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VAN RENSBURGKOPPIE

Artikel deur PJJ van Rensburg oor van Rensburgkoppie en Opmerkings oor Paul Meyer se identifikasie van die van Rensburgs

'n Klompie foto's wat PJJ van Rensburg geneem het by van Rensburgkoppie:
1. PJJ van Rensburg bo-op Rensburgkoppie
2. Die koppie vanuit die Weste, van waar die Zoeloe-aangeval het
3. Kampplek van die van Rensburg gesien vanaf die koppie
4. Die gedenkplaat
5. Tienie Oosthuizen se grafsteen
6. Die graffie van dogter van Kmdt van Rensburg
7. Grafsteen van die dogter
8. Uitlegkaart volgens Chadwick en persoonlike skets gemaak tydens besoek

VAN RENSBURG Laager Survive Zulu Attack

After Piet Retief and his men were massacred by Dingane's impis. Dingane then sent his impis to exterminate all the other trekkers, this attack occurred early Saturday morning 17 Feb, 1838. Most of the trekkers were camped along the Boesman and Bloubergkransrivier in little laagers. The families Liebenberg, Russouw and Bezuidenhout were the first victims, fortunately the lad Daniel Bezuidenhout and his little brother Petrus escaped and was able to warn the other trekkers. Preller has a map (50k) of where all the laagers were standing. The above painting by Thomas Baines depicts the massacre that occurred.

There are tow persons who have tried to identify who the people were at Renburgkoppie, here is the explanation by Paul Meyer, but please look at the article by PJJ van Rensburg at link above disputing Meyers claims. The van Rensburg's laager was under the command of b1c5d2e9 Johannes (Hannes) Frederik van Rensburg they retreated form their laager to the top of a little hill. Surrounded by the Zulus on top of this little koppie. One side had a kranz and thus they only needed to defend the other side. The van Rensburg laager included the following able bodied men b1c1d4 Hendrik, and sons b1c1d4e4 Stephanus Johannes, b1c1d4e6 Lucas Willem, and b1c1d4e12 Stephanis Hendrik, b1c1d4e13 Willem Cornelis, and great sons b1c1d4e5f1 Hendrik Christoffel, b1c1d4e6f1 Hendrik Nicolaas. As well as b1c1d7 Reynier and son b1c1d7e8 Josephus Cornelis. b5c5 Lukas Marthinus and sons b5c5d2 Nicolaas Marthinus, b5c5d8 Hendrik Christoffel, b5c5d9 Lukas Marthinus. The fourteen men with their families desperately fought off the Zulu warriors, but soon they started to run out of ammunition. In the meantime some of the other trekker,s two or three hours away could hear the shooting and at first thought it was some of the men returning from Dingane. On investigating they saw the predicament of the van Rensburg's. Marthinus Oosthuizen then performed his heroic action. See photo of a much older Marthinus Oosthuizen (8k) , When Oosthuizen saw their desperate situation, the van Rensburg's shouted at him and asked him to do his best and obtain ammunition, they also shouted that he would obtain ammunition at the deserted wagon of Willem Pretorius. "Riding his black pony 'swartjie' he shot his way through the lines of Zulus and started searching the wagons for powder. Hidden under one of the blankets he found the ten-year-old daughter of Johannes van Rensburg and took her up on the horse with him. But the Zulus tore her away and killed her. At the third wagon in the Pretorius camp he found a heavy sack and was about to gallop away with it when he found it held salt, not powder. Returning once more, he found the ammunition in the fourth wagon and beating off his attackers, forced his way back through the Zulu line to help his comrades." quoted in Fisher p 81. See drawing (29k), of Oosthuizen charging with his horse through the hordes of Zulu's. At the same time the van Rensburg tried to shoot a passage through the mass of warriors for him. He had to pass through a little stream and the awaiting rescuers with baited breath hoped that the horse would not stumble. He reached the van Rensburg miraculously and was able to supply them with relief. See drawing (32k) made by Oosthuizen' of the Zulus in relation to his rescuing the van Rensburg's. With his assistance and the added fighting power they were able to drive the Zulu's away. Once the Zulu leader Manzim Dada was shot, the impi's fled. The women who fled to the hill in their nightgowns surrounded and embraced Oosthuizen out of joy and gladness for saving their lives. Oosthuizen was baptised 8 Apr 1819. He was the second child of Marthinus Oosthuizen baptised 6 Feb 1791 and Dirkje Elizabeth Marais.

References

G. Preller Piet Retief

S.P. Engelbrecht: President Willem Cornelis Janse van Rensburg, 26 May 1950, Die Brandwag

John Fisher: The Afrikaners

Paul Meyer: "Die van Rensburgs in Natal voor en na 1838" Familia XXVIII 1991 no 2. With research into the Natal documents he was able to determine all the van Rensburg's who would have been part of this laager. The number does add up to the fourteen able bodied men that we know held out against this onslaught. Meyer also determined whom took the leadership amongst the group. It is the same person who is written about as Loyalist below.

Dictionary of South African Biography

OTHER SOURCES
Depot NAB
TYPE Accession
REFERENCE A11
DESCRIPTION M Basson.
STARTING 1837
ENDING 1838
REMARKS Donor: M Basson, Pietermaritzburg, 1929; 8ff.
SUMMARY MJ Oosthuysen (1819-1917) Voortrekker hero of Rensburg
Kop.
+ Typescript copy of an account of the Rensburg Kop
incident, 1838-02-17, concerning the heroism of
Voortrekker MJ Oosthuysen, as told by his grandson.
+ An account given by MJ and AE Oosthuysen of the exodus
of emigrant farmers from the Cape Colony to Natal.

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