Utrecht is a town in the foothills of the Balele Mountains, in the northwestern corner of

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is loca ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

. Newcastle, Kwazulu-Natal's third-largest urban centre, is 50 km from Utrecht. Utrecht has a population of approximately 32,000 (including surrounding areas). The town is named after

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Nethe ...

, a Dutch city with the same name, as a result from Dutch settlers in the region.

Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as stratum, rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen ...

mining and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...

ranching are the predominant economic activities in Utrecht.

History

In 1843, the British annexed the newly-formed Klip River Republic. Most of the inhabitants moved to the (later) Free State and

Transvaal Province The Province of the Transvaal ( af, Provinsie van Transvaal), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Trans ...

, but three of them – A. T. Spies, J. C. Klopper and C. J. van Rooyen – stole land east of the Buffalo River for 300 cattle in 1852 from Zulu

King Mpande Mpande kaSenzangakhona (1798–18 October 1872) was monarch of the Zulu Kingdom from 1840 to 1872. He was a half-brother of Sigujana, Shaka and Dingane, who preceded him as Zulu kings. He came to power after he had overthrown Dingane in 1840. ...

. Van Rooyen, who spoke the

Zulu language Zulu (), or isiZulu as an endonym, is a Southern Bantu language of the Nguni branch spoken in Southern Africa. It is the language of the Zulu people, with about 12 million native speakers, who primarily inhabit the province of KwaZulu-Natal ...

fluently, was a friend of King Mpande and had assisted him a few years earlier. Prior to 1852, Van Rooyen had permission to use this tract of land for grazing. The majority of northern Natal was intermittently uninhabited, since King

Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...

had driven out the resident

Hlubi people The Hlubi people or AmaHlubi are an Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa, with the majority of population found in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. List of AmaHlubi kings Origins The Hlubi, similar to o ...

; the

Zulu people Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni people, Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest Ethnic groups in South Africa, ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, li ...

inhabited the land generally. In the Transvaal Archive, the settlers who moved there with the trio were called the ''Buffel rivier maatschappij'' (Buffalo River Society). In a proclamation dated 27 December 1852 the ''Zuid-Afrikaansche Republic'' (ZAR), in a letter signed by Commander-General A. W. J. Pretorius (the hero of the

Battle of Blood River The Battle of Blood River (16 December 1838) was fought on the bank of the Ncome River, in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between 464 Voortrekkers ("Pioneers"), led by Andries Pretorius, and an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Zulu. Est ...

), warned them that the ZAR did not recognize the transaction. This was due to a fear of antagonizing the English, who would be their neighbors on the Buffalo River after the annexation of the Klip River Republic. This warning was re-issued in December 1853, in a letter written to "Phillip Koch and the rest of the inhabitants of the area of the Buffalo River". These inhabitants wished to be incorporated into the ZAR, but the ZAR refused. On 8 September 1854 the trio of settlers again traded the same land for a further 100 cattle and had a bill of sale signed; it may be viewed in the Transvaal Archive. The following is a translation from the original Dutch: Permission to graze the land under traditional Zulu land use system did not equate to ownership as understood in Western terms. Flag of the Netherlands

The Republic of Utrecht (after the formation of the

New Republic New Republic may refer to: Places * New Republic, California, former name of Santa Rita, Monterey County, California * New Republic (Santarem), district in the city of Santarém, Pará Countries * New Republic (Brazil), the restored civilian gove ...

on its eastern side, which had been known as the Old Republic) existed until 1858, when it joined the Republic of Lydenburg. This republic joined the ZAR in 1860. Utrecht and Vryheid (the capital of the former New Republic) remained part of the ZAR until 31 May 1902, when the ZAR surrendered to Great Britain. After this, both towns (and their districts) were incorporated into the

Colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to ...

as spoils of war.

Tourism

In a corner of the Balele Mountains, Utrecht is unique since it lies within a game park. Established in 1854, the town is steeped in a history reflected in historical buildings like the Old Parsonage Museum, the Dutch Reformed sandstone church, the old military cemetery, colonial houses and other buildings. Utrecht does not only offer history to the tourist; the Balele Mountains, with their waterfalls and ecological diversity, are home to a wealth of fauna and flora – especially in the Balele Game Park, which encircles the town. The preserve and surrounding district offer a variety of outdoor activities that include hiking and horse trails, trout fishing at dams on the Bivane River, birding and water sports at the recreation resort. The Utrecht district is the tribal domain of five Amakosi (Zulu chiefs), who today play an active role in the development of the area. The Mangosuthu Arts and Crafts village (with accommodations for backpackers) has a craft shop with a variety of traditional Zulu articles. In addition to eco-tourism Utrecht is an agricultural area, the most important wool-producing area in KwaZulu-Natal. It is also a major cattle and mixed-farming region, and farm holidays are available.

Population

Utrecht is the seat of the local eMadlageni municipality and the

Amajuba District Municipality Amajuba is one of the 11 districts of KwaZulu-Natal province. The seat of Amajuba is Newcastle. The majority of its 468,040 people speak Zulu (2001 Census). The district code is DC25 Tourism The Amajuba District is marketed as a battlefields tou ...

. The Amajuba District Municipality is the fifth-most-densely-populated district in KwaZulu-Natal, comprising Dannhauser (1,516 km²), Newcastle (1,855 km²), and Utrecht (3,539 km²). The average population density in Amajuba was 72 people per km² in 2011. The district was home to 499,839 people that year with 22% residing in Dannhauser, 72% residing in Newcastle and 7% in Utrecht.

Schools

* Utrecht High School * Utrecht Primary School * eMalahleni Combined School * Zimbuthu Primary School * Umzilikazi High School * Ithamsanqa Primary School * Mxhakeni Primary School

Bibliography

Ian Knight Ian Knight (12 August 1940, in Eastcote – 20 March 2010) was a British stage designer, best known for his work with the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Genesis and Rod Stewart. He developed effects, including using lasers and large-screen proje ...

, ''Companion to the Anglo-Zulu War'', 2008. * Roy Digby Thomas, ''Two Generals: Buller and Botha in the Boer War'', 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Utrecht, Kwazulu-Natal Populated places in the eMadlangeni Local Municipality Populated places established in 1853 Former republics