The Anglo-Boer War made Ladysmith a household name. The 120day siege of the town, lasting from 2 November 1899 to 28 February 1900, so captivated people’s imaginations that songs were composed, poems written and every incident of the ordeal reported in the newspapers of the day.
Ladysmith lies in the warm valley of the Klip River (‘stone river’). In 1847 a number of Voortrekkers settled here, finding the area to be excellent ranching country. They formed an independent republic the Klip River Republic-with Andries Spies as their commandant. However, the British government soon intervened in this rural Utopia. They annexed the area in 1850 and established a town as an administrative centre for what they called the Klip River District. The town was named after Lady Juana Smith, a renowned Spanish beauty who was the wife of the popular governor of the Cape, Sir Harry Smith. A town named Harrismith in his honour, 8o kilometres away, had just been created by the Orange Free State on the top of the highveld escarpment, and it was considered fitting to give the new Natal town the title of his consort. Ladysmith is a busy junction on the main road and railway from Durban to the Transvaal and to the Orange Free State. Cattle and horses are bred in the district and dairy products, maize, millet, oats, soya beans, fruit and vegetables are produced. The public buildings date from the days of the siege. The town hall clock tower was shelled by the Boers. A museum exhibits many items from the war years.
Mayhew, V. (ed) 1978. Illustrated Guide to Southern Africa. Cape Town: Reader’s Digest.
