Difference between revisions of "Slagtersnek"

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=The historical event=
 
=The historical event=
  
In 1815, a farmer from the eastern border of the Cape Colony, Frederik Bezuidenhout, was summoned to appear before a magistrate's court after repeated allegations of his mistreating one of his Khoi labourers. Bezuidenhout resisted arrest and fled to a cave near his home where he defended himself against the soldiers sent to capture him. When he refused to surrender he was shot dead by one of the soldiers. One of his brothers, Hans Bezuidenhout, swore revenge and organised a rebellion against the British colonial powers, whom they believed to be hostile towards the Boers on the border. On 18th November 1815, a commando of rebels met an armed force from Landdrost (magistrate) Jacob Cuyler, the military commander, at Slachter's Nek on the eastern frontier. Though Negotiations failed and the majority of the rebels left without any shots being fired. Twenty rebels surrendered, followed by several more over the following days. However, some of the leaders, among whom was Hans Bezuidenhout, refused to turn themselves over to the British authorities. On 29th November 1815, they were attacked by colonial troops. Everybody but Bezuidenhout surrendered and, like his brother, Hans died while resisting arrest.
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In 1815 Frederik Bezuidenhout, a farmer from the eastern border of the Cape Colony, was summoned to appear before a magistrate's court charged with mistreating one of his [[Khoi]] labourers. He  resisted arrest and fled to a cave near his home where he defended himself against the soldiers sent to capture him, and was killed by one of the soldiers. One of his brothers, Hans Bezuidenhout, swore revenge and organised a rebellion against the British colonial rulers. On 18th November 1815, a commando of rebels thus met a British armed force at [[Slachter's Nek]], on the eastern frontier. Though negotiations failed, no shots were fired and twenty rebels surrendered, while the majority of the rest simply left for home. However, some of the leaders - including Hans Bezuidenhout, refused to do so and on 29th November 1815, they were attacked by colonial troops. This time all except Bezuidenhout surrendered and he, like his brother, then died while resisting arrest.
  
The rebels were finally charged at Uitenhage. Some were cleared, others imprisoned or banished. Six were sentenced to death but one of these was pardoned by the Governor, Lord Charles Somerset. On 9th March 1816 the remaining five were hanged in public at Van Aardtspos. Four of the nooses broke during the procedure as the hangman who came to perform the execution had not realised there were five to be hung, and old ropes had to be used. The four whose ropes broke, as well as the public, pleaded for their lives but Culyer ordered that they be hanged a second time and they were hung one by one. The names of the five who were hanged were Hendrik Prinsloo, Stephanus Bothma, Abraham Bothma, Cornelius Faber and Theunis de Klerk.
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The rebels were finally charged and a number of them were cleared of wrongdoing, while others were imprisoned or banished. Six were sentenced to death and five of them ultimately hanged. Although many of the other frontier farmers ([[Boer]]s) did not support or agree with the rebellion, some of the leaders of the [[The Great Trek]] of 1838 would later cite that incident as one of the reasons for their exodus from the Cape Colony.  
 
 
Although many of the frontier boere did not support or agree with the rebellion, some Voortrekkers have claimed that it was one of the reasons for the Great Trek.
 
 
 
Colonel Jacob Glen Cuyler was an American by birth who had remained loyal to Britain during the rebellion of the American colonies.  He had first hand experience of the harshness meted out to loyalists by the rebels and had consequently a strong aversion for rebels, unfortunately for the Slachter's Nek rebels.
 
  
 
On 9th March 1916, exactly 100 years after the execution, a monument was unveiled on the spot where the hanging took place, on the N10 south of Cookhouse.
 
On 9th March 1916, exactly 100 years after the execution, a monument was unveiled on the spot where the hanging took place, on the N10 south of Cookhouse.
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'''Among them:''' ''[[Slagtersnek]]'' (Van Bruggen, 1938),
 
'''Among them:''' ''[[Slagtersnek]]'' (Van Bruggen, 1938),
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==Sources==
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https://www.somerset-east.co.za/page/slachters_nek_rebellion
  
 
=''[[Slagtersnek]]'', a documentary drama in two acts by [[J.R.L. van Bruggen]] (1895-1948)=  
 
=''[[Slagtersnek]]'', a documentary drama in two acts by [[J.R.L. van Bruggen]] (1895-1948)=  

Revision as of 07:00, 14 July 2019

Slagtersnek or Slachter's Nek ("Butcher's pass") can refer to a physical place, or to the so-called Slagtersnek Rebellie (Slachter's Nek Rebellion or Slagtersnek Rebellion) of 1815, a traumatic event in the Cape history which served as a key incitement to increased resistance to British colonial rule and ultimately for the Great Trek of 1838.

The historical event

In 1815 Frederik Bezuidenhout, a farmer from the eastern border of the Cape Colony, was summoned to appear before a magistrate's court charged with mistreating one of his Khoi labourers. He resisted arrest and fled to a cave near his home where he defended himself against the soldiers sent to capture him, and was killed by one of the soldiers. One of his brothers, Hans Bezuidenhout, swore revenge and organised a rebellion against the British colonial rulers. On 18th November 1815, a commando of rebels thus met a British armed force at Slachter's Nek, on the eastern frontier. Though negotiations failed, no shots were fired and twenty rebels surrendered, while the majority of the rest simply left for home. However, some of the leaders - including Hans Bezuidenhout, refused to do so and on 29th November 1815, they were attacked by colonial troops. This time all except Bezuidenhout surrendered and he, like his brother, then died while resisting arrest.

The rebels were finally charged and a number of them were cleared of wrongdoing, while others were imprisoned or banished. Six were sentenced to death and five of them ultimately hanged. Although many of the other frontier farmers (Boers) did not support or agree with the rebellion, some of the leaders of the The Great Trek of 1838 would later cite that incident as one of the reasons for their exodus from the Cape Colony.

On 9th March 1916, exactly 100 years after the execution, a monument was unveiled on the spot where the hanging took place, on the N10 south of Cookhouse.

The rebellion has been the theme of a number of fictional or documentary works.

Among them: Slagtersnek (Van Bruggen, 1938),

Sources

https://www.somerset-east.co.za/page/slachters_nek_rebellion

Slagtersnek, a documentary drama in two acts by J.R.L. van Bruggen (1895-1948)

The original text

Part of a collection of Afrikaans one-act documentary plays by Van Bruggen entitled Bakens: Gedramatiseerde mylpale uit die Groot Trek, aimed at commemorating the Great Trek of 1839. (Published in Johannesburg in 1938/9 by A.P.B., some of the plays performed in 1938)

It deals with the Slagtersnek (literally "Butcher's Neck", meaning "Butcher's pass") rebellion, when Dutch/Afrikaner farmers rebelled against the British government in the Cape Province. [1] in 1815.

Sources

Marisa Keuris. 2013. "J.R.L. van Bruggen (Kleinjan) se eenbedryf “Bloedrivier” uit Bakens: Gedramatiseerde mylpale uit die Groot Trek (1938/1939) – ’n terugblik vanuit 2013", LitNet Akademies 10(3)[2]

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