HISTORY:

The Early Sotho-Tswana Settlers in the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve
Researched and written by Noel Thornton

In stark contrast to the mass migration of the N’Guni people, along the eastern coast of the country, the Sotho speaking Tswana took hundreds of years to finally reach the Highveld. This was due mainly to the fact that because they were pastrol farmers they tended to remain in an area while conditions suited their needs. When they arrived here in around 1400, they found a veritable Garden of Eden. The vast grasslands and the temperate climate were ideal for their farming activities. There was ample grazing for their cattle, sheep and goats. Soil conditions were ideal for growing their traditional crops of millet, sorghum and later maize and there was an ample supply of water. Given all these plus factors, it is not surprising that numerous settlements were established in the Klipriviersberg and surrounding areas.

The Tswana lived and prospered in the area until the end of the 1500’s and would probably have remained in the area indefinitely. However, a dramatic change for the worse, in climatic conditions, resulted in a mass migration to the Lowveld. It took close on 150 years for the them to return to the Highveld and to resume their farming activities. When they returned, new villages were established and they resumed their idyllic existence.

From a traditional viewpoint life in a Tswana village of the mid-1700's was much the same as it had been when they arrived on the Highveld in 1400. There were, however, three important changes to their lifestyle. The first was that the construction of their villages had changed, the second was that they had introduced maize as an additional crop and the third was the discovery of iron ore deposits in Melville Koppies. This discovery enabled local tribes to barter produce and animals for iron axes, spears and arrow heads.

Changes to the construction of their villages saw the traditional circular stone walled structure replaced by a structure with scolloped outer walls. Maize had been introduced to the Tswana by the Portuguese sailors who visited Maputo. Before their departure to the Lowveld implements and weapons had been fashioned from stones that they found in the area.

In 1800 the Tswana once again left the Highveld. There are various theories why the mass migration took place: One was that their tranquil existence had led to an unprecedented growth in the population which, in turn, meant that there was a shortage of arable land. The second was an impending severe drought which saw stronger and more militant tribes sweep across the country, eliminating weaker tribes and thus securing their grain and their animals. It is thought that in order to avoid annihilation, the Tswana moved, en masse, to the safety of Botswana.

The Vierfontein Dam

Visitors entering the Kliprivierberg Nature Reserve from the Northern or Mondeor Gate, will notice the weir that has been built across the spruit. Surrounding the weir are massive granite blocks that have been firmly cemented into position. At first impression one would assume that the structure was an attempt to create a small dam across the spruit. However, as innocuous as this appear at first glance, the structure is of considerable historical significance because it was destined to be a massive dam that would solve the water supply problem of a burgeoning Johannesburg in the late 1800’s.

The discovery of gold on the Oosthuizen farm, Langlaagte in February 1886, triggered a world-wide reaction that would result in an unprecedented influx of people into a Republic that was practically unknown. People of all cultures, languages, colour and religions arrived in the burgeoning gold town, named Johannesburg. They arrived with only one purpose in mind – the prospect of making a fortune. The influx of people into the area was so great, that the original tent town quickly grew into a town with buildings, shops, bars, taverns, music halls, more taverns, houses of ill repute and even more taverns.

Hardened prospectors, who had battled disease and the elements in the Lydenburg and Barberton gold mining areas, many with minimal success, deserted their claims and flocked to the Witwatersrand. Their counterparts from the Kimberley diamond fields also joined the rush. People arrived in their hundreds on a daily basis using every imaginable form of transport. So, it was not surprising, that the rapid population growth soon started having a detrimental affect on the make shift public amenities. One of the more serious problems that the growing town experienced was a shortage of a regular and safe water supply.

At the outset, the Transvaal Volksraad (Parliament), under the leadership of Paul Kruger, where unimpressed by the influx of “uitlanders”. Equally they soon realised, that there was very little that they could do to stem the tide of fortune hunters. While they grudgingly accepted their presence they also resolved to make the uitlanders’ stay as uncomfortable as possible.

President Paul Kruger firmly believed that the discovery of gold, like Lydenburg and Barberton was a flash in the pan and that the prospectors would soon become disillusioned and leave. On that basis he was reluctant to persuade the Volksraad to commit funds to supply amenities that would make Johannesburg a permanent fixture. However, when the government started seeing the positive financial benefits, that were accruing, from the taxes that were being levied on anything to do with gold, there was a marked shift in their attitude.

As Johannesburg grew, water or the lack thereof soon became a major problem in the town. Organisations such as the Johannesburg Waterworks Company were hard pressed to cope with the demand for this precious commodity. At times the shortage was so acute that some residents were obliged to wash in “mineral water” that might have been better used in a glass of something stronger.

By the late-eighteen hundreds water consumption in Johannesburg had rocketed to 5-million gallons a day and the need for some form of regular water supply was assuming critical proportions. While initial representation to the Volksraad to find a solution to the problem fell on deaf ears, Kruger eventually managed to persuaded the Volksraad to appoint a special committee “to provide a reliable water scheme for Johannesburg.”
A well known engineer, by the name of Hamilton Smith, was given the task of finding a suitable site where a dam could be built. Of all the sites that he considered the one on the farm Vierfontein was the most suitable. It was close to Johannesburg, it had a strongly flowing, permanent stream and there was a gap in the surrounding hills where a wall could be erected. The perennial stream was fed by four tributaries that where, in turn, fed by strong natural springs. There was also an adequate deposit of granite that could be used to construct the massive wall of the dam.

The situation and the plans for constructing the dam was approved and the Vierfontein Syndicate was established. Five mining magnates, Sir Lionel Philips, C.S. Goldman, H. Crawford, C. Malcomess and E. Lippert, where elected to the board and the syndicate proceeded to buy the farm Vierfontein.

The construction of the dam was delayed for several years but before the close of the century work on the dam begun in earnest. Huge slabs of Granite were quarried from deposits of that had been found in an area just north/east of the Anglican Church, in Mondeor. The slabs where transported by an overhead cable and pulley system and deposited in an area above the dam site, where they were “dressed” and lowered into position. (Dressed and undressed slabs of granite together with massive pitons that have been driven into the rocks can still be seen in an area above the dam.) As a matter of interest, this style of construction became known as “Cyclopean Masonry Construction.”

A well known engineer by the name of E.J. Lashinger, was appointed to oversee the construction of the wall. The first set-back that the project suffered was that the bed- rock that was to support the foundations of the wall, was found to be very soft and because of this the builders had to excavate a further 50 ft below the surface of the veld. Having reached stable bed-rock the construction of the massive 30 foot wide wall got under way. The dam wall, which was designed to be 40 foot high, was successfully anchored to the hill on the western side of the spruit. However, when construction reached the Eastern side the rock structure was found to be too soft.

Lashinger decided that the solution to the problem was to dig a hole to the same depth as the foundations, cast a pillar in the hole and anchor the wall onto the pillar. Workmen started digging the hole but struck water, at an unknown depth and the hole filled with water.

At this point in time providence played a part in the construction of the dam because the Anglo/Boer war started. The British workers on the site returned to Natal and the Cape, the Boer workers returned to their homes to joined their local Commando and the labourers returned to their homelands. After the war the new government reassessed the feasibility of continuing construction of the dam and they came to the conclusion that further work on the structure would be uneconomical. Having taken the decision to cease building the dam the new government decided to build the Barrage on the Vaal river and pump water to Johannesburg.The farm Vierfontein was eventually sold to a Mr. Latten who renamed it Ormonde and it was not too long before the only evidence of the proposed dam was a deep quarry and a wall that was incomplete. Had the Vierfontein Dam been completed Johannesburg would have boasted a lake that stretched over 2 square miles and was 50 ft deep. The suburbs of Mondeor, Winchester Hills and Zuideroord would never have existed.

Marais farm house, Wagon shed and family cemetery

By the early 1800’s, the 10 000 Boer farmers who had settled on the eastern frontier of the Cape Colony, where becoming increasingly disenchanted with the British Colonial Government. Appeals to address, among other things, were the continual interference in their affairs by the Colonial Government, the ongoing raids on their farms by the Xhosa and the long delay in being granted self-government. When these appeals continued to fall on deaf ears, the Boer leaders decided that the only option open to them was move inland, as far away from British influence as possible.

One of the Boer leaders, a farmer/businessman by the name of Piet Retief was given the task of compiling the “trekkers manifesto.” The document stressed the Boers desire for freedom, their desire to lead a more peaceful life and their pledge to avoid depriving anyone of their land. So, in late 1836, Retief led the main party of ‘trekkers’ out of Grahamstown and into an unknown and uncertain future.

The trekker party that assembled in the Beaufort West area and which eventually joined the main trekker group at Colesburg, comprised of most of the farmers from the area. Among this group was the Marais family. Led by their father G.S. Marais, the party also included his sons, Sarel and Jan. At that stage, Sarel was 22 years old. Also in the group where the Schmidt family and their two daughters, one of whom was named Hemien.

As far as can be established, the family stayed with the main trekker group until Retief decided to settle in Natal. By this time Sarel had married Hermien Schmidt and Jan had married the other Scmidt daughter. The brothers and their families decided to trek into the Transvaal arriving there in the mid-1800’s. After spending some time in the Potchefstroom area they eventually moved to the Witwatersrand. Jan Bought the farm Doornkloof, the site of the present day Suikerboschrand Nature Reserve and Sarel bought the western portion of the farm Rietvlei. Today this farm forms a large portion of the area comprising the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve.

Sarel constructed the farm house, ruins of the house can still be seen in the southern part of the reserve, from bricks made from clay that was found locally. The roof was thatched and supported by yellow wood timbers and the ceiling was also constructed of wood. The floors were made of the traditional mixture of mud and cow dung. After finishing the house, Sarel started building a wagon shed. The construction of the shed differed from that used on the house, in that the walls were built from rocks to a level of about a metre, with large clay blocks being laid on the rocks, to roof height.
The roof of the wagon shed was also thatched and supported by yellow wood beams. The remains of the wagon shed can also be seen in the south of the reserve.

Near the wagon shed are two large rocks that have been placed vertically into the ground. They indicate the entrance to the walled orchard. Most of the tress in the orchard were peach trees. Apart from the fruit that was either dried or preserved a large portion was also used to produce Sarels’ excellent peach brandy. The orchard was irrigated from a weir that was erected across the spruit. Water was channeled to an earth dam and then into the orchard.

Sarel and Hermien had 13 children and as they prospered they were able to employ a teacher, who lived on the farm. Children from the area also attended classes at the Marais farm. Hermien Marais died in the early 1800’s and Sarel died in 1893 age 79.

About 500 metres north of the farm house is the Marais family cemetery. Seventeen members of the Marais family are buried in the stone walled area. There are a further 56 unmarked graves, on the northern side of the cemetery, outside the wall. These graves are thought to be those of farm labourers.

After Sarel’s death the farm was taken over by the Marais's eighth child, Jakob. He continued farming until 1914 when he sold the farm to the Quilliam family. Stories have it that Jakob remained on the farm as a “bywoner.” Quilliam built a large milking shed and a cooling shed. At one stage there were reputed to be over 10 000 pigs on the property.

The farm remained in the Quilliam family until 1939 when it was sold to the Johannesburg City Council.

Read the Letter to the Southern Courier written by J H Quilliam.





The KNR and the Boer War

After the occupation of Bloemfontein the British High Command ordered Lord Roberts to move against the Transvaal Republic as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, an outbreak of enteric among the British forces caused the campaign to be delayed by seven weeks, which mean that the main British force only reached the banks of the Vaal river on the 25 May 1900.

Robert’s strategy for occupying Johannesburg was to mount a three prong attack on the town. Lord Kitchener and his troops were instructed to move up the main Durban/Johannesburg railway line and attack from the East, a mounted force of over
20 000 men, under the command of Major-General French and Colonel Ian Hamilton was instructed to attack Johannesburg from the west, while Roberts with his infantry forces would follow the main Vereeniging/Johannesburg road and attack from the south.

The Boer forces who had occupied Vereeniging decided that they were badly outnumbered and retired to the area around the Kliprivier railway station. Their departure meant that the British troops could move into Vereeniging without a shot being fired. The British forces then started moving towards Johannesburg.

Boer intelligence sources had kept the Boer High Command informed about the movement of the British forces. This information enabled the Boer to prepare their defenses in preparation of the arrival of the Brits. General Oosthuizen was charged with impeding the progress of French and his troops in the west. The arrival of General Koos de la Rey and his troops saw a substantial increase the size of the number of Boer forces in the west. Commandant. Havemann had been tasked with erecting barbed wire barricades on the western slopes of the Klipriviersberg. Generals Grobler and Lemmer were subsequently appointed to command of the area covering the main Vereeniging/Johannesburg main road. General Fourie was appointed commander of the troops on the eastern flank.

The advance force of British troops arrived at the Gatsrandberg an May 27 and immediately came under fire from Boer forces. The barrage of rifle fire was so intense that the British had to retreat beyond the range of the Boer guns. The arrival of the main British force on 28 May enabled the British to cross the Klip river. Led by inaccurate intelligence information they were soon in trouble. Unaware that seven canons under the command of Capt. Von Dalwig had been carefully positioned on the slopes of the Klipriviersberg, overnight, the advancing British forces were cut to pieces once they came within range of the canons. The effectiveness of the barrage forced the British forces to retreat beyond the range of the canons.

The arrival of a cavalry regiment, field canons and machine guns greatly improved the British fire power, however, in spite of this the Boers were able to force the enemy to retreat. Meanwhile, on the western flank the Boers had managed to halt the advance of French and Hamilton. General Fourie had engaged the British forces led by Lord Kitchener in the east. The Boers had every reason to be very proud of their efforts and there was a feeling of optimism that the British could be defeated.

However, the Boers badly had underestimated the size and strength of the British war machine. On May 30, the British had over 32 canons shelling Boer positions and the infantry troops where making steady progress in their attempt to overrun Boer positions.
The Boer high command met to assess their position and agreed that because of the sheer weight of numbers facing them, defeat was inevitable and that there was no point in continuing to resist the British onslaught and an order for a general retreat of Boer forces was issued. First to leave the scene of the battle were the troops defending the western flank. The British troops immediately occupied Doornkop and because it was dusk they did not press home the advantage. Not only did the Boer forces escape but had they pressed home the advantage that they had gained they could have occupied Johannesburg.

Following a request by Dr. F.E.T. Krause, that the British delay their occupation of Johannesburg by 24 hours in order to allow all the Boer forces to leave the town. On May 31 1900 British forces entered Johannesburg.

More interesting reading of the Battle in the Klipriviersberg Area:

The Battle Of Klipriviersberg
- By Noel Thornton

"Fierce battle at Klipriviersberg,
- Boer commanders impede British advance on Johannesberg"

Boer positions in the Klipriviersberg
Extracted from: "Veldslae-Anglo-boereoorlog 1899-1902", by Elria Wessels, translated by Tom Botha