Hundreds of international guests and media converged on KwaZulu-Natal on Friday at the start of the Ladysmith Siege Weekend to commemorate historic events that took place during the Anglo-Boer War.
Organised by the Emnambithi/Ladysmith municipality, the event is in its fourth year and is expected to attract a crowd of about 5 000.
The Zulu Kingdom online tourist guide describes the siege weekend as ”countless stories of heroism, tragedy and suffering, not only for South Africans involved, but also for British citizens who fought and died on South African soil”.
It reads: ”The South African War of 1899 to 1902 has had far-reaching effects on various aspects of our country’s history. The most dramatic of these is the fact that KwaZulu-Natal now has the highest concentration of battle sites in South Africa.
”The 118-day Siege of Ladysmith was a dramatic turning point in the war and made Ladysmith a household name in Britain. With nearly 500 000 British troops involved in action during this war, it has had an equally dramatic impact on British history.”
Ladysmith tourism spokesperson Fifi Meyer said: ”Today the town is preparing to be besieged again, but this time the tables are turned — Ladysmith is being besieged by the British!
”Today, April 4 2008, the Emnambithi/Ladysmith municipality will bestow the highest honour — the Freedom of the Town — upon the Royal Navy in recognition of its contribution to the town’s heritage,” she said.
Earlier on Friday, visiting regiments marched through the town’s streets during a ”glorious” welcoming ceremony.
At least 48-men from the Irish Guard Regiment were given the same welcome on Tuesday.
Ladysmith acting police spokesperson Captain Tracey Mey said the most exciting part of the siege weekend was the Extreme Swartkop Challenge where military teams challenge each other with artillery guns (a type of canon) on Wagon Hill.
Each team, she said, would physically push a 1 500kg artillery gun up a 130m hill (a slope that is almost at a 45-degree angle) and the first team to reach the top and fire the canon would declare victory.
Only human power could be used to push the artillery gun.
Mey said the Royal Navy from England and military teams from Scotland, Ireland and other parts of the world would be participating in the gun race — which has been scheduled for Sunday.
A team from Ladysmith’s local municipality would also be participating.
This race, according to the online guide, was based on the protagonists repeatedly mounting heavy artillery guns on the hills surrounding Ladysmith.
”The slopes were often impossible for animals to negotiate, so manpower was the only resource,” it said.
Meyer said during the battles, the Royal Navy managed to deploy their long-range 12-pounder guns in the nick of time to save Ladysmith from being captured by the Boers.
”Compelling events might have taken place 108 years ago but is frequently recalled by the descendants of those involved. Up until 1999, the Naval Field Gun Display was a popular annual event for the Royal Navy. Spectators were reminded that the event had its origins in Ladysmith where the Royal Navy valiantly managed ‘to save Ladysmith’ in the Boer War.
”And today, we honour them,” she said.
Other demonstrations and activities over the weekend include the 17th Lancers re-enactment group on horseback, demonstrations by the South African Miniature Canon Club, tug-of-war events and Zulu dances. — Sapa