Dingane orders his forces to wipe out remaining parties of Voortrekkers after the murder of Piet Retief and his companions. The two Voortrekker parties at Bloukrans and Bushmans Rivers in Natal are attacked in the early morning hours of the 17th and 41 men, 56 women, 185 children and more than 200 Black servants are massacred. Numbers of those killed vary in different sources.
eventREF E-0074044Revised
Event record
Dingane orders his forces to wipe out remaining parties of Voortrekkers after the murder of Piet Retief and his companions
- Updated
- 30 Sep 2019
How we know this
- 01Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds)(1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 2, p. 380
- 02Swart, M.J., et al. (eds)(1980). Afrikaanse Kultuuralmanak, Aucklandpark: Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge
- 03Muller, C.F.J. (ed)(1981). Five Hundred years: a history of South Africa; 3rd rev. ed., Pretoria: Academica
- 04Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau
- 05https://www.news24.com
Last updated · 30 Sep 2019
South African History Online. (2012, February 10). Dingane orders his forces to wipe out remaining parties of Voortrekkers after the murder of Piet Retief and his companions. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074044
South African History Online (2012) 'Dingane orders his forces to wipe out remaining parties of Voortrekkers after the murder of Piet Retief and his companions', South African History Online, 10 February. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074044 (Accessed: 9 October 2026).
South African History Online, Dingane orders his forces to wipe out remaining parties of Voortrekkers after the murder of Piet Retief and his companions [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074044, (accessed 9 October 2026).
"Dingane orders his forces to wipe out remaining parties of Voortrekkers after the murder of Piet Retief and his companions." South African History Online, 10 Feb. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074044. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
South African History Online. "Dingane orders his forces to wipe out remaining parties of Voortrekkers after the murder of Piet Retief and his companions." South African History Online. February 10, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0074044.
Further reading
Place
Xamdeboo was called Aberdeen, Eastern Cape
Aberdeen is about 50 km South-West of Graaff-Reinet and only 3 hours drive from Port Elizabeth.
Place
Cape Town Civic Centre and the CBD of Cape Town
The Cape Town Civic centre is a Building in the centre of Cape Town, which is just under Signal Hill.
Place
Paternoster, West Coast
"Think of Fishermen and Fishing Boats, hardy Fynbos growing on whites Dunes, and of Bokkoms (dried Fish), drying in the....
Article
Brenda Fassie’s 1997 hit song Vulindlela still raises questions about South Africa as a nation
In 1997, South Africa’s most famous music star had a huge hit. Brenda Fassie’s Vulindlela became a national pop...
Place
KwaZulu-Natal Literary Trails (under Heritage Routes)
Kwa-Zulu Natal has a diverse literary heritage, from the legacy of prominent Indian writers and political figures in...
Search events by date
This day in history
What happened on your birthday?
SAHO is free because readers fund it. Donate →