Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius , 1799-1853, Boer (Afrikaner) leader. He was elected (1838) commandant general of the Boers of Natal and in that year defeated a large force of Zulus at Blood River. This victory made possible the organization of a Boer Republic of Natal (see KwaZulu-Natal ). In 1848, Pretorius led a party of Boers across the Drakensberg and created there the nucleus of the South African Republic (the Transvaal ). The city of Pretoria was named in his honor. Author not available, PRETORIUS, ANDRIES WILHELMUS JACOBUS. , The Columbia Encyclopedia, S...
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