Jan Bantjes
Jan Bantjes | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jan Gerritze Bantjes 8 July 1817 Boer , South African |
| Spouse | Thysina Germina Knoetze |
| Children | Bernard Louise Bantjes (1839-1911), Jan Gerrit Bantjes (1840-1914), Rachel Hilletje Bantjes (Coulson) (1845-1930) |
| Parent(s) | Bernard Louis Bantjes (1788-1849), Isabella Adriana Swanepoel |
Jan Gerritze Bantjes (
Early life and background
Jan Gerritze Bantjes was born on 8 July 1817 in the Nieuveld district of Graaff-Reinet[5] and was baptised at the Dutch Reformed Church in that town on 6 October 1817. He was the third child of Bernard Louis Bantjes (1788-1849), who owned a prosperous trading store and farm, and Isabella Adriana Swanepoel.
Career
In 1834, while he was still studying at the English Albany Freemasons College in
Bantjes also wrote a disputed land treaty[8] which, in 1838, triggered the massacre by the Zulu King Dingaan of Boer Commander Piet Retief and his 70 strong party at uMgungundlovu. Bantjes then joined the Wenkommando military campaign against the Zulu King and was Pretorius' secretary-general.[9][10] The original "Bantjes Journal" of the expedition (now lost, though a verbatim copy exists) records the Battle of Blood River that took place on 16 December 1838, resulting in the defeat of King Dingaan and his 25,000 strong army.[11]
In 1838, Bantjes was one of the founders of
In 1840, Bantjes and his family returned to the
In 1865, the family moved to Pretoria, where he served as a magistrate's clerk and lawyer and later Postmaster General of the South African Republic. He was tutor, mentor and confidant to South Africa's first President Paul Kruger, and also taught Marthinus Wessel Pretorius and two vice presidents.[12]
During the 1870s–80s, Bantjes was a legal prosecutor in Lichtenburg and Ventersdorp. Jan Gerritze Bantjes is the father of Jan Gerrit Bantjes (1841-1914) who discovered the Witwatersrand Gold Reef in Jun.1884.
He died at his eldest son's home at Potchefstroom on 6 October 1887.[13]
Family
Bantjes married Thysina Germina Knoetze in Pietermaritzburg on 23 September 1838. Their first child was Bernard Louise Bantjes (1839-1911) who became a property developer in Johannesburg. Another son, Jan Gerrit Bantjes, discovered the first Witwatersrand Gold Reef in 1884 triggering a gold rush[14] and the establishment of Bantjes Consolidated Mines, the first gold mines in Johannesburg.
Legacy
Bantjes Road in Johannesburg and Bantjes Avenue in the Discovery suburb of Roodepoort are named after him. Kruger Avenue is placed beside Bantjes Avenue due to their close association. Jan Bantjes Road in the suburb of Montana Park, Pretoria is named after him.
Bibliography
- Johannes Meintjes, The Voortrekkers: The Story of the Great Trek and the Making of South Africa, 1973
- Eily Gledhill, In the Steps of Piet Retief, 1980
- Alf Wannenburgh, Forgotten Frontiersmen, 1980
References
- ISBN 9780869781753.
- ^ From Memory to Marble: The historical frieze of the Voortrekker Monument
- Rankin, Elizabeth (2019). From Memory to Marble: The historical frieze of the Voortrekker Monument Part I: The Frieze. Berlin: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-061522-7.
- Rankin, Elizabeth; Schneider, Rolf Michael (2020). From Memory to Marble: The Historical Frieze of the Voortrekker Monument Part II: The Scenes. Berlin Boston: de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-061524-1.
- Rankin, Elizabeth (2019). From Memory to Marble: The historical frieze of the Voortrekker Monument Part I: The Frieze. Berlin: De Gruyter.
- .
- ISBN 978-1770220430.
- ^ "Jan Gerritze Bantjes | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ "Voortrekkers Background, Exploratory treks to Natal, First wave, Impact, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia". Wiki. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ "Voortrekkers Background, Exploratory treks to Natal, First wave, Impact, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia". Wiki. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ "Jan Gerritze Bantjes | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ Gump, James O. (2016). The dust rose like smoke, 2nd edition. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press. p. 71.
- ^ "Jan Gerritze Bantjes | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ Greaves, Adrian (2013). The Tribe That Washed Its Spears: The Zulus at War.
- ^ "Jan Gerritze Bantjes | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ "Jan Gerritze Bantjes | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ SAHistory