All you need to know about the Voortrekker Monument

The Voortrekker Monument

The lofty Voortrekker monument that towers over the capital city from Monument Hill in the south of Pretoria commemorates the Afrikaner pioneers from the era of the Great Trek.

The granite monument is set within the Voortrekker Monument Nature Reserve and was designed by South African architect Gerhard Moerdijk.

According to the monument’s official website, “the visitor passes through a black wrought iron gate with an assegai motive”.

A bronze sculpture by South African sculptor Anton van Wouw, at the foot of the monument, depicts the Voortrekker woman and her two children.

“The sculpture commemorates the courage of the Voortrekker women and their families who survived the Great Trek and made the eventual settlement of the interior possible. On both sides of the sculpture black wildebeest are chiselled against the wall; symbolic of the dangers of Africa.

“Then the visitor stands inside a great wagon laager symbolically protecting the monument.”

The Hall of Heroes
Historical scenes from the Great Trek are depicted in the Hall of Heroes. It is the main central hall of the monument. It contains an empty tomb to represent those who lost their lives during the trek and is the symbolic resting place of Piet Retief. Yellow Belgian glass was used for four arched windows in the hall.

Italian Quercetta marble was used for the floors and the frieze in the domed hall. The frieze depicts the Great Trek, as well as the lifestyle, working methods and religious views of the Voortrekkers.

The work on the frieze started in 1942 and the sculptors, Hennie Potgieter, Peter Kirchhoff, Frikkie Kruger and Laurika Postma spent years of their lives completing it.

“When one looks down at the interior of the hall from the top dome, the pattern on the floor forms the illusion of water rippling out in ever-widening circles with the cenotaph at its centre.

“It is symbolic of the trek to freedom which started small, but eventually became a mighty migratory flood in history, the effects of which can still be felt today.”

Cenotaph
The cenotaph is the focal point of the monument. Above the Hall of Heroes is a cupola (rounded dome) from which one can look down into the interior of the monument.

Every year on 16 December an opening in the dome allows a ray of sunshine on the cenotaph with the words: “Ons vir jou Suid-Afrika”. This line was taken from the then-national anthem, “Die Stem”.

“Moerdijk planned this specifically because the ray of sunlight symbolizes God’s blessing on the life and work of the Voortrekkers. The hall is decorated with the flags from the different Voortrekker Republics.”

The Trekker belief that God was for South Africa originates from the vow of the Trekker leader Andries Pretorius at Blood River.

Against the northern wall is a nave with a lantern of which the flame has been kept burning since 1938.

Anglo-Boer War Museum
“The exhibition in the Anglo-Boer War Museum is limited to the period 1899-1914. A photographic display on various aspects of the Anglo-Boer War was compiled.

“Photographs on the role of the horse in the war can be viewed in ‘Stal’ whilst the history of the State Artillery is portrayed in ‘Officieren’.”

It states an overview of the course of the war which is on display in ‘Proviand’. Portraits of Boer generals, which are on loan from the SA Army College, as well as short biographical sketches, decorate the walls of the conference venue.

“‘Manschappen’ displays the arms and ammunition of Boer and Brit, the history of the Fort, as well as medical conditions during the war are housed in the rest of the rooms. An archaeological display provides insight into life at the fort 100 years ago.

Features
The monument complex includes several features such as the Afrikaner Heritage Centre, an indigenous garden, an SANDF Wall of Remembrance, Fort Schanskop, the Schanskop open-air amphitheatre and Dingane’s royal capital.

Heritage Foundation
The foundation was founded in 2002 as a non-profit organisation and is a recognised player within the South African cultural heritage industry. Its vision is to raise public awareness of threatened heritage through the retention, conservation and sustainable use of heritage resources.

Amphitheatre
A large amphitheatre, which seats approximately 20 000 people, was erected to the north-east of the Monument in 1949.

SANDF Wall of Remembrance
A Wall of Remembrance for members of the South African Defence Force members who passed away during service was erected after the Board of Directors of the Voortrekker Monument Heritage Site gave its permission in 2009.

Fort Schanskop
Fort Schanskop, a nearby fort built in 1897 by the government of the South African Republic after the Jameson Raid and now a museum, also belongs to the Voortrekker monument and nature reserve.

After the Jameson Raid in 1896, President Paul Kruger of the ‘Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek’ decided to protect Pretoria by constructing forts in strategic places. Eight forts were to be built initially, but due to a shortage of funds, only four were completed. Germans designed three of the four forts, Schanskop being one.

Fort Schanskop was completed in 1897 and was built in such a way to avert possible attacks on Pretoria from the Johannesburg and Lourenco Marques railway line, as well as from the Johannesburg road.

The fort was returned to the Union Government in 1922 and was used by the Defence Force for signalling and reconnaissance purposes only. The Historical Monument Commission declared Schanskop a historical monument in 1938.

It was decided to establish a military museum in Pretoria in 1962. Fort Klapperkop was selected for this purpose, but this museum was later expanded to include Schanskop.

Due to budget cuts, the SA Defence Force was forced to hand both museums back to the State by 1994.

The Voortrekker Monument and Nature Reserve successfully tendered to purchase Fort Schanskop (without contents) from the City Council of Pretoria for an amount of R400 000. The Fort was transferred to said Section 21 Company during June 2000, where an extensive programme was launched to renovate and extend the fort.

Nature Reserve
In respect of the history of the nature reserve, Mr. Danie Hough, administrator of Transvaal in 1992, announced on 14 July that 341 hectares around the Monument had been declared a unique nature reserve. The first game, namely zebras and blesbok, were set free on the nature reserve on Friday, 25 June 1993.

Today visitors to the reserve will find zebras, blesbok, mountain reedbuck, springbuck, impala, black wildebeests, red hartebeests, bush bucks and smaller mammals such as the spotted genet, mongoose, rock hyrax, hedgehogs and porcupines, jackals and African wild cats.

Dingane’s royal capital
The monument also depicts Dingane’s royal capital.

The medium-size Zulu hut is a replica of the huts built during the reconstruction of a section of the Royal Capital of Umgungundlovu during the 1980s and was built by builders from KwaZulu-Natal.

“The hut is typical of the dwellings found in the then Zululand, which were traditionally constructed by men.”

A characteristic of the traditional indlu (hut) is its beehive-style construction. The frame of the hut is made of sapling poles placed in a circle, bent inwards and lashed together. After the frame is complete, it is thatched with grass. The floor of the hut is made from a mixture of anthill clay and cow dung. Once dry, the floor is covered with cattle fat.

The framework was done by John Mbatha and Zeph Sibiya and the thatch work and floor by Francisca Msimango and Ntombi Ngema.

According to Gauteng Attraction’s website, the monument should definitely be on your list of things to do in Gauteng.

“For spectacular views over the city of Pretoria and its surrounds you can climb up to one of the monument’s lookout points. After your visit stay on for a light meal and a drink on the terrace at the Monument Restaurant or under the trees in the traditional tea garden.”

Many Afrikaners still gather to commemorate “Geloftedag”, or the Day of the Covenant, now known as the Day of Reconciliation, every year on 16 December at the Voortrekker monument.

In 2016, Freedompark’s website states, Freedom Park and the Voortrekker Monument and Heritage Foundation signed a memorandum to consolidate and strengthen the friendly ties between them.

The agreement consolidates and strengthens ties, but also promotes mutual knowledge, experience and understanding.

A memo of cooperation was signed last month between the directors of the Voortrekker monument and Heritage Foundation, and the Afrikaans Culture organisation or Afrikaanse Federasie van die Afrikaanse Kultuur (FAK).

Cecilia Kruger, then managing director of the Voortrekker monument and Heritage Foundation, said Dr. Danie Langner, CEO of the FAK, has taken over management from her.

INFO BOX: MONUMENT
– 40m tall
– situated in 240ha nature reserve
– costs were £359 600 (R7 290 911) to build
– 92m long and 2,3m high domed hall

INFO BOX: DATES
– 1835 to 1852: Great Trek from Cape Colony to Transvaal
– 6 December 1949: monument was inaugurated by the then-prime minister DF Malan.
– 1828 to 1840: Zulu king Dingane reigned
– 16 December 1838: Vow of Blood River

INFO BOX: SYMBOLSIM
– assegai motif: this suggests the power of Dingane who barred the way to the interior.
– On each outside corner of the monument there is a statue: respectively representing Piet Retief, Andries Pretorius, Hendrik Potgieter and an unknown leader representative of all the other Voortrekker leaders.
– 64 wagons in protective laager: during the Battle of Blood River 64 wagons were used to draw the laager by implication protecting the Afrikaner and his culture.
(Source: Voortrekker Monument website)

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram