The first signs of trouble became evident when the rural blacks began killing off their pigs and white poultry and started discarding European- manufactured utensils. He ordered Bhambatha to return to his area in the Mpanza valley near Greytown and start a rebellion. This he did, and as a result a great force of Natal Militia, together with a number of guns, descended on the Nkandla forest area, an extremely rugged territory with dense vegetation. Bhambatha's men proved elusive in this bitter little war, but eventually the troops, in a series of driving actions in the inhospitable terrain, trapped Bhambatha in the Mome Gorge. Hemmed in on all sides, they were massacred by the guns, sited on the surrounding hills, and Bhambatha and a great number of his followers were killed Following the conclusion of Ken's presentation, Committee member Lt Col Mike Rightford thanked Ken for a sympathetic and highly detailed illustration of a small part of the colourful military history of Natal.
Visitors are welcome.
Donation R 2.00. Scholars and students free. Tea and biscuits will be served. Col Ossie Baker is still looking for ladies who served in the SA Womens' Services in WW II and who would like to participate in his October panel discussion. It represents the results of painstaking labour over a long period by Cdr de Vries and Jon Hall, registering the 500 guns known in the Cape, and is an excellent work of basic historical research.