Potgieter in South Africa
Family history The name "Potgieter" is of German origin, meaning "Pot caster" or maker of pots from cast iron.
It would be impossible to write a book on the history of South Africa, especially of the Afrikaner, without the mention of the name "Potgieter". In 1674, 22 years after Jan van Riebeeck established the settlement in the Cape of Good Hope, Harmen Jansz, son of Herman Potgieter and Schwenne Lodden arrived in
South Africa, to work as builder in the employment of the VOC (Dutch East India Chartered Company). Harmen was born in 1635 in Nordhorn, Wesfale, Germany. He moved to Amsterdam in 1670,
where he married Isabella Fredriks of Amsterdam in 1672. Harmen and Isabella had 3 sons and 4 daughters in South Africa. Johannes Potgieter (23 Sep 1674) was the first Potgieter to be born on South African soil.
The settlers at the Cape came from a wide variety of social and economical backgrounds. Little official
government sponsored settlement took place and most settlers came to South Africa as individuals
looking for jobs. Initial settlers came from the Netherlands, Germany and France. These were either
farmers, skilled artisans, or labourers. There were some talented and learned individuals amongst the
Germans and French immigrants. Some were quite influential, but the majority of these settlers were
peasants who wished to escape a life of poverty in Europe. As Germany struggled to recover from the
30 years war, many saw the Dutch settlement at the Cape as a golden opportunity.
The first generation (1674 - 1700)
The free burghers
The VOC allocated some land to farmers to stimulate agriculture at the Cape. The first free burghers were allocated land in 1657 at Cape Town, These were mostly peasants, previously in the employment of the VOC. The free burghers had to plant whatever the VOC told them to plant and had to accept payment which the VOC deemed reasonable. Farms and equipment were sold to the farmers on credit, while the payment for crops were often not enough to repay the debt. Most free burghers had to look for alternative ways to earn an additional income. As the farming community expanded slowly, the supporting economy followed. Harmen Janz left the employment of the VOC to work in Stellenbosch as smith.
Simon van der Stel allocated new farms in 1686 at Drakenstein, where the farmers had more freedom
to choose the best land. The first generation of Potgieters all settled in this area as free burghers. The
infrastructure was totally inadequate and farms were spread far apart. The isolated lifestyle was the
perfect breading ground for a totally new culture.
The next two generations (1700 - 1780)
The frontiersmen
Van der Stel could not control the free burgers. They made free use of land and moved deeper into the hinterland. The Potgieters were always at the forefront of the expansion to the east. Farmers had to
travel far to Cape Town for supplies and eventually they became totally independent of the Cape.
While the free burghers started their own settlements deeper inland, the government would follow many year behind to establish towns and courts.
The births of Potgieter children were recorded in Swellendam long before the town was officially established, with a landdrost office in 1746.
The Colony continued to expand to the east, to reach the Fish river by 1778. The simultaneous
westward expansion of the Xhosa brought the eastward expansion of the farmers to a temporary halt.
This forced the farmers to the north, where Graaff Reinet was founded in 1786.
The far outpost 1780 - 1830
The eastern settlement was too far out of reach of the Cape Government to exercise proper law and
order. The free burghers (or Boers as they were called by now) established their own system of
defence. This community based commando system lasted until the early 20th century.
Fighting continued between the Boers and the Xhosa over land and water on the east border. A total of
nine border wars were fought (some between the Boers and the Xhosa, some between the Dutch
Colonial Government and the Xhosa, and some later between the English and the Xhosa). The Great
Fish river was declared as the east border of the Colony in 1778, but the Xhosa rebelled against their
eviction by looting farms and killing the Boers. The result was the first border war of 1779, followed
by a second in 1789 and a third war of 1799 to 1801.
The real trouble however started in 1795 when the British annexed the Cape Colony. The Colony was
briefly handed back to the Dutch in 1802, but the British arrived once again in 1806, this time with the
intention to stay. Britain made an attempt to restore law and order by posting law officers in
GraaffReinet. The Boers's rejection of the British law ended in a bloody massacre at Slagtersnek.
Fed up with the British, the Boers started to move across the Orange river. When the east borders
emptied out the British brought in new settlers in 1820 to form a buffer against the Xhosa. This forced
the Boers further to the north-east, into the Tarka area, but the final showdown came in 1836.
The Great Trek
Potgieter clan decided to leave the country and find new grounds.Andries Hendrik (known as Hendrik Potgieter), second child of Hermanus and Petronella Margaretha Krugel, emerged as a clear leader when he
convinced the family to cross the Orange River in pursuit of the dream of a independent state ("Volkstaat"). The first Potgieter trek, which left the Cape Colony in 1835 under the leadership of Commandant Hendrik Potgieter, left a trail of Boer Republics. A second Potgieter trek followed shortly thereafter under the leadership of Commandant Jacobus (Koos) Potgieter.
The initial treks were led by Louis Trichard and Johannes Hendrik Van Rensburg. They took 50 people
across Vaal river, all along the Olifantsriver. Trichard waited for Hendrik Potgieter at Strydpoort, near present day Pietersburg, while Van Rensburg investigated the area further to the north around the Soutpansberg. He moved east along the Limpopo river to a place called Pafoeri. Later Louis Trichard went in search of Van Rensburg, but Van Rensburg was never found. It is believed that he was murdered.
Hendrik Potgieter's trek followed soon after the pioneer treks. This trek included mainly people from
the Tarka and Colesberg area. In the beginning there were only 35 men with their families, but many
joined later. Joining Hendrik with the initial trek, were Hendrik's brothers, Jacobus Johannes and
Nicolaas Johannes and their father Hermanus Potgieter.
The Boers regrouped at Vetriver, where the first Boer Republic (Winburg) was established after the
battle of Vegkop on 16 October 1836, with Maritz as President. When Piet Retief arrived on 12 April
1837 at Winburg with much larger trek he was elected as the Commandant-general. Andries Hendrik
Potgieter could not attract enough votes to make it to the House of Assembly.
While most of the Boers (including Commandant Koos Potgieter) decided to move to Natal, Hendrik
decided to move to the Transvaal, where he established his second republic (Potchefstroom-Winburg).
In 1840 Hendrik Potgieter and Andries Pretorius decided to unite the Boer republics of Potchefstroom and Natal. Potgieter was elected in charge of the Potchefstroom district and Pretorius in charge of the
Natal district, with an united House of Assembly as the single higher command.
When the British annexed Natal, many Boers returned to Potchefstroom-Winburg. The newcomers did not respect the authority of Potgieter, and rumours started that they plan to oust Potgieter as Commandant. On 6 May 1845 Potgieter called the house of Assembly, where he was re-affirmed as Commandant. Potgieter
however decided that the British are once again getting too close for comfort and decided to move once again. After he appointed leaders for Potchefstroom, they left in June 1845.
They formed a new republic and called it Andries-Ohrigstad. A new House of Assembly was elected and Hendrik Potgieter was appointed as the Commandant-in-chief. As capital of the settler republics, Ohrigstad was doomed. It was useless as trade route, and the area was infested with malaria. Political pressures started to mount against Hendrik Potgieter and forced him to leave the town. The trek left in 1847 to Soutpansberg in the north, where the 5th Boer republic was established.
Potgieters today
Allthough you will find Potgieters thoughout South Africa today, there are three major "clans". The
Hendrik Potgieter trek left a trail of Potgieters behind in Potchefstroom, Orighstad and Soutpansberg,
while the second trek established in Pietermaritzburg. Many members of the Koos Potgieter trek left
Natal after the British annexation and joined Hendrik at Orighstad. Many Potgieters did not join the
trek at all, and the largest Potgieter grouping can still be found in the Eastern Cape. These grouping
can not be traced back to a single blood-line, as members of different families joined the different
treks.
(c) Eric Swardt, 1998.
Email: pvg@camerama.demon.nl
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