Voortrekker Monument

The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa, is situated on Monument Hill (Thaba Tshwane, known previously as Roberts Heights and Voortrekkerhoogte). The monument was built in 1938 to commemorate the Dutch-speaking settlers, known as the Voortrekkers.

Approximately 12,000  travelled by ox wagon from the Cape Colony into the interior of South Africa from 1835 to 1854 to escape the reach of British colonial administration. The migration is known as The Great Trek (Afrikaans: Die Groot Trek; Dutch: De Grote Trek.)

The architect of the Monument, Gerhard Moerdijk, Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects, was a well-known public figure. He was a member of the South African Academy for Science and Art and the chairperson of the Council of the University of Pretoria. Moerdijk originally designed the monument for a location at Blood River (Ncome River in Kwa-Zulu Natal) to commemorate the Battle of Blood River; 464 Voortrekkers defeated an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Zulu warriors on 16 December 1838. An estimated 3,000 of King Dingane's soldiers perished. The Boers promised that they and their descendants would commemorate 16 December as a day of rest; they believe that God had given them victory.

The Monument’s design references the Egyptian pyramid as well as the Zimbabwean ruins. Central to the design is the granite mausoleum which houses a sarcophagus containing the bones of Piet Retief and those who were massacred by the Zulu King Dingaan. A copy of the Vow of 16 December 1838 was buried under the foundation stone at the eastern corner of the Monument, as were a copy of the anthem "Die Stem" and a copy of the land deal between the Voortrekkers and the Zulus.

The sarcophagus is the central focus of the Monument. A ray of sunlight shines through an opening in the Monument’s dome at twelve o'clock on 16 December and illuminates, in the centre of the sarcophagus, the inscribed words: Ons vir Jou, Suid-Afrika (literally translated 'We for you, South Africa'). The ray of light symbolises God's blessing on the lives and endeavors of the Voortrekkers. The flame of a lantern in a niche in the northern wall of the interior has burnt continuously since 1938. A statue of a woman and two children honours the strength and courage of the Voortrekker women.