The Somerset East Museum houses an exhibition staged around the original beam on which the five Slachter's Nek rebels were hung in 1816 by representatives of Lord Charles Somerset, Governor of the Cape at the time.
After 1806 the British authorities were determined to stamp out the lawlessness in the Eastern Districts of the Cape. Various strategies were implemented in order to bring the pioneeer frontier farmers within the framework of regular government and the rule of law. While some accepted the new changes, others in the more isolated and inhospitable areas remained suspicious of British motives and intentions....So begins the story of the 1815 Eastern Cape Rebellion, otherwise known as SLACHTER'S NEK.
Although there were a number of other revolts in the same district, none of these left a more lasting and powerful impression in the minds of the generations still to come - implications which ultimately played a vital role in the shaping and development of South Africa as a whole.
The exhibition strives to portray a glimpse into the lives of the ordinary people - the frontier Boers, Cape Regiment soldiers, Chief Ngqika and the British authorities - but it goes further. It explains how the Slachter's Nek execution moved people like Paul Kruger, DF Malan, CJ Langenhoven and Andre P Brink to contribute to the debate surrounding the aftermath of the event - in order to keep the memories of those involved alive.
Included in the exhibition are:
The Slachter's Nek monument is to be found on the N10 between Cookhouse and Golden Valley, at the site where the incident took place.
After 1806 the British authorities were determined to stamp out the lawlessness in the Eastern Districts of the Cape. Various strategies were implemented in order to bring the pioneeer frontier farmers within the framework of regular government and the rule of law. While some accepted the new changes, others in the more isolated and inhospitable areas remained suspicious of British motives and intentions....So begins the story of the 1815 Eastern Cape Rebellion, otherwise known as SLACHTER'S NEK.Although there were a number of other revolts in the same district, none of these left a more lasting and powerful impression in the minds of the generations still to come - implications which ultimately played a vital role in the shaping and development of South Africa as a whole.
The exhibition strives to portray a glimpse into the lives of the ordinary people - the frontier Boers, Cape Regiment soldiers, Chief Ngqika and the British authorities - but it goes further. It explains how the Slachter's Nek execution moved people like Paul Kruger, DF Malan, CJ Langenhoven and Andre P Brink to contribute to the debate surrounding the aftermath of the event - in order to keep the memories of those involved alive.
Included in the exhibition are:
- Timelines (1815) - Battle of Waterloo; Somerset Farm; Battle of New Orleans; the Year without a Summer, etc.
- Relevant contemporary issues such as the role of Nationalism in the development and expansion of nation states, and the role of the Slachter's Nek beam in the shaping of Afrikaner Nationalism
- History and debates around the topic of Capital Punishment
The Slachter's Nek monument is to be found on the N10 between Cookhouse and Golden Valley, at the site where the incident took place.
