Honouring the fallen: 125th anniversary of the Battle of SpionKop commemorated in KwaZulu-Natal

A commemoration was held in Drakensberg on Friday to mark the 125th anniversary of the Battle of SpionKop and honour the soldiers who fought in the war.

The historic event drew local and international guests, who gathered at the site where one of the bloodiest confrontations of the South African War unfolded in January 1900.

Among the dignitaries who attended were Reverend Musa Zondi, MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Antony Phillipson, the British High Commissioner, the British Defence Attaché, Mayor of Okhahlamba Councillor Vikizitha Mlotshwa, Indian consul-general Dr Thelma David, the grand daughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Ela Gandhi, and a representative of the Liverpool Football Club.

There were also two British regiments from England who participated in the proceedings.

SpionKop was the scene of one of the bloodiest and most futile battles fought during the South African War of 1899-1902.

The battle was a military engagement between British forces and two Boer Republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, during the campaign by the British to relieve the besieged city Ladysmith during the initial months of the Second Boer War.

It was an all-inclusive war between Britain and the allied men from Canada, Australia and New Zealand and was the first time that troops from overseas fought under their national banner and South Africans, known as Boers, Indians and the Zulu, Xhosa, Bakgatla, Shangaan, Sotho, Swazi and Basotho people, became embroiled in the war.

The SpionKop Battlefield is unique as it includes memorials of all people involved in the January, 1900, battle from the British, the Boers, the Indian stretcher bearers and the African scouts.

In honour of the soldiers from Liverpool and the surrounding cities and towns, the UK's famous Anfield Football Stadium, home to Liverpool Football, has the “KOP” or Spion Kop Gate.

On Friday tributes reverberated with the memories of soldiers, stretcher bearers, and scouts who played critical roles in the battle's grim narrative.

Mlotshwa said the Okhahlamba Local Municipality was proud to honour this day.

"Some were killed and some survived and we are the generations of them. We are forging partnerships and relationships with the people of Liverpool in the UK. You have a very special team that I support. We need Liverpool to come here and host clinics. We need to forget the past and focus on the future. I challenge each and everyone from abroad to invest in the Okhahlamba Local Municipality," said Mlotshwa.

The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, councillor Richard Kemp, said there were many people with a Liverpool connection that died at SpionKop, fact that they remember in the world famous Kop at Anfield.

"We can see in South Africa a new young country that is putting aside old enmities to create a new, vibrant and multi-cultural country. Our hopes are for the future which we can can do by honouring those that made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf," said Kemp.

Reverend Musa Zondi, MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, said the event not only remembered a pivotal chapter in the country's shared history but also honoured the resilience, courage, and sacrifices of all who took part in the historic battles.

"This week, we also marked the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Isandlwana, a reminder of the interconnectedness of these moments in history. At SpionKop, we honour soldiers and civilians, Zulu warriors, Boer fighters, British soldiers, Indian stretcher bearers like a young Mahatma Gandhi, and African scouts - whose contributions must never be forgotten. This sacred battlefield is a place of remembrance and reflection, reminding us of the cost of conflict and the importance of working for peace," said Zondi.

He added that battlefields commemorations highlight the power of heritage tourism.

"Sites like SpionKop and Isandlwana are not just places of memory but bridges to the past, offering opportunities for cultural and economic growth.This week, filmmakers, tour operators, and guests from around the world have experienced the unique history and breath-taking beauty of the Drakensberg region," said Zondi.

Mntomuhle Khawula, MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, on behalf of the KwaZulu-Natal premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, said the Battle of SpionKop stood out as one of the most touching and tragic chapters in the country's past.

"Approximately 343 British and 68 Boer soldiers lost their lives during that fatal confrontation. Despite the immense loss of lives, it was a day defined by remarkable courage and profound sacrifice from all involved,the British, the Boer fighters and the African people,whose stories are often less mentioned in our recounting of the events.

"This battle holds a prominent place in our history because it changed the way we look at the South African war, influencing the future of our nation and KwaZulu-Natal. This battle, like the Battle of Isandlwana, the Battle of Blood River and many others, exposed the harsh realities of conflict, loss, sorrow, and the lasting pain that families experience when they were torn apart," said Khawula.

Ela Gandhi, said it was surprising that her grandfather, a man of peace could have played any role in this violent confrontation and carnage that occurred on this battlefield.

She quoted Gandhi saying "my loyalty to the British rule drove me to participation with the British in that war, I felt that, if I demanded rights as a British citizen, it was also my duty, as such to participate in the defence of the British empire."

Dr Mxolisi Dlamuka, CEO of the KZN Amafa and Research Institute, said this war would have been different had Africans not joined it to fight on both sides.

"As scouts supporting the English and as accessories supporting the Boers. It is for this reason that what could have been an Anglo-Boer War changed its tone because the Africans, Indians, Khoikhoi, coloureds too, fought in this war. This was a South African war," said Dlamuka.

David said: "I believe that the lessons of this period is what moulded Gandhiji during his years here and therefore giving his strength and courage to face the unknown and lead. It is from here that we learn that peace is the utmost connect. This battlefield touched me because of the historic connect because of the efforts by the Indians by being the support staff as stretcher bearers".