One of the Khambula Battlefield Memorial Site monuments was recently discovered in pieces.
The owner of the property, Ken Taylor, said they discovered the ‘broken’ monument on December 23 last year. Taylor added that they experienced extreme weather conditions which resulted in almost 1300mm of rain since December 16, often accompanied by heavy lightning. Severe lightning damage was sustained by several houses and structures on his farm.
“The monument was definitely struck by lightning, as one can see the burn marks. There are no signs of vandalism as such, but there are clear markings of the lightning that struck. The monument was struck in half and one can clearly see some iron bits in the stone, which obviously attracted the lightning bolt. There is no indication that the monument was hit by a sharp object, hammer or any other object,” commented Taylor.
Tour guide Ian Knight from the United Kingdom took a tourist group to the site last Sunday and saw the monument in shambles. At first he thought the site had been vandalised. However, Taylor said a member from the KwaZulu-Natal Amafa & Research Institute also visited the site and agreed that lightning sadly demolished the monument.

Local historian André van Ellinckhuyzen confirmed that Amafa is aware of the situation and will replace it with a new monument. Van Ellinckhuyzen said, “There are three schools of thought about the specific damaged monument at the Khambula battle site: vandalism, damaged by cattle that graze the local veld, and a lightning strike.”

The Vryheid Herald contacted Amafa, who in turn acknowledged the enquiry but unfortunately did not respond in time before going to print.
The memorial site represents the battle between 22,000 Zulu warriors and the British at Khambula on March 29, 1879. The turn-off to the site is approximately 10km from Vryheid on the Paulpietersburg road. Van Ellinckhuyzen continued by explaining the importance of monuments, “A monument is a structure carved from the earth’s stone to commemorate or perhaps remember a person, persons or a specific event, mostly significant or relevant to a particular group of society – a beacon of remembrance of their history and heritage.
“Monuments have been with humans for thousands of years. Think of the amazing pharaohs’ pyramids at Giza and Cairo, and the equally impressive monuments that the Incas of Peru left behind to amaze or amuse us.
“Our monuments serve as symbols of our cultural identity, remembering those who shaped our history. It’s a form of art and significant beacon of power, for some.

“Monuments honour events and the people who shape the world as we know it, for the better or for the worse. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Monuments are significant in creating a sense of memory, a sense of belonging, and a source of historic identity. Monuments indeed have the potential to cause controversy and stir up emotions.
“Why are people destroying or vandalising monuments? There are a variety of reasons, ranging from emotions associated with expressing ideology or beliefs, oppression, discrimination, and feelings of marginalisation and exclusion. Criminality is also a reason.”

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.