The historical link between Bela-Bela and Blood River

This article is the fourth in a series about the history of our town that may be of interest to residents of our village.

Hands up those who know of the historical connection between Bela-Bela (formerly Warmbaths) and Blood River in KwaZulu-Natal? Blood River is located on the R33 between Dundee and Vryheid, approximately 600 km as the crow flies from Bela-Bela.

The two main actors in this saga were Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius and his wife, Christina Petronella Pretorius.

Commandant General Andries Pretorius

Andries (1798 – 1853) achieved fame as the leader of 470 Voortrekkers who fought against a large Zulu impi estimated at 10 000 to 15 000 on the bank of the Ncome River on 16 December 1838.This battle later became known as the Battle of Blood River. Three Voortrekkers were injured, including Andries, who was stabbed in the hand. Zulu casualties amounted to more than 3 000.

The Battle of Blood River

The Voortrekkers believed that God granted them victory and therefore promised that they and their descendants would commemorate the day of the battle as a day of rest. It was memorialized as Dingaan’s Day but was later renamed as the Day of the Covenant. Since 1994 the democratically elected government kept the day as a public holiday as an act of conciliation, but renamed it the Day of Reconciliation.

Andries Pretorius was involved in the establishment of the short-lived Voortrekker Republic of Natalia in 1839. In 1852 he was also instrumental in the founding of the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek. The city of Pretoria is named after him.

Andries married Cristina de Wit (1799 – 1848) in 1818 when she was 18 years old. They had 13 children before she passed away in Warmbaths at the age of 48 where she was brought after a bout of flu. It was hoped that the mineral waters would restore her health. 

History books tell us very little about Christina. In fact, we were unable to find a picture of her. However, judging by the epitaph on her gravestone which was erected in the Voortrekker Cemetery behind the present-day Bela-Bela Municipal Office she must have been a patriotic person. The epitaph reads, “Gaan Andries, jou landgenote het jou nodig; kyk wat jy vir hulle kan doen; my kan jy die lewe tog nie gee nie.”

Christina Pretorius' grave

There is an element of sadness in the fact that, in the year of her death (1848), Andries heeded her plea to continue serving his countrymen because they needed him. For example, he led the Voortrekkers in their "war of freedom" against the British, occupying Bloemfontein on 20 July 1848. In August 1848, he was defeated by the British at Boomplaats.

One wonders, was he with her when she died?