Mpande's - University of Zululand Institutional Repository

-148-
Mzinyathi river you can drink, water
going to the Blood River, must be left lots
on the opposite is still.. ofland J gave to
the old Mr. Pretorius. ""'8
Therefore an urgent call was made to M.W. Pretorius by the Voortrekkers
from Mzinyathi River area to clinch the deeds of transfer which they had
long been waiting for. 2ll9 The deeds of transfer were formally interpreted
by Stuurman to Mpande. The borders were clearly described as stretching
from the Drakensberg via Blood (Ncome) River and the Phongolo
mountains up to the banks of the White Mfolozi, from where it stretched
up to the sea including the whole coastal area between Mhlathuze and
Thukela Rivers. 290 The actions of the Utrecht Voortrekkers towards
Mpande strengthened their position in the area. They gave the Zulu king
an assurance that they would ·deliver Zulu refugees to him. 291 Mpande
gave M.W. Pretorius the assurance that he would never allow the British
to interfere with matters across the Thukela. 292
The Republic under M.W. Pretorius was arnuous to retain Mpande's
positive attitude towards the Voortrekkers. When disparity among the
2119
290
29\
S.N.A. 1/6/7: Memorandum No. 13, J.Rorke, 3 May 1870; D.W. Kruger: Die Weg na
die See. Cf. Archive Yearbook for South African History, VoL I, 1938, p. 158.
R655/54: le. Klopper and e. van Rooyen to M.W. Pretorius, 25 June 1854.
G.J. Reynecke: Utrecht in die Geskiedenis van die Transvaal tot 1877. (Unpublished
MA Dissertation, Pretoria, 1956), pp. 8 - 9
L.Young: The Native Policy of Benjamin Pine in Natal, 1850 - 1855. cr Archive
Yearbook for South African History. Vo!. IT, 1951, p. 329.
Ibid., p. 329.