Mpande's - University of Zululand Institutional Repository

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Napier was not distracted by the letter from the Secretary of the
VoIksraad. On 12 May 1842 the British land forces under T.C. Smith
reached the harbour and informed Pretorius that they were sent to protect
the Zulu refugees.'46 Colonel A.J. Cloete from whom the Voortrekkers
confiscated approximately 700 oxen, joined Smith on 24 June 1842. He
allegedly encouraged local Zulus in Natal to attack the Voortrekkers. 147
Subsequently, besides plundering Voortrekker farms, the Zulus
confiscated Voortrekker cattle at Mhlanga. When Pretorius complained
about these incidents, Cloete argued that they were the result of events
which:
"You and your unfortunate, misguided
people brought about by your acts of
determined hostilities towards Her
Majesty's Govemment and Troops. "148
Cloete sent messengers to calm the local Zulus in a bid to normalise the
situation. His conscience, however, incriminated him for using the local
Zulus against the Voortrekkers. On 3 July 1842, Cloete thus wrote to
Napier:
'46
14i
148
"IfEngland will not put down the Boers by
her own legitimate means, it were better to
abandon the project altogether, and submit
even to the insult we have received, than
c.J. Uys: In the Era ofSbepstone. p. 21. .
Cloete to MontagU, ID November 1843, Bird, I. Annals ofNatal, p. 61 t.
C.O. 48/246: Cloete to Pretorius, 4 July 1842, p. 43.