847 Pretorius was chosen by the Boer farmers to present their grievances to the governor of Cape Colony. They were concerned about the continuous migration of natives who were assigned locations to the detriment of Boer land claims. Pretorius went to Grahamstown to seek an audience with the governor, Sir Henry Pottinger, but he refused to see Pretorius or receive any communication from him. Pretorius returned to Natal determined to abandon his farm and move beyond the British dominions.

With a considerable following, he was preparing to cross the Drakensberg when Sir Harry Smith, newly appointed governor of the Cape, reached the emigrants' camp on the Tugela River in January 1848. Smith promised the farmers protection from the natives and persuaded many of the party to remain. Pretorius departed, and, on the proclamation of British sovereignty up to the Vaal River, fixed his residence in the Magaliesberg, north of that river. He was chosen by the burghers living on both banks of the Vaal as their commandant-general. At the request of the Boers at Winburg, Pretorius crossed the Vaal in July and led the anti-British party in their "war of freedom", occupying Bloemfontein on 20 July. In August, he was defeated at Boomplaats by Smith and retreated to the north of the Vaal. He became leader of one of the largest of the parties into which the Transvaal Boers were divided, and commandant-general of Potchefstroom and Rustenburg, his principal rival being Commandant-General A. H. Potgieter.

In 1851, Boer malcontents in the Orange River Sovereignty and the Basotho chief Moshoeshoe I asked Pretorius to come to their aid. He announced his intention of crossing the Vaal to "restore order" in the Sovereignty. His goal was to obtain an acknowledgment of the independence of the Transvaal Boers from the British. Having decided on a policy of abandonment, the British cabinet entertained his proposal. The government withdrew its reward of 2000 pounds, which had been offered for his capture after the Boomplaats battle. Pretorius met the British commissioners near the Sand River. On 17 January 1852 they concluded the convention by which the independence of the Transvaal Boers was recognized by Britain.

Pretorius recrossed the Vaal River, and on 16 March he reconciled with Potgieter at Rustenburg. The followers of both leaders approved the convention, although the Potgieter party was not represented. In the same year, Pretorius paid a visit to Durban with the object of opening up trade between Natal and the new republic. In 1852, he also attempted to close the road to the interior through Bechuanaland and sent a commando to the western border against Sechele.

Pretorius died at his home at Magaliesberg in July 1853. He is described by Theal as "the ablest leader and most perfect representative of the Emigrant Farmers." In 1855, a new district and a new town were formed out of the Potchefstroom and Rustenburg districts by his son, Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, who named them Pretoria in honour of the late commandant-general. Marthinus Wessel Pretorius was the first president of the Transvaal Republic.

See also

• Battle of Congella
• Battle of Blood River

References

1. ^ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:d3eWsRPNPw4J:www.beyondidentity.co.za/2008/02/the-purity-of-the-afrikaners/+&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&client=ubuntu
2. ^ http://cape-slavery-heritage.iblog.co.za/2008/09/30/the-slave-roots-of-andries-pretorius-after-whom-pretoria-is-named/
3. ^ http://www.stamouers.com/

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

v t e Governments of South African Republic and Transvaal Commandants-General A. Pretorius Lijdenburg W.F. Joubert Zoutpansberg A.H. Potgieter · P.J. Potgieter · S. Schoeman Marico J.A. Enslin Potchefstroom-Rustenburg A. Pretorius · M.W. Pretorius Chairmen of the United Volksraad A. Pretorius · W. Jacobszoon · H. Pretorius State Presidents M.W. Pretorius · J.H. Grobler · S. Schoeman · W.C. Janse van Rensburg · M.W. Pretorius · D.J. Erasmus · T.F. Burgers Administrators T. Shepstone · O. Lanyon Governor G. Wolseley · Triumvirate in rebellion: S.J.P. Kruger / M.W. Pretorius / P.J. Joubert State presidents S.J.P. Kruger · S.W. Burger Governors A. Milner · W. Palmer Prime Minister L. Botha

Persondata
Name	Pretorius, Andries
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	27 November 1798
Place of birth	Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony
Date of death	23 July 1853
Place of death	Magaliesberg, South African Republic

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