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Event EVT-000324

Scheepers's commando occupies Zeekoegat

7 January 1901 · district · Prince Albert

[SRC-172, Helena Marincowitz, *Prince Albert and the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902)*, Fransie Pienaar Museum, 1999, p.18] 'On the 7 January 1901 Scheepers' commando occupied Zeekoegat.' Nearly four weeks before the Klaarstroom raid, and the earliest dated appearance of this commando on ground the project holds. THE COMMANDO CAME BACK. p.25, from the Oudtshoorn Courant of 10 February 1901: the commando split into small guerrilla bands and called at the farms of the district, seizing horses and stock and stripping the gardens. 'They visited Zeekoegat twice and stripped the two shops of all their stock. NO HOUSES IN THIS AREA WERE BURNT BY THE BOERS.' Dr Luttig's diary for 16 April 1901 has Boers on Zwartskraal and Zeekoegat and a skirmish at Minnieskraal. Zeekoegat is where Frikkie Oosthuizen built a church (S003), and one of its own people rode out with this commando: p.37, Hermanus 'Hans' van der Westhuizen, F.S. Oosthuizen's foreman on Zeekoegat, joined Scheepers there.

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