General Sir Redvers Buller

Redvers Henry Buller was to become a controversial figure but in 1895 he was at the height of his career as Adjutant General of the British Army. He had had a distinguished career, serving in most of the hot spots of the British Empire, and had earned the Victoria Cross at the Battle of Hlobane, in the Zulu War.

The Victoria Cross

He was regarded as a fighting soldier and an Africa specialist. He was also regarded as a good leader, although in fact he had never held an independent command.

When things started to get difficult in South Africa in 1899, he was summoned to the War Office and offered the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Forces in South Africa, in the case of war breaking out. He declined the post, pointing out that he would rather go as Second-in-Command. Nevertheless, when the Anglo-Boer War did break out, he was appointed as Commander-in-Chief, with immediate effect.

Buller leaving Britain for the Cape

His request for an additional 50 000 troops for his campaign was slashed to 10 000 and his departure for South Africa was delayed for a fortnight by red tape.

When he finally arrived in Cape Town he decided that as the Commander he should operate against the Boers in Natal. He had specifically ordered the local commander, General Penn-Symons, not to cross the Tugela River to meet the Boer advance. This order had been ignored; Penn-Symons was killed at Talana and his successor, General White, was bottled up under siege in Ladysmith.

Gen. Penn-Symons

Other British forces were besieged at Mafeking and Kimberley, but Buller saw relieving Ladysmith as his first priority. He promptly moved on up to Durban, gathered together a force of 30 000 men and advanced up the rail line to Frere, where he established his headquarters.

His first major task was to get across the Tugela and he decided on a frontal attack at Colenso. The Boers, under General Louis Botha, were waiting for him and the assault ended in an ignominious defeat. Buller suffered heavy losses, amongst whom was Lt Freddie Roberts, the only son of Field Marshall Lord Roberts.

Freddie Roberts

Freddie was killed in a gallant, but vain, attempt to move a number of Buller’s guns which were in danger of being over-run by the Boers.

The defeat of Colenso was followed by the even more disastrous defeat at Spioen Kop. Buller was by now personally thoroughly demoralised and made the career-limiting mistake of telling Whitehall that he intended to tell General White to “fire off all his ammunition and surrender”. This thoroughly alarmed the British politicians and they promptly sent out Lord Roberts as new C-in-C, with Kitchener as his 2IC. Buller was relegated to OC of the Natal area and told to do nothing further and await instructions from Roberts. White ignored Buller’s suggestion that he surrender and Buller continued in his attempts (ultimately successful) to cross the Tugela and relieve Ladysmith.

At this stage, Ray Heron (in his lecture) broke away from Buller’s campaign and instead postulated the theory “what if Buller’s idea of surrendering Ladysmith had been accepted?”

Lord Roberts

If Ladysmith surrendered, the Boers would have been able to call for negotiations, in which they would have held the whip hand, and it is possible the war could have been ended. This didn’t happen and instead the war dragged on, with its attendant concentration camps and guerrilla phase; the construction of about 8 000 block houses across the country and the subsequent desperate fight to the bitter end by the so-called Boer “bittereinders”. The legacy of hate and mistrust by the Afrikaners towards “the English” which arose from this lasted for generations and culminated with the Nationalist Party coming in to power in 1948. Ray then proffered the idea that it is just possible that if White had indeed surrendered much of what subsequently occurred might not have happened and South Africa’s history might have been irrevocably changed.

The Tomb of General Sir Redvers Buller

Returning to Buller, Ray added, during the ensuing question time, that Buller, although sidelined by the War Office, remained a highly respected general, especially by those who served under his command. He is one of the very few soldiers present at the unveiling of his own monument when, in 1905, a statue in his honour was unveiled in his home town of Exeter in Devon.

Memorial Plaque to Gen. Sir Redvers Buller

He died of natural causes in 1908.

Gleaned from a lecture by Raymond Heron, Battlefield Tour Guide, Kwazulu Natal.

Trips ZA Logo

For exciting History, Boer War, Wildlife, Scenic and other tours throughout the Panorama, Kruger, and Lowveld regions and beyond, call our Dream Merchants on
013 764 1177

Email us at johnt@tripsza.com

Dr. Hans Merensky

Hans Merensky was born 1n 1871 at his father (Alexander Merensky’s) mission station at Botshabello north of Middelburg.

Rev.Alexander Merensky

His father’s wide and varied interests and sense of adventure were not the only influences on Merensky’s life. He was also widely influenced by Karl Mauch the pioneer prospector and geologist.

With this kind of background and love of the great outdoors, he decided to study geology in Germany. However before he was allowed to study he had to undergo military training in the German army, an experience that had major unfortunate and nasty repercussions for him in later years.

Prussian Army Training

Once he had received his degree he was active in various different German institutions where he received specialized training. About nine years after he had begun his studies and had written and completed his last examination, he accepted a post in the Prussian Civil Service’s Department of Mineral Affairs. However he soon became bored with the work routine and took a year’s study leave in South Africa. It was twenty years before he saw Germany again.

In Johannesburg he was reputed to be an able gentleman of integrity in his dealings and associations with mining magnates and powerful financiers with whom he interacted on a daily basis. Through his knowledge and awareness of day to day business affairs he made a small fortune for himself on the stock-market.

At the pinnacle of his success during 1914 however, fate dealt him a disastrous hand. He failed to read the prevailing business climate correctly at the time and as a result lost heavily on a falling stock-market.

German Troups World War

Furthermore he lost his family’s farms in the Ermelo district, and having received military training in the Prussian Army was interned as an enemy combatant for the rest of the 1^st World War. In 1919 he was eventually released in Pietermaritzburg – a sick, broken and depressed man. At 52 years of age he felt a total failure in his own eyes.

Merensky Prospecting for Platinum

However in 1920 within a year of his release his fortunes turned for the better after he discovered the first enormous platinum deposits in the Lydenburg district. He suddenly became a celebrity, while making another fortune.

Hans Merensky made many massively important discoveries of mineral deposits during his lifetime. In an obscure corner of Namaqualand he found the fabulously rich oyster trench diamond hoard near Alexander Bay. He then discovered more enormous platinum reefs in the Lydenburg, Potgietersrus and Rustenburg regions, which are some of the largest reserves on the face of the earth. Furthermore he also discovered vermiculite, phosphates and copper in the Phalaborwa district. He went on to find rich gold fields in the Freestate. To crown it all – he discovered the world’s largest deposits of chrome in the Jagtlust region south of Polokwane.

Diamondiferous Gravel

The discovery of vast mineral resources, especially the diamonds on the West Coast and the creation of a showpiece estate at Westfalia, were Hans Merensky’s most important achievements. However he possibly got the most joy from the results of his work on the estate.

He bought the run-down and neglected Westfalia farms near Tzaneen from Sir Lionel Phillips in 1929. With common sense and a scientific approach he improved the water flow, soil and land with advanced soil conservation methods. The water sponge areas and rivers were rehabilitated by removing the alien plants. Eucalypt trees were planted and citrus and avocado orchards were established. He especially experimented with avocados. Within ten years he had created a prize forestry and agricultural estate.

Saw Logs

Merensky loved trees. After purchasing Westfalia he started experimenting and did pioneering work with the production of eucalypt sawlogs. Eventually his company became the leader in this area.

Merensky formed a trust in 1949 that included all his assets plus Westfalia and the Northern Timbers Sawmill at Politsi. This formed the cornerstone of further growth of the Hans Merensky Trust and was the forerunner of Hans Merensky Holdings.

Hans Merensky Timber has for several decades been a timber processing company owning several sawmills in four different parts of country and growing eucalypts for sawlogs, poles and mining timber on plantations near Tzaneen.

Sawmilling opportunities for Merensky Timber emerged during the 1960’s. Merensky’s timber business was up to that stage focused on the growing and processing eucalypt sawlogs. The initial steps to expand into pine growing and milling was taken by Jan Roets. This initiative started in the Natal Midlands when a joint venture between Merensky, Sanlam and the McKenzie family was formed to acquire Clan Syndicate. Clan grew into a fully integrated sawlog plantation, with a sawmill and lamination plant.

Sawmills

Apart from the eucalypt sawmill, Northern Timbers at Tzaneen, which sources its logs from own plantations in the area, Merensky Holdings acquired and built two additional eucalypt sawmills; one in Sabie and one in Port Dunford. In conjunction with these two sawmills, he convinced the Department of Forestry to develop eucalypt sawlog rotation plantations with appropriate silvicultural treatments, which enhanced log quality and volume yield.

In 1973, Merensky Holdings were invited by theTranskei Development Corporation to establish a sawmill in the Transkei. Singisi Sawmill was built in the Umzimkulu region. This was followed three years later by the takeover of small mills and the building of the Langeni Sawmill near Mthatha. It has specialised equipment to process the large volumes of relatively small sizes forthcoming from the surrounding Matiwane plantations.

In 1981, Merensky Holdings entered into a joint venture with the State.The Tweefontein Company was formed which contained the Sabie and Weza sawmilling assets of Merensky and the State. The joint venture was ended in 1993, after which Merensky retained the Sabie sawmill and the State retained Weza sawmill through SAFCOL. The Sabie sawmill, known as Tweefontein, was over the years incrementally improved to its current status as first in class for SA sawmills boasting amongst others, innovations such as commercial scale wet off saw, kiln drying of eucalypt timber since 1985 and sawing both pine and eucalypt logs in the same wet mill since 1990.

Merensky Forests

In 2001, a significant pine plantation area comprising of 58,000 ha in Southern Natal and in the old Transkei area, was acquired on a long-term lease from the RSA Government via the privatisation of the State forests. This step secured the raw material supplies of Langeni and Singisi sawmills. As part of the assets, the Weza sawmill was sold and once again ended up with Merensky. The combined company known as Singisi Forest Products was the first in the industry to achieve the status of a level three black empowerment contributor.

Two years later, eucalypt plantations near Graskop, purchased from Mondi Forests, were added. This was followed in 2006 with the purchase of pine plantations near Sabie, from 5 British owners. Merensky’s total owned and managed plantations increased to 59 400 ha pine and 15 300ha of eucalypt plantations.

Chromium Broken Crystal

Through all these years the Merensky focus was to improve efficiencies and yields of its sawmills. The company continued to invest in and update the sawmill equipment and these investments kept the company at the forefront of technology. Over many years this vision inspired many people to stay the course. The temptation to give up was there, especially during the 1990 to 2000 era when pulp and paper company returns outnumbered sawmilling by a factor.

Merensky has a proud history of development, sustainable management, and the efficient processing of high quality saw logs and sawn products. Today, it is still a large and successful forestry and agriculture company – all thanks to Dr Hans Merensky having bought a run down piece of land in 1929.

Much of the wealth that he generated from the abundant treasures out of the ground he gave back to South Africa, in the form of generous donations to universities, and the establishment of trusts and bursaries for under privileged students.

Merensky Library Pretoria

In spite of the fact that he was an exceptionally wealthy man, he lived a simple undemanding life in his house at Westphalia, and never let his associations with all sorts of important people amongst whom he mixed, and whom he always received with charming aplomb, affect him in his dealings with ordinary people.

Gleaned from “There is Honey in the Forest” by Willem Olivier.

Trips ZA Logo

For exciting History, Wildlife, Scenic or General Interest tours in the Panorama, Kruger, or regions beyond, call our Dream merchants on 013 764 1177.

Email us at johnt@tripsza.com

Karl Mauch

Karl Mauch’s prophecies about the presence of Gold through the Escarpment below the Drakensberg Range of the old Transvaal were taken seriously by a number of eager prospectors. Some of them were Button, Sutherland, McLachlan and Parsons.

Button journeyed up to the Lydenburg area with two companions. They were George Parsons who had led the abortive Natal South Coast gold rush, and James Sutherland, a man of twenty years experience in the Californian and Australian rushes.

The trio was joined by Tom McLachlan, the son in law of Maria Shires, and one of the greatest of all South African prospectors; and they searched throughout the Eastern Transvaal areas which Mauch had indicated as being potentially rich in Gold. Although they found traces they were not very successful. The search went on especially in the Lydenburg district where the area was combed diligently. Richard Thomas and James and Tom Mc Lachlan were extremely active; both made permanent homes in the little town.

An old Australian digger named Lilley had also arrived, and local residents subscribed forty pounds Sterling to finance his search.

Tom MacLachlan

Mauchsberg

Lilley explored painstakingly, and when the resources of his backers dried up, Mc Lachlan and James supported him from their own means. Lilley found a single solitary speck of Gold; and this was unfortunately lost in the wind while exhibiting it to a bevy of old ladies. Then Lilley struck it rich at the Pilgrim’s Rest diggings by discovering the Lilley nugget that weighed 119ozs 200dwt.

George Lilley

This was enough to start McLachlan off again on a personal search. With George Parsons and Sydney Valentine he resumed the laborious activity of prospecting in the Drakensberg, and kept Lydenberg on tenterhooks with constant rumours of a rich find. He was further spurred on with his associates by the Republic’s offer of a five hundred pound Sterling reward for the discoverer of payable Gold. They concentrated their search in the area which Karl Mauch had described so enthusiastically when he had viewed it from the summit of the Mauchsberg.

Macmac Falls

McLachlan bought a portion of the farm Geelhoutboom and built a small stone house to give him and his partners a base from where they could operate while prospecting in the neighbourhood. The three men worked long and hard. Eventually their luck changed. In a creek on the farm Hendriksdal, on the 6^th February 1873, the partners found their first Gold.

They worked on feverishly. Eventually they found what they considered to be a payable deposit of Gold, on the north side of Spitskop in a little creek which they named McLachlan’s Gully. This gully lay in what is now known as Leader Hill, just below the disused railway line in the Malieveld region.

Gold Nuggets

They put a claim in for the reward after producing a 2.5 oz. nugget, claiming that they’d found payable Gold. The reward was never paid. The area around Spitskop was however proclaimed a public digging, resulting in a wild rush to that area as soon as the news spread.

In 1874 Tom McLachlan made the first reports of Gold in the Kaap valley, where Barberton was later destined to grow. However the only payable deposit he found remained his discovery up on the heights of Spitskop.

It was only a matter of time before the next strike was made, as prospectors were busy all over the countryside. Just north of Spitskop on the farm Geelhoutboom, Johannes Muller and his son Dietricht had become infected with Gold Fever. Tom McLachlan taught them how to prospect, and with beginners’ luck they stumbled across a fine discovery. It was along the banks of the rivulet that ran through the farm, and consisted of a deposit of alluvial Gold all along the bed of the stream, just before it tumbles down nearly 90 meters through the cool beauty of the Macmac Falls.

President Burgers

President Burgers when on a visit to the Gold field broadly known as New Caledonia Gold Field noticed the number of diggers’ names beginning with Mac’s and Mc’s. He named the diggings Macmac. The diggers loved the name, which has stuck right up to the present day.

Having built a stone house at Macmac which was on the farm Geelhoutboom, McLachlan was the best- known inhabitant. He worked the area with some small success for a while, and then in 1878 sold out his interest to a Kimberley syndicate. The syndicate sent up Bob Jameson, brother of Dr. Leander Star Jameson to manage operations. Jameson occupied McLachlan’s stone house and during his tenancy it became a noted gambling center, with Dr. Hans Sauer, Dr. Oscar Somershields and J.B. Taylor making up a famous poker school. They were joined at times by Ikey Sonnenberg, doyen of gamblers.

Burgers Cross

Some of the women busied themselves in trying to improve the lot of the diggers. Tom McLachlan’s wife and his ward (a Miss Espag) did so much good work for the sick at Macmac that in August 1874 President Burgers awarded them each his Burgers Cross in recognition of their labours.

At the end of September 1882 McLachlan paid his last visit to the Kaap area, and this was the occasion for an event which became renowned in digger circles. McLachlan found the diggers were prepared to do anything for information on someone else’s discovery. They plied him with liquor, and questions. About his own activities he refused to say a word, but he told them that he knew where French Bob and his party were finding their Gold. They eagerly plied him with more liquor and when supposedly mellowed by their hospitality he agreed to show them the way as soon as he had finished his local business.

French Bob

200 of the diggers, together with Ziervogel packed their chattels and prepared for the new rush. McLachlan finished his business sooner than expected and left a note telling the mob to meet him at a certain rendezvous on the 2^nd of October. When they reached that spot there was a note instructing them to proceed to another spot. When the eager 200 reached that rendezvous they found another note with further directions.

So it went on for days, with McLachlan leading the weary 200 through most inaccessible country. Over the next few weeks, stragglers from the party gradually returned to the Duiwel’s Kantoor in various stages of exhaustion, all breathing dire awful threats against McLachlan, who despised rabble who only wanted to rush other mens’ claims.

Duiwel's Kantoor

After the ascendency of Mbandeni as the King of Swaziland in 1876, Tom McLachlan having left his home at Macmac, led a group of 14 prospectors into the mountains of north-western Swaziland. They prospected and explored through the most beautiful of wilds, but found no Gold, discovering instead all the other wealth that Mother Nature had bestowed on this remote corner of Africa. McLachlan and two partners decided to settle in a beautiful part with breathtaking views. He built a shack near the trail leading from Lourenco Marques to the Kaap valley.

Mbandeni

As King of Swaziland, Mbandeni lavishly sold concessions for every service, commodity, facility, goods, licences or whatever to adventurers.

Swaziland Mountains

One individual even had a concession giving him the sole right to act as a broker for concessions. Some big deals were put through.

McLachlan sold his so-called Kobolondlo Concession in 1887 to a French company.

Trips ZA Logo

Call our Dream Merchants at TRIPS ZA for exciting History and General Interest tours throughout the Panorama, Lowveld and Kruger regions and beyond on
013 764 1177 .

Email us at johnt@tripsza.com

Gleaned from “Lost Trails of the Transvaal” by T.V.Bulpin and other sources.