Tonteldoos VII - Paul Kruger Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Knagur Green: Due to no response from the CO after the request to maintain or replace the cache, I am archiving it to, stop it showing on the listings and/or to create place for the geocaching community.

The Geocache Maintenance guideline explains a CO's responsibility towards checking and maintaining the cache when problems are reported. Caches that have been archived for lack of maintenance will not be unarchived. This is explained in the Help Center

If the CO feels that this cache has been archived in error please feel free to contact me within 30 days, via email or message via my profile ,quoting the GC number concerned

Thank you for understanding

Knagur Green
Groundspeak Volunteer Reviewer

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Hidden : 5/30/2008
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Paul Kruger Memorial area.

Tondeldoos VII - Paul Kruger.

This is no 7 in the "Tonteldoos" series and contains one of the
18 clues to the final cache in the series to be placed in 2009.
There are 18 Tonteldoos Caches all over South Africa and in
every one you will find a clue in the sense of the name of a well
known Afrikaner/Boer. These clues are to be gathered and during the
Easter weekend of 2009, in the small town Tonteldoos, Mpumalanga,
South Africa, every person who writes in as participant, will
receive a code deciphering the clues. The code will give the
coordinates of the Great Cache, which will be hidden in the
vicinity of Tonteldoos.
For a detailed description of “The Tonteldoos Series” link to : (visit link)

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Paul Kruger.

Paul Kruger was born Stephanus Johannes Paul Kruger on 10
October 1825 on his grandfather's farm Bulhoek then in the Cradock
district, near the present day town Steynsburg. His parents were
Casper Kruger and Elsie Steyn, fairly well-to-do, but landless
stock-owners.

Kruger fought his first battle at Vegkop in 1836, where Mzilikazi’s
impis suffered the first of their defeats. Shortly after this he
and his family accompanied Hendrik Potgieter on his trek to Natal.
Here Paul was exposed to the slaughter among the Boer encampments
along the Bloukrans and Bushmans rivers. Next the family moved
north with Hendrik Potgieter to Transvaal. Paul’s father and uncle
were two of the founders of the town Potchefstroom, the first
capital of what would later become the South African Republic.

When Paul was 16, he received his own farm, Waterkloof, near
present-day Rustenburg. In 1842 he married Maria du Plessis who
died of malaria in 1846 along with their infant son. A year later
he remarried Gezina du Plessis , cousin of Maria and they had
sixteen children, seven daughters and nine sons, some dying in
infancy.

His family's involvement with the Great Trek leaders ensured that
he would eventually participate in the world of politics. He was a
natural for it and served as a field-cornet during his teens and
was the commandant of Rustenburg from 1854 onwards. He took an
active part in punitive expeditions against various rebellious
black chiefs, e.g. against Makapan in 1854 and Mapela in April
1858.Six years later he was named the commandant-general of the
Transvaal army. He was not even thirty years old.

He was scarcely 25 when he became interested in political matters
and was present at the Sand River Convention in 1852 where the
South African Republic (ZAR) was granted its independence from
Britain. Three years later he helped draw up the constitution of
this new republic. He played a prominent role in pacifying and
uniting the Boer communities in the early 1860’s when there was a
vehement dissension amongst the burghers about ecclesiastical
matters as well a political struggle following the election of M.W.
Pretorius as president of the OFS. Kruger was elected
commandant-general in April 1862. Peace was restored when an
election was held in 1864. Pretorius became president for a second
time and Kruger retained his position as commander-in-chief

President T.F. Burgers came to power in 1872 and as Kruger could
not identify with his liberal- mindedness he tendered his
resignation early in 1873. Burgers suffered a gradual decline in
popularity. Kruger was elected to the Volksraad with a small
majority in November 1874. He became reconciled to Burgers's
government to a certain extent. When they planned a new
presidential election for early 1877 Kruger decided to make himself
available for office. The election never took place as Shepstone
annexed the republic on behalf of the British Empire. When Burgers
left the country Kruger was elected vice-president by the
Volksraad.

Britain annexed Transvaal in 1877 and Paul Kruger, believing that
peaceful talks would rectify the situation, went to London twice to
talk to the British government. He pleaded with them that the
annexation was morally wrong. His pleas fell on deaf ears and the
disillusioned Kruger returned to South Africa.

In 1880, he joined forces with Piet Joubert and M. Pretorius and
the three pledged to fight for independence. The Boers won the war
an in 1883, Paul Kruger became the State President. The gold rush
to the Transvaal started soon after and the state was forced to
provide services such as railways, streets and proper accommodation
to the burgeoning cities and towns. He was re-elected in 1888, but
was not very popular - he tended to award commercial concessions
only to the people that he personally liked and this caused the
people to grumble.

The discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand caused radical
economical and political changes. Kruger was again reelected as
President in 1888. The most vexing problem for Kruger and his State
Secretary, Dr W.J. Leyds, was the influx of the Uitlanders
(foreigners). Kruger was afraid that they would outvote the older
white inhabitants of the Republic. To counter this possibility he
made the conditions of naturalization more difficult. In 1890 the
government restricted the Uitlander franchise for presidential and
Volksraad elections to naturalized citizens who had been in the
country for fourteen years. To satisfy Uitlander interests a second
Volksraad was created, to be elected by naturalized citizens of two
years standing. Though relatively few Uitanders were genuinely
concerned about the franchise question, this nevertheless became a
central issue between the British government and the government of
the Republic.

From 1890 tensions in the country increased. Many mining executives
realised that to enable deep-level gold production to prosper a
much closer relationship between the industry and state had to be
established and that this was only likely if they could realise a
change of government. Kruger, on the other hand, was willing to do
anything in his power to preserve the Republic’s independence. By
1893 Kruger’s popularity had suffered a sharp decline and he only
narrowly defeated Joubert in the presidential election that
year.

Relations between the two governments deteriorated further,
following the abortive Jameson Raid in December 1895, set up by the
then premier of the Cape, Cecil John Rhodes and a group of
associates, many of whom had links with deep-level mining. In his
handling of the crisis the President revealed great wisdom and
statesmanship. Despite the urging of many of his people, he refused
to execute Jameson and delivered him with his officers to the
British authorities to be punished. Kruger, on the whole adopted a
tolerant attitude to the Raiders and their leaders.
Sir Alfred Milner, the newly appointed High Commissioner and an
ardent imperialist, became committed to the issues set forth by the
British South African League in 1896. They agitated for the
relaxation of the franchise laws and were soon urging the British
Government to intervene directly in the affairs of the republic.
Milner’s strategy from 1896 onwards was directed at the
strengthening of the loyalty and political cohesion of the
English-speaking South Africans and channelling Uitlander
discontent and opposition to Kruger's government.

While the situation progressively worsened Kruger turned to the
Orange Free State for support and in 1898 a defensive and offensive
alliance was negotiated between the two republics. This meant that
in case of a war they would present a united front. Through
President Steyn’s mediation a conference was held between Milner
and Kruger in Bloemfontein at the end of May 1899. Here Milner made
increasingly difficult demands as Britain was determined to create
a unified South Africa. It was clear that the rights of the
Uitlanders were no longer the main issue.
Both sides now prepared for war. The British troops in the country
were reinforced. After consulting Steyn the ZAR sent an ultimatum
to Britain, on 9 October 1899 demanding that they remove their
troops from the ZAR’s borders within 48 hours. War broke out on 11
October 1899. As the aged president (he was 74) was too old to go
to battle he prepared himself for the most strenuous work of
directing, encouraging and commanding.

Kruger addressed the Volksraad for the last time in May 1900,
pleading for continued faith in the national cause. As the enemy
was close Kruger was obliged to leave Pretoria and to move east
with General Louis Botha and the retreating army. For a time he was
stationed at Machadodorp and Waterval Onder.

After the battle of Dalmanutha it was decided that the President
was too old and frail and that he should leave for Europe to
attempt to obtain sympathy and help from foreign rulers. Kruger,
now 74, left the capital only a few days before Lord Roberts
occupied it in May of the same year. On 11 September 1900 he
crossed the Transvaal border on his way to Lourenço Marques and on
21 October Kruger boarded the Dutch warship Gelderland, sent by
Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, at Lorenzo Marques, and left
for Europe via Marseilles. His wife was much too sick to accompany
him and Gezina Kruger died on 20 July 1901.

They landed in Marseilles, where an overwhelming ovation awaited
the President. He travelled through Europe to Holland where he
stayed for the duration of the war, his last home being Oranjelust
in Utrecht. Here he received the news that the treaty (the Peace of
Vereeniging) had been signed. The Boer generals - Botha, De Wet and
De la Rey - also paid him a visit when they were in Europe in 1902
after the war.

He and his retinue finally moved to Clarens in Switzerland where
for his final six months where he died on 14 July 1904. His body
was embalmed and conveyed to Cape Town on board the ‘Batavier VI”
and was taken to the Transvaal by train. On 16 December 1904 he
was interred in the Heroes’ Acre in Pretoria.

Paul Kruger Church.

Paul Kruger was a devoted Christian and the Bible was his
constant source of inspiration and guidance. The church opposite
his house in Church Street, the “Gereformeerde Kerk” has just as
lustrous an history and was his light in life too. The church
became known as Paul Kruger Church for the fact that he was a
devoted member of the congregation.

The first church was erected on three plots allocated to the
“Gereformeerde Kerk” during June 1863. Soon it needed to be
enlarged and the second building’s cornerstone was laid on Monday
08 April 1867 by State President M.W. Pretorius. The third building
developed into a “Kruiskerk” but again it needed to be enlarged and
was completed on Friday 16 October 1885. The final Krugerkerk
cornerstone was laid by State President S.J.P. Kruger on 10 October
1986, on his 71st birthday. On 25 December 1897 did Paul Kruger
unlock the door to the new church building. Klaas van Rijsse (jnr.)
was the architect. Sammy Marks, personal friend of Paul Kruger
ensured that the Church and Paul Kruger’s house was the first to
get electric lighting in Pretoria.

Inside the church the chairs that Paul Kruger and his wife Gezina
used could still be seen.

---------------------------------------------

The Geocache.

The cache is at the coordinates S25° 44 .823 E028°10 .889 altitude
1322m. It is a large cache and has ample space for trade items. The
clue is in the cache to the final Tonteldoos. The “Koster” and his
staff are aware of the geocache and permission has been granted to
the placement. The cache is searchable during weekdays, some
Saturdays but definitely not on Sundays as the church is still
performing sermons. After hours and night time caching not
allowed.

Best would be to contact the ‘ Koster” (Sexton) on telephone
number 012-3233194 (leave a message if necessary) to inform him of
your intended search and to arrange a suitable time. A kind
request, and safe parking in the premises could be arranged, as to
parking in the street. Oom Flip Minnaar is a kind and generous man
and welcomes the geocaching community, but he will not help you in
the search, not even Biltong will sway him I think. If at all
possible take some time to talk to him, I promise you will not ever
forget the experience.

The owner’s contact number is Cell: 082-55-11161

First To Find will also get a little surprise!

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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