Piet Retief
Pieter Mauritz Retief (12 November 1780 – 6 February 1838) was a Voortrekker leader. Settling in 1814 in the frontier region of the Cape Colony, he later assumed command of punitive expeditions during the sixth Xhosa War. He became a spokesperson for the frontier farmers who voiced their discontent, and wrote the Voortrekkers' declaration at their departure from the colony.
Piet Retief | |
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Statue at the Voortrekker Monument | |
| Born | Pieter Mauritz Retief 12 November 1780 Soetendal, Wagenmakersvallei |
| Died | 6 February 1838 (aged 57) KwaMatiwane, near Hlomo amabuto, uMgungundlovu |
| Cause of death | Clubbed to death by Zulus |
| Body discovered | c. December 21, 1838 KwaMatiwane, uMgungundlovu |
| Resting place | December 21, 1838
KwaMatiwane, uMgungundlovu 28°25′37″S 31°16′12″E |
| Nationality | Boer, South African |
| Spouse | Magdalena Johanna Greyling (née De Wet) (1782–1855) |
| Children | Debora Jacoba (1815–1901) Jacobus Francois (1816– ) Magdalena Margaretha (1820–1884) Pieter Cornelis (1823–1838) |
| Parent(s) | Jacobus Retief (1754–1821) Debora Joubert (c.1749–1814) |
| Signature | |
He was a leading figure during their Great Trek, and at one stage their elected governor. He proposed Natal as the final destination of their migration and selected a location for its future capital, later named Pietermaritzburg in his honour. The massacre of Retief and his delegation by the Zulu King Dingane and the extermination of several Voortrekker laagercamps in the area of the present town of Weenen led to the Battle of Blood River on the Ncome River. The short-lived Boer republic Natalia suffered from ineffective government and was eventually annexed to the British Cape Colony.