Echoes of courage

Piet Retief

In February 1838, Voortrekker leader Piet Retief and his delegation were murdered by Zulu King Dingane at his royal kraal, uMgungundlovu. Retief had negotiated with Dingane for land in Natal, and after signing a treaty, the Voortrekkers were invited to witness a ceremonial performance. During the event, Dingane suddenly ordered, “Bulalani abathakathi!” (“Kill the wizards!”), and Retief’s party—about 70 men—were seized and executed. Shortly after, Zulu forces attacked nearby Voortrekker camps, killing hundreds. The massacre deeply shocked the settlers and intensified the conflict between the Voortrekkers and the Zulu, leading to the pivotal Battle of Blood River in December 1838.

Pieter Hendrik Johannes Krynauw, born 1861 married Anna Maria Retief de Villiers, born 1863 (our grandmother). Her grandmother was Anna Susanna Retief, married to David Hendrik de Villiers. Anna Susanna Retief was a cousin of Piet Retief.

Jan Gerritze Bantjes

 “De jongeman met de scherpe pen” (Andries Pretorius)
Jan Gerritze Bantjes (8 July 1817 – 10 March 1887) was born at Beaufort West, son of Bernard Louis Bantjes and Isabella Adriana Swanepoel. As a young man of 17 years he joined the 1834 Voortrekkers with his father, producing the influential “Natal Land Report” that helped spark the Great Trek. He must have had exceptional education and intellect. At the age of 20 he served as scribe and secretary to Andries Pretorius, drafting both the Dingane land treaty and the “Bantjes Journal” of the 1838 Battle of Blood River. Later he was Clerk to the Natal Volksraad, teacher, magistrate’s clerk, lawyer, and Postmaster General of the “Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek”. He mentored Paul Kruger and was father to Jan Gerrit Bantjes, one of important discoverers of the Witwatersrand Gold Reef. 

Our grandmother, Anna Maria Retief Krynauw (née de Villiers), born in 1863, was the daughter of Maria Christina Bantjes (1830–1870), who was married to Gideon Jacobus de Villiers. Maria Christina and Jan Gerritze Bantjes were great-grandchildren of the Bantjes progenitor, Jan Geert Bantjes. The latter was married three times, and the two great-grandchildren came from different marriages of the progenitor.  This means that our grandmother had a distant connection to “De jonge man met de scherpe pen,” who wrote the Retief/Dingane Treaty of 1837, as well as to Piet Retief, who delivered it.

The Basuto War (1880–1881)

The Basuto War erupted when the Cape Colony (under Prime Minister Gordon Sprigg) ordered the disarmament of the Basuto people in 1880, demanding they surrender firearms acquired during earlier conflicts. The Basuto, led by chiefs like Lerotholi, resisted fiercely. They exploited mountainous terrain to launch guerrilla attacks, crippling colonial forces. The Cape suffered heavy losses, including at Qalabani (Lancers’ Gap) and Mafeteng. After a costly stalemate, Britain intervened, annulling the disarmament policy and resuming direct control of Basutoland (now Lesotho) in 1884. The war bankrupted the Cape, exposed colonial vulnerabilities, and cemented Basuto autonomy. 

Willem Johannes Krynauw, (1855–1953?) (Uncle Willie) was one of 114 men from Beaufort West who were called up for service. There were significant logistical and terrain challenges. Railway connections were limited, and great distances had to be covered on horseback. After the war, 1200 soldiers were transported by ship from East London to the Cape. (Their horses were likely no longer in a condition to travel overland.)

Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902)

During the war our grandfather,Pieter HJ Krynauw (1861) was accused of sheltering Boer fighters and was imprisoned for three months in Clyde House, Beaufort West. He was released due to a lack of witnesses.  The greatest impact on the family in Beaufort West (and many other Boers at the time) was that, according to his son (David W, 1908), they “lost everything.” Others in the Free State and Transvaal were even less fortunate, paying with their lives.

Battle of Rietfontein

The Battle of Rietfontein took place on 24 October 1899 during the early stages of the Second Anglo-Boer War. British forces under General Sir George White advanced from Ladysmith to support a threatened garrison at Elandslaagte but encountered Boer forces near Rietfontein. A sharp skirmish ensued, with the British engaging in a frontal assault supported by artillery. Although the Boers eventually withdrew, the British failed to achieve a decisive victory and returned to Ladysmith. The battle highlighted the challenges of open terrain warfare and marked the increasing tension leading up to the Siege of Ladysmith shortly afterward. Casualties were moderate on both sides.

Johannes Lodewicus Krynauw (29) 07.10.1870 – 24.10.1899) was a member of the Kroonstad Commando and killed at the Battle of Rietfontein. Reburied at Mooiplaats, Ladybrand in 1903.

Battle of Paardeberg

The Battle of Paardeberg, fought from 18 to 27 February 1900 during the Second Anglo-Boer War, was a significant turning point. British forces under Lord Roberts encircled and besieged Boer General Piet Cronjé’s army near the Modder River in the Orange Free State. After intense fighting and heavy bombardment, Cronjé surrendered with over 4,000 men—the largest Boer surrender of the war. The British victory boosted morale and marked the beginning of the end for conventional Boer resistance. It also highlighted the effectiveness of British tactics over traditional Boer mobility, shifting the war toward a prolonged guerrilla phase.

James Arthur Krynauw (19) from the farm Le Souvenir, Ladybrand, died on 19.02.1900 at the Battle of Paardeberg.

Dewetsdorp

Johannes Hendrik Krynauw, born 1 Jul 1876 died 29 Nov 1901 at Dewetsdorp. He was a member of the Ladybrand Commando. He was reburied in 1903 at Mooiplaats, Ladybrand.

Cape Rebels

The Cape Rebels were male British subjects residing in the Cape Colony who, during the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, joined the forces of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State and took up arms against Britain.

The only Krynauw listed as a Cape Rebel by the War Museum in Bloemfontein is Willem Johannes Krynauw from Britstown. His court case was on 19 November 1901.  He was tried by a British military court on charges of rebellion—a serious crime, often punishable by death or imprisonment. The outcome of the court case is not widely known. ( Willem Johannes was born 25 July 1855 and passed away 31 March 1953. He was an elder brother of our grandfather, Pieter HJ, born 1861. Read more about “Oom Willie” in Uncles and aunts and A toast to Krynauws)