TOPIC:

theheritageportal.co.za/article/one-most...-south-africa-if-not

This very interesting link was sent to me recently.

Brett

Morning Brett,
That is most interesting, I wonder what the future holds for some of these, I find it a little sad to see that some have been fenced off and a little worrying too, that it was felt necessary to do so in the first place.
Regards Frank

Frank
Like everything connected to Colonial history, the blockhouses have an uncertain future. Those that have some form of protection, or which are very isolated, may well survive, but protection and isolation are not necessarily permanent. About 20 years ago, I was told of a blockhouse near Colenso that had survived intact since the war ended. It was situated near the farmhouse on the farm Blaaukrantz, which had been the site of a massacre of Voortrekkers by the Zulus. It was this massacre that led to the Battle of Blood River, where the Trekkers took their revenge. Thereafter, the anniversary of the battle (16 December) became a day of rembrance and commemoration. The proceedings took place at a monument built near the farmhouse. As long as the farm and house were occupied, the blockhouse and its original timber fittings remained safe. However, times changed, and the farm was sold. Within a short time, all the portable contents of the farmhouse and blockhouse were stripped and taken away. When I last visited the area about ten years ago, the buildings were still standing. The monument had survived in isolated splendour, but a nearby building was reduced to its concrete floor. I do not know if the Afrikaner community still meets there on 16 December.
Regards
Brett

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weenen_massacre

The link above is to an account of the 1838 massacres.

Well, I suppose it is what, by tradition, the Zulu does, when he feels most aggrieved!

Nothing has changed, Frank - see below for part of a report on the front page of today's 'Mercury'.
Regards
Brett