The Monument was built as a tribute to the Voortrekkers who brought their culture to the interior. The architect of the Voortrekker Monument was Gerhard Moerdijk.
In the Monument’s upper dome is an opening through which the sun shines. Each year at 12 o’clock on 16 December (the day of the Battle of Blood River), the ray of sunlight falls on the inscription “Ons vir jou Suid Afrika” (We for thee, South Africa). The words are taken from the song “Die Stem van Suid Afrika” (The Call of South Africa). The ray of sunlight symbolizes God’s blessing on the work and aspirations of the Voortrekkers.
The Voortrekkers left the Cape Colony in 1835. After scouts had been sent to the interior, the Voortrekkers decided that the areas which used to be known as Transvaal and Natal, should be their main targets. The Voortrekkers departed in groups, each with its own leader. Louis Trichardt in 1835 was the first to leave the Cape Colony. His party stayed in the Soutpansberg Mountains but Trichardt’s hopes of settling here were dashed by malaria and after a year his party decided to trek to Delgoa Bay.
After almost 8 months they reached Lourenço Marques. Trichardt, his wife and most of the party died of fever. Only about 20 people survived and they were later taken to Port Natal.
After Trichardt and Hendrik Potgieter left Cape Colony with a fairly large group of Voortrekkers. They were joined by Sarel Cilliers and his party and together they followed Trichardt’s route to Thaba Nchu. Makwana, paramount chief of the Taung and Moroka II, paramount chief of the Rolong were glad that the Voortrekkers had arrived. At this time the Ndebele, a splinter group of the Zulu, were conducting a reign of terror against the Black tribes in the interior.
The Rolong and the Taung hoped that the Voortrekkers would be able to free them from the Ndebele oppression. Potgieter’s Trek was attacked by 6000 Ndebele warriors at Vegkop 1836. The Ndebele were repulsed, but they plundered all the livestock and trek oxen. The Voortrekkers were therefore unable to use their wagons. The Rolong sent them trek oxen and food.
Retief trekked towards Natal with most of the Voortrekkers, while Potgieter finally disposed or the Ndebele. The battle take place over a period of 9 days. The Ndebele retreated to the North and established their capital, Bulawayo, in what is now Zimbabwe. They continued their raids, this time against the Shona.
Potgieter was grateful for the assistance received from the Rolong and rewarded them with gifts.
Retief wanted to trek to Natal and on 14 October 1437, accompanied by a group of men, he paid his first visit to Dingane. Dingane was prepared to give the Voortrekkers land in exchange for cattle that had been stolen from the Zulu by the Tlokwa and Sekonyela and that the Voortrekkers were to recover.
The Voortrekkers now began to trek across the Drakensberg Mountains to Natal. About 1 000 wagons were brought over the mountains in a few weeks. Retief, accompanied by 70 volunteers, including his son, went to Umgungundlovo, Dingane’s capital, for the final negotiations.
Dingane gave the land between the Tugela and Umzimvubu Rivers to the Voortrekkers. After the treaty has been signed, Retief and his men were preparing to return to the rest of the Voortrekkers on 6 February 1838. During the festivities Dingane ordered his warriors to kill the Voortrekkers.
Retief and his men were taken to the so-called “Moordkoppie” (Hill of Death) outside Umgungundlovo, where they were beaten to death with sticks and stones. Retief was left to the end. He first had to witness how his comrades and his son perished.
The ease with which Retief had secured the stolen cattle from Sekonyela without any violence had also impressed Dingane. He saw the Voortrekkers as a potential threat.
After the murder of Retief and his men, Dingane ordered his warriors to murder the Voortrekkers at Bloukrans. During the night of 17 February 1838 the unsuspecting Voortrekkers were attacked by 10 000 Zulu warriors. About 500 people died in this attack.
Hendrik Potgieter and Piet Uys led a punitive expedition as a reprisal against Dingane. At Italeni Uys and his commando were led into an ambush (18 April 1838). Uys and his son Dirkie, both perished.
Retief and Uys were dead, Potgieter had returned to the Transvaal, and Gerrit Maritz was a sick man. Andries Pretorius became the new leader in Natal on 22 November 1838. He was a strong leader who immediately began to reorganize and motivate the Voortrekkers.
The Voortrekkers made a vow to God. In the vow they swore to God that if He granted them victory over the Zulu they would forever commemorate that day as a day of thanksgiving. They also built a church to commemorate the victory. The vow was made the first time on 9 December 1838 and was then repeated every evening up to 15 December.
By 15 December 1838 Pretorius learnt from his scouts that the Zulu force was close at hand. Dingane was in a position to mobilize a very well organized army of up to 40 000 men. Pretorius’s commando consisted of 530 men.
The Voortrekkers decided to form a laager at the confluence of the Ncome River (later the Blood River) and a deep ravine. The Zulu waited until 16 December. Thousands of warriors in the regiments, each with its own colour shield, had surrounded the laager.
The roughly 530 Voortrekkers defeated 12 000 to 15 000 Zulu warriors without one Voortrekker being killed. The Voortrekkers pursued the Zulu as far as Umgungundlovo. There they found the remains of Retief and his men, as well as Retief’s satchel with the signed treaty still inside.
The Voortrekkers built the Church of the vow in Pietermaritzburg. Today this small church is a museum.
Dingane became king of the Zulu after he had arranged the murder of his half-brother Shaka. He spared his half-brother Mpande. After the battle of Blood River there were dissension among the Zulu. Dingane’s forces were defeated at the hands of Mpande. Mpande was then crowned king of the Zulu. Dingane was later murdered by the Swazi.
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