The South Africa Guide

Blood River is a tributary of the Buffalo River in the north of Kwazulu-Natal and is famous in South African History because it was the scene of the final defeat in 1838 of the Zulu chief Dingaan by the Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Pretorius.

This historic battle came about after the Voortrekkers had failed to achieve a satisfactory conclusion during their negotiations with the Zulu chief Dingaan about the secession of land for settling and grazing.

On the 16th December 1838 the forces of Dingaan which were 10,000 strong assembled on the banks of the Ncomi river (later to be called Blood River) to face off against the 464 Boers under the command of Andries Pretorius.

Before the battle began the Voortrekkers who held very strong religious beliefs, prayed to God for victory over the Zulu’s they vowed that if they were victorious they would commemorate their victory with thanksgiving services every year.

The result was a great victory for the Voortrekkers who had no casualties but left 3000 casualties on the Zulu side.  The river was awash with blood and so became known as Blood River and the Voortrekkers regarded their victory on that day as a Covenant from God that the land was theirs.

A monument was built at Blood River commemorating the events of 1838 and for many years remained a reminder of the heroism of the Voortrekkers, and it was only in 1998 that a monument was inaugurated on the other side of the river, by Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi in memory of the 3000 Zulu Warriors who died on that day.

For many years the 16th December was called Dingaan’s day until the Nationalist Government renamed it the Day of the Covenant.  Today it has been renamed as the Day of Reconciliation.