Die Ossewatrek

("The Ox Wagon Trek") The term normally used to refer to the symbolic re-enactment of the trek of the Voortrekkers in 1838, organised by H.J. Klopper and the Spoorbond (?*) in 1938. To most people's surprise the trek became a hugely popular, widely followed event, culminating in a "saamtrek" (gathering of wagons) at the site where the Voortrekker Monument now stands. The theatrical qualities of this event were enormous and enacted wherever the wagons went. The trek undoubtedly had a huge effect on the nascent Afrikaner Nationalism espoused by J.B.M. Hertzog and his followers. *** Another attempt was made to do this in 1988 (150 years after the event), but it remained a reactionary, right-wing affair and did not gain any real support.

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