Willem Cornelis Janse van Rensburg Church Street Cemetery in Pretoria 087

Willem Cornelis Janse van Rensburg (16 May 1818 – 13 August 1865) was the second President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic, from 18 April 1862 until 10 May 1864.

Life

He was born near the town of

Beaufort West Beaufort West (Afrikaans: ''Beaufort-Wes''; Xhosa: ''eBhofolo'') is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and is known as the "Capital of the Karoo". It forms part of the Beauf ...

, the son of Hendrik Janse van Rensburg and his second wife, Martha Magdalena Oosthuizen. Janse van Rensburg married Elizabeth Maria Jacoba du Plessis in 1838. Initially, he travelled with a party of Voortrekkers to Natal, and was one of the party of

Janse van Rensburg Janse van Rensburg is a South African surname. Notable people sharing this surname include: *Brent Janse van Rensburg (born 1980), South African rugby union coach * Hector Janse van Rensburg (born 1993), British painter *Jacques Janse van Rensburg ...

s who survived an attack by a group of

Zulus Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Na ...

at Rensburg ''koppie'' (Rensburg hill). He subsequently travelled to the Transvaal and settled on a farm in the

Rustenburg Rustenburg (; , Afrikaans and Dutch: ''City of Rest'') is a city at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain range. Rustenburg is the most populous city in North West province, South Africa (549,575 in 2011 and 626,522 in the 2016 census). In 2017 ...

area in 1848. Janse van Rensburg was elected as a member of the in 1850, a post which he held until June 1855. During this period there was a major political conflict between the South African Republic's (ZAR) first president and writer of its constitution,

Marthinus Wessel Pretorius Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (17 September 1819 – 19 May 1901) was a South African political leader. An Afrikaner (or "Boer"), he helped establish the South African Republic (''Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek'' or ZAR; also referred to as Transv ...

, and its commandant-general,

Stephanus Schoeman Stephanus Schoeman (14 March 1810 – 19 June 1890) was President of the South African Republic from 6 December 1860 until 17 April 1862. His red hair, fiery temperament and vehement disputes with other Boer leaders earned him th ...

, who rejected the constitution. Janse van Rensburg supported Schoeman and in return, the latter appointed Janse van Rensburg as a provisional commandant. Janse van Rensburg subsequently represented Schoeman in negotiations with Pretorius's faction. In 1858, when Schoeman fell ill, Janse van Rensburg was appointed as acting commandant-general. Janse van Rensburg went on to play an essential role in uniting the former

Lydenburg Republic Lydenburg, officially known as Mashishing, is a town in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality, on the Mpumalanga highveld, South Africa. It is situated on the Sterkspruit/Dorps River tributary of the Lepelle River at the summit of the Long Tom Pass. ...

with the ZAR and also supported Pretorius when he tried to unite the ZAR and the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

. In February 1860, during Pretorius's absence, the offered Janse van Rensburg the post of State President, which he refused. Following substantial political maneuvering, Janse van Rensburg was elected as the second president of the ZAR in April 1863. However, Janse van Rensburg refused to be sworn in and a second election had to be held. During this election Janse van Rensburg received 1,106 votes and Pretorius 1,065; Janse van Rensburg accepted his election this time and he took his oath of office on 23 October 1863. Pretorius's supporters did not support the results of the election and what amounted to the

Transvaal Civil War The Transvaal Civil War was a series of skirmishes during the early 1860s in the South African Republic, or Transvaal, in the area now comprising the Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West provinces of South Africa. It began after the Br ...

broke out. When the fighting came to a halt in January 1864, another presidential election was held and Pretorius was re-elected; he was sworn in on 9 May 1864. Janse van Rensburg subsequently returned to his farm near

, where he died and was buried shortly afterwards. However, in August 1974, Janse van Rensburg and his wife were disinterred and reburied at the Heroes' Acre Cemetery in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Janse van Rensburg, Willem Cornelis 19th-century South African politicians 1818 births 1865 deaths Afrikaner people People from the Central Karoo District Municipality Presidents of the South African Republic South African people of Dutch descent