Burger Monument Harrismith

 The Burgher monument was inaugurated on 8 November 1938.

 

 On Friday morning 1 March 1940, six months after the beginning of the Second World War, Harrismith awoke with the upsetting news that the Burgher Monument had been damaged: pieces of the kneeling burgher’s hat and rifle had been broken off. Angry people were already gathered around the Monument, more followed out of curiosity, wild threats were made and more than one fiery fistfight had to be stopped.

Protesters on horseback

Although it could never be proved, persistent rumours had it that it was one of the two MacFadyen brothers who had got to the Monument with a piece of water pipe. They had been socialising in the Central Hotel on that Thursday evening before they were to depart to the front in North Africa the following morning. In die city hall, across the street from the hotel, a function was in full swing. Late that night they departed from the hotel, tipsy and upset with the Afrikaners’ apparent disapproval of the war in which they, as allies, were to place their lives at risk. Lively dance music from the city hall lured them to see what was going on. When they reached the Burgher Monument in front of the city hall, one brother froze, refusing to walk under the Boers’ granite arch. In the heat of the moment he grabbed a nearby piece of water pipe, and with his brother’s help, climbed onto the top of the arch. He aimed a massive blow at the burgher’s head, which he missed, but smashed off a piece of the wide-rimmed hat as well as the barrel of the Mauser.

 The leadership of the English-speaking community of Harrismith was most upset and immediately began collecting funds to repair the damage. Crankshaw Brothers, the original constructor of the Monument, repaired the barrel free of charge.

One would have thought that this would be the end of the matter. Not so! There was great disagreement about the fortune of the Monument between the followers of the two political parties of that time: The South African Party (SAP), the ruling party of General Jan Smuts, and the National Party (NP). While the SAP was quite satisfied that the Monument be repaired, the NP disagreed.

The neatly-repaired the barrel was broken off again and hidden by members of the Ossewa Brandwag (OB), an organisation working in close co-operation with the NP. It was decided to make a political martyr of the statue: it would be left incomplete as a remembrance of injustice. The broken-off pieces of the statue were hidden, in great secrecy, in a loose sandstone brick in a wall on a farm in the district.

The new marble plaque

 A new marble plaque was made with an inscription in Afrikaans, stating that the Burgher Monument had been violated on the morning of 1 March 1940 by the enemies of the Boer nation. Its inauguration was accompanied by great ceremony and political fanfare. The guest speaker was Mr. JC van Rooy, chairman of the Afrikaner Broederbond. Advocate Blackie Swart, a future state president, was also a speaker at the ceremony.

 

As a compromise between the two Afrikaner camps, it was decided to place the Monument in the hands of the Voortrekker Commando of Harrismith. A document was compiled, signed and the necessary stamps applied to make it official.

The broken-off pieces of the statue were put into safekeeping by the firm Cloete and Neveling Attorneys, where it remains to this day.

I think we have the most interesting monument in the country! By far!

Thanks to Leon Strachan and Jeannie Wasserman Cook for the information.

For more information, we suggest that you read Leon Strachan’s book

Krygers en Skietpiete 

Till next time

Hennie & Sandra

The story of a Lawyer and a Building with Bank History

DeOudeHuize

The history of the Cloete and Neveling building 

A post card the Bank build in 1905

Standard Bank was expelled from it's border of our provice in 1865 after the British occupation and during the Anglo-Boer War in 1900. 

The bank as the Army Pay Department's banker was allowed under martial law to open branches in the Free State and this lead to the abolishment of the law of 1865. 

Harrismith was the first town in which the Bank was interested and was permitted to operate where the British forces maintain a permanent garrison.  

The Railway also requested that Standard Bank open a branch in town. 

A new Branch was opened for business on 1 October 1902.

Land negotiations took place and in Nov 1902 it obtain land with 50ft frontage and a depth of 180ft. 

This was a central and practical site on the Market square between the offices of the Bank of Africa and the National Bank and it purchase the ground for 1570 GBP.  

In the absence of any local architect the Bank used the services of one of the Royal Engineers who was carrying out some military work in the vicinity. 

The plans were completed in November 1903. 

They were drawn up and provided a further story to be attached to provide for a residence for the Manager. 

The architect modified the plans without altering their essential character.

 It was completed at the beginning of April 1905. 

The manager and his family occupy the house which was very convenient and comfortable. 

A large brass plate should be fixed to the wall immediately below the middle window. 

The new building the the best and most note able on in the square and surpassed all the other bank buildings in town, both internally and externally 

The very first photograph taken after completion for the Standard Bank.
Note the human pulled cart known as a rickshaw
The date at the top of building referrers to the date that Standard Bank was established in South Africa  

A post card of the early day in Harrismith
The only building that is still standing is the Bank building 

The original safe that is situated in the strong room of the building
It still in use in the lawyers offices. 
Look at all the detail 

One of the teller machines that was used in the bank 

This post is not only about Standard Bank but also about a Lawyer firm called Cloete and Neveling

Cloete & Neveling inc., initially established as a partnership, has practised uninterrupted since its establishment in 1945 

Chris Cloete and Barney Neveling 

A deed of the "water erven" these had water rights from the river 

The gavel that was used in the Harrismith Court rooms
Gavel is that small wooden hammer that a judge or magistrate uses in a court room in order to get people’s attention or to emphasize on something that he has said.

An old filing cabinet that is still in use 

The original deed of the Muller's Hoek farm 

Another view from the Town Hall toward the Cloete and Neveling building
The double story has once again made way for a new development 

A deed of Matthys Johannes Wessels dated 1886 of the farm Parkhurst 

Deed of Pieter Cornelius de Beer 1868 

A beautiful old book case filled with law books 

The Cloete and Neveling Building
Nee The Old Standard Bank Building 

The Law firm was bought by the current partners and we say thank you to Gerhard van Wyk for taking us on a tour and showing us around

A selection of Spy cartoons all depicting the Law 

Sharing some of the sketches of  the Chief Justice of South Africa
Starting top Left: Ismail Mohammed 1997, L C Steyn 1959 - 1971 and N Ogilvie Tompson 1971 - 1974
Middle Left: John Wessels 1932 - 1939, J S Curlewis 1936 - 1938 and James Stratford 1938 - 1939
Bottom Left: William Solomon 1927 - 1929, Sir James Rose-Innes 1914 - 1927
and Lord De Villiers 1910 - 1914

But like in all building and in this instance a Law firm there will be a lot of stories.

Like to share this one with you.  
Thank you to Leon Strachan for sharing this with us

The Ghost Will

Flip Pieterse was orphaned when he was very young.

His two uncles took him under their wings.

"Come and bend over the rocks with us", they said, with these two tough men 

he began to dress stone in the area. 

They erected stone sheds, made stone kraals and built neat sand stone homes.

It was hard back breaking work but there was always something in the chest and 

now and again time to be jolly.

Work disappeared because of the depression and they had to go and work 

for the State wielding picks and shovels.They helped to carve out 

the van Reenen Pass in the Drakensberg and then they chopped the slopes of the same 

mountain to pieces for the Oliviershoek Pass and it was here that Flip heard about the daughters 

of Piet de Heer. They lived in the Lost Valley. Deep in the folds of this mountain between the two passes Flip Pieterse lost his heart. 

After the wedding he built a little stone house for his bride and became a "bywoner". 

Flip and his father-in-law were as one mind from the start. 

Piet (the father-in-law) was work shy and people jested that he was a professor from 

Leiden who lived on his wife's property and was too lazy to work.

He taught the children of the Valley.

In any case Piet De Heer died in about 1950. Flip Pieterse's wife inherited the farm and some of the other children were most unhappy about this.

One night van Heer Jr. had a vision. He dreamt that his father visited him and told him that the will was incorrect. The other children also had to inherit.and he explained how the will should actually read. It was an unbelievably clear dream with amazing detail..

Early the next morning he rode on his donkey to the town . He went to Cloete and Neveling where he obtained an appointment with Barney Neveling.

Barney in his young days 

He told him this remarkable story. 

Barney listened in utter disbelief. He has seen some interesting wills but that one takes the cake. 

Barney had an inextinguishable enjoyment of life and a lively sense of humor.

"Well" he said " 

come back in about two hours give me time and can have the new will drafted and it typed. 

Barney complied, He drafted the will exactly as Piet had spelled it out in the dream.

 He have it to the younger de Heer .

"If your father visits you again, you may give it to him to sign. Then everything will be in order. Oh Yes! remember to have him initial every page."

Chris Cloete in his young days 

Details of the building
The date on the building refers to the date the Bank was established in South Africa 

Thanks for joining us on a short walk visit to this building and the interesting history hiding between die walls. 

Sending Lots of Love from South Africa 

Sandra 

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