Piet Retief is a South Africa town named after the man who fought for the right to live on the land. The town was born in 1883 by Voortrekker, Piet Retief. His descendants were the ones who founded the original village although his name was the one chosen to be immortalized forever.

Who Is Piet Retief?

Piet Retief was born in 1780 in Wellington. He became the leader of the Voortrekker which is the used to classify Dutch and Afrikaans pioneers traveling from Cape Colony and into South Africa. Translated voortrekker means “those who trek ahead.”

Piet lived with his father in a farm until he turned 27. He worked several jobs but lost his license to sell liquor because he was too lax. As a businessman, he was never successful and kept getting into financial difficulties and being at the wrong end of a court house.

Who Is Dingaan?

Dingaan claim to fame began as a direct descendant and half brother of the most famous Zulu king, Shaka. Dingaan murdered Shaka to take control of the Zulu nation. To make sure he would not be challenged, he killed everyone who may have any intention of stealing the throne from him.

Piet Retief met with Dingaan in the hopes of being able to acquire land for the Voortrekker of which he was the leader. Dingaan agreed on one condition: that Piet Retief recover the cattle that was stolen from them by a neighboring tribe. Piet agreed and was able to return 700 cattle and a few horses and guns.

Unfortunately, Dingaan believed that Piet and his people withheld some cattle and during the festivities that ensued that night, every Voortrekker, including Piet Retief were brutally murdered.
The Battle of Blood River

This encounter happened in 1838 where the Voortrekkers came back to avenge the death of their leader Piet Retief. A witness, Reverend Francis Owen came forward to testify of the cruel act done to Piet Retief. As such, they burned the village down and even found the remains of Piet Retief and his followers. A memorial was built on this spot while the original huts of the village were restored.

Modern Heroes From Piet Retief

Piet Retief remains in the spotlight because of the accomplishments of local talent liked Jack Diamond. Diamond was born in Piet Retief but traveled to Cape Town University too study architecture. He was able to further his studies in Oxford and the U.S. where he earned a Masters degree in Arts and Architecture, respectively. From there he moved to Canada and became the director of the architectural program with the University of Toronto. In 1975, he was able to put up hi own company and in 1997 he received the prestigious Order of Ontario for excellence in his field.

Sandra Laing is another modern day hero born in Piet Retief. Her parents were white but because her skin color was dark, she was “reclassified” as Coloured. Her parents supported the Apartheid movement but this changed when Sandra was removed from her school because she looked “different.” A paternity test was taken but proved to be inconclusive. In the meantime, Sandra’s skin kept getting darker and her hair began to get frizzy. Shunned by her peers, Sandra ended up marrying a black man and moving far away from her family. Her father disinherited her and her sibling avoided her completely. A book and film, Skin was made about her life story starring Sam Neil and won many awards and raving reviews.