| Notes |
- PRIVATE
- Coenraad du Buys was a legendary character on the Cape Frontier around the turn of the 18th century. He was a giant of a man, almost 2 meters tall. In 1793 he was reputed to have caused the 2nd Frontier War, due to his raiding of Xhosa cattle along the Great Fish River. In 1794 he crossed the Fish River and took refuge amongst the Xhosa. In 1799 he returned to the colony and was one of the ringleaders of a revolt against the British. Two detachments of troops were sent tohe area, and de Buys fled across the Fish River again. A £200 rewards was posted 'for the capture, dead or alive, of Coenraad Buys', but it was never claimed. When the missionary, van der Kemp arrived at the Xhosa king's Great Place in September 1799, he found de Buys well established as Ngqika's advisor and interpreter. Lichtenstein, a contemporary traveller, described him thus:
'His uncommon height, for he measured nearly seven feet, the strength yet admirable proportion of his limbs, his excellent courage, his firm countenance, his high forehead, his whole mien and a certain dignity in his movements, made altogether a pleasing impression" (quoted by Hazel Crampton in «i»The Sunburnt Queen)«/i».
de Buys followers were a wild collection of rebels and outlaws, with their wives and concubines, some white, some black, deserters from the Cape Garrison, Khoi servants, runaway slaves. The boers included Jan Botha, a man with one arm and no education, known for extraordinary courage. With him was his wife Maria van der Ros, a woman of mixed descent.
In 1800 he returned to the Cape, reportedly with two wives and a 'Mambookis' girl (probably from the Bomvana tribe) who he later married. By 1803 he was back with Ngqika. He was pardoned by the new Batavian goverment and returned again to the colony, settling near Swellendam, where he took the opportunity to have several of his large brood of children baptised.
de Buys 'was an enthusiastic polygamist'. Maria and Elizabeth were not his only wives, others included Xhosa and San and at least one Thembu. He had several concubines and lovers including famously Yese, the mother of the Xhosa king Ngqika.
At a time when racial attitudes were hardening, his mixed bag of renegades and ruffians and his polygamous lifestyle were not well accepted. In 1814 he left the colony and at the age of53 returned to his roaming lifestyle and 'the most lawless period of his career'. He lived in Transorangia (between the Orange and Vall Rivers) where he established himself as aChief of the San. He joined forces witht he renegades and outlaws who ;ived in the area, and contributed to the instability of the region during the period of social disruption known as the «i»Mfecane«/i».
In 1818 the colonial authorities launched an attack in his camp about 150 km north of Griquatown. With another reward on his head he led his motley party further north, and by June 1819 was in Vendaland in todays North West Province of South Africa.
By 1820 he was north of the Molop River in present day Botswana, and his enemies were closing in.Noel Moster (quoted by Hazel Crampton, wrote of de Buys 'Jean du Buis «i»(his g-grandfather)«/i» could hardly have supposed that such a man would be among his posterity: dressed in animal skins, more at home in hut than house, more fmiliar with...a charging bull elephant than with church or school'
Acording to one observer, he may have penetrated to beyond present day Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. At the age of 70 he died on the Limpopo River possibly during an attempt to reach Bulawayo.
His descendants and the remnants of his followers (the 'Buysvolk' eventually settled in the Soutpansberg region, where the town of Buystown, west of Louis Trichardt
still bears his name and his descendants are still to be found.
His descendants by his wife Maria van de Ros variously were accepted into the European and Coloured communities. Coenraad Wilhelm married a European women. Elisabeth married a European, the other descendants became part of the Coloured community
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1762 - Abt 1821 (~ 58 years)