Utrecht, KwaZulu-Natal
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Utrecht is a small town in the foothills of the Balele Mountains in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Utrecht boasts a population of about 5000 people including the surrounding areas.
Coal mining and cattle ranching are the predominant economic activities of the citizens of Utrecht.
[edit] History
| Historical states of present-day South Africa |
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Mapungubwe (1050–1270) |
In 1843 the English annexed the Klip rivier republic. Most of the inhabitants moved to the latter day Free State and Transvaal, but three of them, A. T. Spies, J. C. Klopper and C. J. van Rooyen, traded land east of the Buffalo River for 300 cattle in 1852 from king Mpande. Van Rooyen, who spoke isiZulu fluently, was a personal friend of king Mpande, and even salved him in the biblical manner a few years earlier. Even before 1852 Van Rooyen had permission to use this tract of land as grazing.
The majority of Northern Natal was uninhabited, as king Sjaka, circa 1820, got rid of the amaHlubi (the Hlubi-tribe), who were the then inhabitants. The amaZulu never inhabited this land.
In the archives the settlers who moved there with the trio were called the "Buffel rivier maatschappij".
In a proclamation dd 27 December 1852 the "Zuid-Afrikaansche Republic", the ZAR, by a letter sighned by kmdt-genl A. W. J. Pretorius (the hero of the battle of Blood River) warned them that the ZAR do not recognize this transaction. The reason being that they were scared of antagonizing the English, as they will be neighbours on the other side of the Buffalo River, after the annexation of the Klip Rivier Republic. This warning was re-issued during December 1853, in a letter written to a certain "Phillip Koch and the rest of the inhabitants of the area of the Buffalo River". (My translation)
The same inhabitants wanted to be incorporated in the ZAR, but the latter wanted none of this. On 8 September 1854 the trio named above, again traded the same land for a further 100 cattle, but then had this bill of sale signed, which can be viewed in the Transvaal Archive:
"Dumasoela 8 September 1854
Bij deze neemd ik de staad den vrijheid bij mijn outoriteit Panda Konig der Zoelas dat ik een deel van mijn gronde verhandelt heeft aan de ondergetekende Emigranten voor een honderd beesten het welke ik op datum deser als contant ontvangen heef te zegge degronde hier onder vermeld als een Eewig durende Eigendom der Emigranten:
XXXXXXX (de merk betekend naam Panda)
De lijn zal zijn alwaar bloet revier in buffel revier loop en langes bloet revier op verder langes de buitenste spruit (Lynspruit) op en onder de gebergtes langs alle open gronde die nu niet door Pandas kaffers bewoond is tot aan de ronde kop tusschen de twee spruiten van Pongola en tot vast aan de lijn der vrije republiek en alle in geslote gronde tot aan de Btitsche lijn.
Als getuigen J. C. Klopper P. W. Jordaan C. J. van Rooyen J. G. Herbst A. T. Spies Aldus gedaan en bekragtig op Datum deser
xxxxxx (De merk beteken de naam Mapasha)."
The Republic of Utrecht (after the forming of the New Republic on its eastern side, which was known as the Old Republic), existed until 1858 when it joined the Republic of Lydenburg. This republic then joined the ZAR in 1860. Utrecht and Vryheid (the capital of the former New Republic) was then part of the ZAR until 31 May 1902 when the ZAR surrendered to Great Britain, after which both towns and their districs, were incorporated into Natal as spoils of war.
Sources:
1. Transvaal Archive, Pretoria 2. Die Utrechtse eeufeesgedenkboek 1854 - 1954.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utrecht,_KwaZulu-Natal"
[edit] Sources and references
1. Transvaal Archive 2. Utrechtse Eeufeesgedenkboek 1854 - 1954
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