Welcome to Ladysmith in the Zulu Kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa!

History of the Ladysmith/Emnambithi Area

Ladysmith is situated in an area which had been peopled from the Stone Age until about the middle of the 18th century by the Bushman who then retreated into the vastnesses of the Drakensberg before the advancing black tribes. The early cattle kraals of these people still exist on the town lands and are often taken for Boer War defences.


Piet Retief and his trek party must have passed near the sites of the present-day Bergville and Ladysmith on entering Natal in 1837, but they made their main settlement at Weenen and along the Blaukrantz. This commando, which the following year engaged the Zulus at Blood River, camped on the farm Danse Kraal just north of the present town, on their way to the battle. Led by Sarel Cilliers, it was here that the vow was made to build a church - the Church of the Vow - should they be successful against the Zulus.


In 1842 the British Government annexed Natal, which then became a Colony under the Crown. It was only in 1847 that the Government announced its intention to establish a township. This happened after sir Harry Smith, the Governor of the Cape, visited this area and was dismayed to see the condition of the local community. He ordered Mr. John Bird, a surveyor, to visit the area and find a suitable spot to establish a town. The town would serve as the administrative centre for the Klip River County. Bird commenced his commission early in 1848, eventually settling for an area in the loop of the Klip River which belonged to Mr. Van Tonder. This site was decided upon primarily because the high banks of the river afforded good protection against attack.


On 20 June 1850 Ladysmith was proclaimed a town by Lt. Governor Benjamin Pine. It was named after the Spanish wife of Sir Harry Smith. Her name was Lady Juana Maria de Los Delores de Leon Smith!


By 1851 progress was noticeable. George Winder had opened a shop and several new buildings were erected. Ladysmith soon grew into a village with an influx of British Settlers into the district.
As the years went by the village of Ladysmith steadily developed into a prospering town. It soon became an important stopover for transport wagons and travellers going to and from the Republics of the Orange Free State and Transvaal. With the discovery of diamonds in Kimberley and later gold in Baberton and the Witwatersrand, this traffic grew enormously. At its peak, between two and three thousand wagons passed through Ladysmith every month. Trade arising from this passing traffic boosted the local business community for many years until the Railway was extended beyond Ladysmith around 1885. At this time the town was already established and was the main trading centre for the surrounding district. When the railway line was extended into the Orange Free State Ladysmith became an important railway junction which once again boosted the local economy.


The first Chairman of the Board was elected in 1882 and the first Mayor was elected in 1899.


In the early 1890's a military establishment known as “Tin town” - the forerunner of the present military camp - was set up next to Harrismith road. Houses had already been built on the hills to the west of the town, but suddenly Ladysmith became the centre of world attention in the last days of the 19th century.


On 11 October 1899 war broke out between the two Burgher Republics of the Orange Free State and Transvaal, and Britain. The ensuing siege of the town by the Boers plunged the name of Ladysmith into newspaper headlines throughout the world. The dogged defence by the besieged and the stubborn resistance offered by the Boers to General Buller’s relieving forces established Ladysmith’s claim to historical fame. The siege was to last another four months and ended on 28 February 1900. Although the Anglo Boer War continued for another two years until May 1902, Ladysmith had had its share.


The post war period saw Ladysmith growing steadily. Farmers had to start all over again. The road to success was slow as the town and area was struck with floods and draught. The worst snowstorm ever struck Ladysmith in 1924 with the main street covered in half a metre of snow. By the late 1920's the town was providing mostly for the needs of its farming community. During the Great Depression of the 30's people flocked to the town to make a living. In the mid 1950's the railways again took the lead and the town prospered as an important railway link.

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