Mostly Battlefields – Kwazulu-Natal (Part 3)

March 23, 2014 Don Reid 2 Comments

The background

My earlier Post on “Paardeberg (Finding the Canadians)” covers our trip with Sheila (Sam) and John Denner to Kimberley and the Paardeberg Battlefield. The follow-on trip took us to Kwazulu-Natal where we visited a number of battlefield sites, some of which were described in the similarly captioned Posts, Parts 1 and 2. This post takes up the next leg of the trip, covering more of the battlefield sites identified by John over the northern and central parts of Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) province, which lies in the north-east quadrant of South Africa.

We continued to enjoy the wonderful hospitality of Pieter and Anlia Genis , family of my wife Gerda, who farm near Vryheid and who had offered their farm as a base for us to visit the various battlefield sites. They went far beyond normal hospitality in driving us around and providing meals and a place to sleep for four days – they surely deserve a medal!

Next on our agenda were the well-known sites of Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana, where fierce battles took place between the British and the Zulu nation. To close out our KZN visit we tracked across the province to visit the Ulundi battlefield and the nearby sites of Piet Retief’s grave and the mock-up of Dingaan’s Kraal. Lastly we visited the site of the Battle of Khambula, just a couple of km’s from where we were staying on the farm.

A tour of the farm was in order before making our way back to Pretoria

Battle of Rorke’s Drift (23 January 1879)

Following an early farm breakfast, we traveled via Dundee to Rorke’s Drift, arriving just after 10h00.

Rorke's Drift Battlefield — Rorke’s Drift Battlefield

This was the site of a heroic defence, by around 100 men, of the hospital and surrounds against thousands of Zulus. The house used as a hospital has been reconstructed on the old foundations and acts as a museum, while the immediate area that was successfully defended is marked out with white stone lines, making it easy to picture just how the battle progressed and where the main lines of defence were positioned.

Rorke's Drift - the house used as a Hospital — Rorke’s Drift – the museum on the site of the original Hospital

Rorke's Drift - side view of house used as hospital — Rorke’s Drift – side view of the museum

Rorke's Drift - one of the heroes — Rorke’s Drift – story of one of the heroes

Rorke's Drift Battlefield Cemetery — Rorke’s Drift Battlefield Cemetery

Rorke's Drift - inside the small chapel — Rorke’s Drift – inside the small chapel, used as a storehouse at the time of the battle

We walked up to the ridge where numbers of Zulus hid in caves and fired downwards at the British defenders – now one looks down on the local school grounds and some scattered dwellings, which seems a waste of an opportunity to turn the site into a significant attraction, famous as it is throughout the world.

Rorke's Drift - a recent monument — Rorke’s Drift – monument to the fallen Zulus

The Battle

This battle started on the same day as the Battle of Isandlwana, continuing to the next day, and it soon became clear that the two battles are inextricably linked.

With the main British column being involved in the invasion of Zululand, just 104 men were left at the camp at Rorke’s Drift, on the border between Natal and Zululand, at a point where a drift provides a crossing point across the Buffalo River. The hospital was looking after 39 sick men. Hearing of the battle at Isandlwana and receiving reports of Zulu warriors heading in their direction, the men left at Rorke’s Drift set up barricades close to the hospital using biscuit tins and bags of mealie meal and prepared for the onslaught, which came in waves of Zulu warriors numbering about 4000 in all. Eventually some of them gained access to the hospital and the British broke holes in the walls to escape to the outside barricaded area, taking the hospital patients with them. The Zulus continued to attack throughout the night and managed to set fire to the thatched roof of the hospital, but were repulsed each time – at first light the Zulus withdrew when they saw some of the remaining forces who had managed to escape from Isandlwana returning to Rorke’s Drift.

The map below is taken from the book Field Guide to Battlefields of South Africa

Where is it?

Travel on the R 68 to Nqutu, turn right after about 26 km to Rorke’s Drift and turn left after a further 6 km at a T-junction and travel to the entrance gate. The gate is at 28º 21′ 28.3″ S , 30º 32′ 06.3″ E

Battle of Isandlwana (22 January 1879)

Isandlwana was our next stop, not too far along the road. A number of monuments commemorate the battle and tens of stone crypts are dotted across the vast site, marking the spots where the fallen soldiers were buried. The battle took place on the same day as Rorke’s Drift, when a massive Zulu force wiped out about 1300 British soldiers, making it one of the most disastrous battles for the British and a major triumph for the Zulus.

Isandlwana Battlefield - one of several monuments — Isandlwana Battlefield – one of several monuments

Isandlwana Battlefield - another of the monuments — Isandlwana Battlefield – another of the monuments

The Battle

The British army invaded Zululand in 3 separate columns, of which the central column consisted of some 4500 men under Lord Chelmsford, who were headed in the direction of Ulundi, the seat of the Zulu king, Cetshwayo. At the same time the Zulu army of some 22000 warriors had left Ulundi and were heading towards Rorke’s Drift with orders to engage the British forces. The Zulus employed an attack strategy known as “the horns-of-the-buffalo” formation and eventually surrounded the depleted British forces who began to retreat. The battle ended in disaster for the British, as all men who stayed to the end were killed, with 1329 British dead in total. The Zulus also suffered around a 1000 dead, making it an expensive victory, which turned out to be short-lived when the British came out victorious some 5 months later at the final battle of the war at Ulundi.

The map below is taken from the book Field Guide to the Battlefields of South Africa

Where is it?

The site is south-east of Dundee in KZN – travel on the R 68 to Nqutu where you turn right in town then take the R 68 further to Melmoth – the turn-off to the site is about 14 km out of Nqutu.

Battle of Ulundi (4 July 1879)

From Isandlwana it was a long drive along some very rough back roads, expertly negotiated by Pieter in his Nissan Pathfinder, via Babanango to Ulundi where the final battle of the Anglo-Zulu War took place. The site is well-preserved and presented, with a commemorative domed building in the middle of the site and pathways radiating out from the centre, delineating the area where about 5500 British soldiers were formed in a “fighting square” and managed to keep some 15000 Zulu warriors at bay.

Ulundi Battlefield - the stone building serving as monument — Ulundi Battlefield – the stone building serving as monument

The Battle

This was the final battle of the Anglo-Zulu war. The British forces, numbering about 5500 men, were advancing on Ondini, home of Cetshwayo the Zulu king, formed into a fighting square with companies of fighting men on four sides with guns and wagons alongside them, covering an area of some 3.5 hectares. The Zulus employed their famous “horns-of-the-buffalo” formation and began to attack the British formation, but suffered huge casualties and were beaten back and subsequently pursued with many being killed, probably as a brutal revenge for the British losses at Isandlwana. The British dead amounted to 12 men.

Where is it?

Travel to Ulundi town and take the airport road turn-off – shortly after you pass the airport the site is visible on the left. The GPS position at the monument in the middle of the site is 28º 18′ 39.3″ S , 31º 25′ 32.2″ E

Piet Retief’s Grave (Murdered on 6 February 1838)

By this time it was getting late and we were all tiring after a long day’s drive – not surprisingly, we were wavering about whether to look for the site where Piet Retief was buried, but John was adamant that we should “pay our respects to old Piet”. After a further short drive from Ulundi and a couple of wrong turns, we found the site at the end of a dirt road. The grave of Piet Retief and the monument to him and the 70 burghers who were all murdered, was well-kept and quite moving to visit, knowing some of the history leading to this tragic event.

Monument and cemetery - Piet Retief's murder — Monument and cemetery – Piet Retief’s murder

Piet Retief's grave — Piet Retief’s grave

The Burghers who were murdered along with Piet Retief

The Murder

The Trekkers under Piet Retief were seeking permission to settle south of the Tugela River and he and his entourage entered into negotiations with the Zulu king Dingane at his homestead, but were all executed on Dingane’s orders.

Where is it?

We had some difficulty finding the site due to poor signposting – the GPS position is 28º 25′ 37.7″ S , 31º 16′ 12.6″ E

Dingaan’s Kraal

We followed this up with a look-in at the nearby mock-up of Dingaan’s Kraal which has been re-created in the same position that it was at the time of the murder.

Dingaan's Kraal re-created — Dingaan’s Kraal re-created

Where is it?

Very close to the grave of and monument to Piet Retief and his entourage – best to visit both in one trip.

Battle of Khambula (29 March 1879)

The closest battlefield site to the farm, just a few km’s away, is that of the Battle of Khambula, which Pieter took us to view before returning to Pretoria. Once again we were pleasantly surprised to find the cemetery and monuments well-kept, despite it being on private ground and not being one of the “popular” sites, so probably visited very infrequently.

Khambula Battlefield - cemetery — Khambula Battlefield – cemetery

Khambula Battlefield - monument — Khambula Battlefield – monument

The Battle

This battle followed some 3 months after the disastrous loss for the British at Isandlwana and just a day after the Battle of Hlobane on a nearby mountain the previous day where further losses were suffered. The battle of Khambula took place at the British encampment which housed the northern British column of the forces that had set out to invade Zululand. The 1800 British soldiers successfully defended their position against up to 20000 Zulu warriors and inflicted heavy casualties on them while suffering 18 dead and 65 wounded

Where is it?

Turn off the R33 between Vryheid and Paulpietersburg about 5 km outside Vryheid and follow the dirt road for a further 5 km to the site. There is no gate to the site so use the GPS positions to find the cemetery at 27º 41′ 15.5″ S , 30º 40′ 04.4″ E

The Farm

In between travelling to the sites we continued to enjoy the hospitality of Pieter and Anlia – before departing for Pretoria, Pieter took us on a tour of the farm, including the grazing land for his herd of fine Boran cattle high up on the plateau, accessed by a mildly hairy dirt road that switchbacks up the side of the mountain.

101_2159_edited-1 — The herd up on the plateau

John getting up close and personal with a friendly bull — John and Pieter getting up close and personal with a friendly bull

Having seen a lot of KZN in the few days at our disposal and having covered almost all of the battlefield sites on John’s “wish list”, we returned to Pretoria quite tired but well satisfied. Next on the itinerary was a couple of days to take it easy, perhaps explore the Pretoria and Joburg area a bit and get ready for our trip to Kruger Park and the other attractions of Mpumulanga province, followed by a flight to George to “do” the Garden Route.

Special note : much of the detail info is taken from the excellent book Field Guide to the Battlefields of South Africa and summarised in my own words – the cover is reproduced below. It is highly recommended for anyone seeking more info and intending to visit some of the sites.

Holiday Trips

Flowering Aloe time in Kruger – continued

March 12, 2014 Don Reid 2 Comments

Tamboti Tented Camp

At the end of our 4 nights in Letaba, we headed south towards Orpen and the nearby Tamboti Tented camp for the next 7 days of our Kruger Park visit. Tamboti lies a couple of km’s off the main Orpen – Satara tarred road, along a river course which is dry for most of the year. All of the units are tented, with some having their own private bathrooms and others sharing an ablution block – we had chosen one with a bathroom and an outside kitchen, more like a chalet with canvas walls than an actual tent. The whole unit is raised above the ground and has a deck which overlooks the river bed – really comfortable as long as you realise that in winter canvas walls provide very little insulation from the cold nights, so warm blankets and a warm body next to you are highly recommended for a good night’s sleep.

Early morning coffee and rusks on the patio is all part of our ritual when visiting Kruger and Tamboti was no different once we had dragged ourselves out of the warm cocoon of the bed and onto the deck to get the kettle boiling in the chilly morning air – it took some cajoling to get a slightly reluctant Gerda to join me but once we had a steaming mug to hand, the sights and sounds of the awakening bush and the crisp, fresh air made it all worthwhile.

Tamboti Tent camp - view from the deck — Tamboti Tent camp – view from the deck

A slow walk around the camp with binos and camera was next on the schedule and it was soon evident that there was plenty of bird life working their way through the dry bush – Southern Boubou was particularly prominent and vocal, while both Red-billed and Yellow-billed Hornbills showed themselves, the latter having caught a large centipede which he deftly worked into his long curved bill until just the legs were showing and soon disappeared altogether.

Yellow-billed Hornbill with doomed centipede

Yellow-billed Hornbill finishing breakfast

The bush between the units, set well apart, was home to many other species, some of which I was able to capture digitally –

Jameson's Firefinch, Tamboti — Jameson’s Firefinch, Tamboti

Besides the numerous birds, other visitors to our unit included the usual mischievous Vervet Monkeys, which you always have to keep an eye on if you value your fruit and bread, which they will grab in a flash and jump onto the nearest branch. An unexpected “robber” in the guise of a Tree Squirrel gained access to our tented unit via a tiny gap in the canvas and got into one of the biscuit tins while we were out one morning so after that we kept all our food in crates, weighed down with heavy items. A few Dwarf Mongooses (Mongeese? No, don’t think so) were also regulars around the tent, looking for food amongst the leaf litter and there is often a Gecko or Lizard to observe, in and around the tent.

Once we had spent a day or so relaxing in camp we were keen to get out on the road for a game and birding drive – the road to Satara is usually good for a variety of game, especially as you get closer to Satara and was fully up to expectations –

Zebra - Most photogenic animal in Kruger? — Burchell’s Zebra – surely the most photogenic animal in Kruger

The nice thing about being a birder in Kruger is that whenever you stop for a bird, as often as not an animal is spotted and vice versa, so there is never a shortage of interesting sightings. The area close to Satara is also one of the best for spotting Ostrich – yes, you can see hundreds at a time on farms around Oudtshoorn and every second farm across SA has a few in the fields, but there is just nothing like seeing the real thing in one of the National Parks – they just look more handsome and genuine than the farm-raised Ostriches.

Then a group of White-crested Helmet-Shrikes drew our attention – I have this theory that says these birds must be able to count, as you always see them in a group of 7 or 8 – how else would they know when to allow a newcomer to the group or get rid of an unwanted member? Anyway that’s a theory that probably needs some more work to make it believable.

Satara Camp

Satara camp is one of the Kruger camps that has managed to retain a lot of its old-style atmosphere, despite being the second busiest camp and very popular with tour groups. The restaurant doesn’t serve those glorious burgers and pies that were worth looking forward to, but the stoep and the view across the lawns with the grand old trees in the middle, full of Buffalo-Weavers and like-minded species, is still there. Fortunately, the aloes in Satara were also in full bloom and attracted a variety of birds –

Near the reception the resident African Scops-Owl was still attracting knots of tourists and is probably one of the most photographed birds in Kruger but maintains a rather disdainful attitude towards his fame –

The picnic spot for day visitors is set to one side and attracts a steady stream of avian and butterfly visitors to entertain while you picnic –

Orange-tip Butterfly (Colotis evenina evenina)

During a walk around Satara I came across a couple of species which allowed a close approach – a Bennett’s Woodpecker was so engrossed with inspecting the lower leaves of a large Aloe that he paid no attention as I crept closer to get some nice sharp photos and a Black-headed Oriole was equally unconcerned when I got up close and personal.

Bennet's Woodpecker, Satara — Bennet’s Woodpecker, Satara

Destination Muzandzeni

The loop that lies south of the Orpen-Satara road is good for a morning’s drive, bypassing Talamati Bushveld camp and with Muzandzeni picnic spot ideally placed for a brunch break. On the way there is a good chance of spotting game and at the picnic spot there is always a gathering of birds and Tree-squirrels to keep the grandkids busy.