Everything about Piet Uys totally explained
Petrus Lafras Uys (more commonly known as
Piet Uys) (
1797 -
1838) was a
Voortrekker leader during the
Great Trek.
He was born in
Swellendam, the third son (of six) of Jacobus Johannes Uys (nicknamed
Koos Bybel (
Bible) because of his religious beliefs). In 1823 Piet Uys moved to a farm in the
Humansdorp area near
Uitenhage together with his father.
Uys married a cousin, Alida Maria Uys, in
1815. The couple had three sons. He was described as a "well-spoken, intelligent man" with a wide circle of friends, including the
Governor of the
Cape Colony, Sir
Benjamin d'Urban and
Colonel Harry Smith. His conduct during the Cape Frontier wars led him to assume a leadership role at the relatively young age of 37. As a result of this, Uys was chosen to lead the "Commission Trek" to
Natal in
1834, where he visited
Port Natal and may also have met
Dingane.
After this successful scouting expedition, the party returned to Uitenhage in February
1835. The subsequent favourable reports of the Commission Treks resulted in many farmers leaving their farms and
trekking into the interior of Southern Africa, in what later became known as the Great Trek. Uys sold his own farm in December
1836 and left the Uitenhage area with his party of 100 Voortrekkers (as they became known) in April
1837.
On 29 June of the same year, the Uys Trek arrived at the combined Voortrekker
laager at the
Sand River where, unbeknownst to them,
Piet Retief had been elected Governor and a
constitution drafted. Uys refused to accept either and insisted that, once they'd reached Natal,
democratic elections should be held. He also proposed a constitution based on that of the
United States of America.
Uys then received a request by
Andries Potgieter to help him against the
Matabeles and their leader,
Mzilikazi, who had recently defeated him. A
commando led by Uys responded, and their combined forces eventually drove the Matabeles into what is now the country of
Zimbabwe, opening up the
Highveld area for future
settlement.
On their return to the laager, the men found that Retief had already left for Natal. Uys and Potgieter subsequently travelled with a scouting party to Natal to visit Retief, but left for what later became known as the
Orange Free State after being made to feel unwelcome.
However, after the massacare of Retief and his men by Dingane and the subsequent Zulu attacks on the Voortrekker laagers in Natal, commandos led by Uys and Potgieter rode to their aid. During the subsequent
Battle of Italeni both Uys and his second son,
Dirkie, were killed. Uys was to be the only Voortrekker leader to be killed in battle during the Great Trek.
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