The Great Trek by C Venter
The Great Trek by C Venter
Softcover, ISBN 9781868063406
Publisher: Don Nelson, Cape Town, 2013 Second Edition
Used – Near Fine. This book is in a mint condition. The picture laminated cover has some very limited signs of wear and the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied.
The Great Trek was a phenomenon: the mass exodus of some 10 000 Boer men, women and children from the Cape Colony in the years after 1836. The emigrants — who in time were called Voortrekkers — left the Colony for a number of heartfelt reasons outlined in this book. The most significant fact of their departure remains their rebellion against the restrictions of British rule.
As contemporary witnesses foresaw, the Voortrekkers’ path into the interior of Southern Africa was difficult and frequently stained with blood. Beyond the Vaal they clashed with Mzilikazi’s fierce Ndebele, and in Natal incurred the suspicious wrath of Dingane, the Zulu King. Piet Retief was killed and the Voortrekkers were massacred in their laagers. Though they rallied and finally broke the strength of both Ndebele and Zulu, the Voortrekker struggle only ended when their republics (the Orange Free State and the ZAR) were recognised by Britain in the 1850s.
The Voortrekkers’ story is illuminated by numerous photographs and paintings of these remarkable men and women, and of the mobile lifestyle that made their exodus possible.
