Battle of Congella a turning point
Durban unit born the night blood stained the Indian Ocean
BLOOD washed the shores of Durban Bay as a full moon lit the kill zone. It was the middle of the night on May 23, 1842, and British troops marched along the beach to attack the Boers at Congella. The night light completely exposed them against the sands and waters of Durban’s harbour.
In the early hours of May 24, 175 years ago, the rattle of gunfire came from a thicket in what is now a dense industrial area. Twentytwo “redcoats”, as the Boers called them, perished – two drowned in the rising tide; 31 were wounded and six went missing in action. That was 42% of the British force. Only four Boers lost their lives.
The full moon did Captain Thomas Charlton Smith’s men no favour. They ended up coming under further attack at the Old Fort, across the road from today’s Kingsmead Cricket Ground and close to Durban Station. Local trader Dick King and his teenage companion, known as Ngondeni, rode off to Grahamstown to get help, and their heroic dash for help eventually led to a British victory. A month after King and Ngondeni began their journey, back-up arrived by sea from Algoa Bay – today’s Port Elizabeth – in the form of more men from the 27th Inniskilling Regiment of Foot. King was a passenger on board the schooner, Ngondeni having returned home halfway to Grahamstown because he did not have a saddle and bridle.
The reinforcements were in time to save Captain Smith’s garrison from imminent surrender or starvation.
Why the battle happened in the first place was that the British in the Cape Colony did not recognise the Boer Republic of Natalia, which had an eye on having Port Natal as a harbour.
The settlement there was occupied by British traders and others who had been subject to Boer attacks, prompting the Cape government to send Smith and his men to take control of Natalia.
Legacies followed, some that have stayed and some that have gone. The latter being the naming of Smith Street, now Anton Lembede Street, after Captain Smith and the establishment of the South African Defence Force citizen unit, Congella Regiment.
Castle
Congella Regiment’s unit badge incorporated the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers insignia, a three-turreted castle surrounded by a wreath of proteas and roses symbolising the historical association of South Africa with Britain. The unit adopted the Zulu motto Khangela amaNkengane which reflects the Zulu influence in the shaping of KwaZuluNatal’s military history.
In its heyday, Congella Regiment comprised some 1 500 Citizen Force members and prided itself on some unique specialised operational capabilities such as a Tactical Support Team for daunting rural and urban operational tasks and a dog-handling section for operational duties.
The dog-handling section also gave public demonstrations to Durban’s citizens. Congella Regiment’s Regimental pipe band was on display on numerous occasions and participated in some of Durban military tattoos.
The regiment participated in border operations in the then-South African protectorate of South West Africa, now Namibia, as well as near Jozini in northern KwaZuluNatal. The unit was deployed in rural and urban counter-insurgency operations. Prior to the 1994 general elections, it conducted regular township patrols to combat civil unrest prevalent at that time.
However, it was disbanded in 2000 along with other Citizen Force and Commando units after a decision to phase out the commando system and replace it with sector policing under the leadership of the South African Police Service.
Bluff Regiment, as the unit was originally named, came into “official” existence on January 1, 1981 and comprised Citizen Force members from Bluff Commando, Durban North Commando, Durban South Commando, Highway Commando, South Coast Commando and Umgeni Commando. In October 1982, the unit’s name was officially changed to Congella Regiment. The unit was English-speaking. Arising from a fatal road accident in 1984 (when of four of its members were killed travelling in a Land Rover), May 23 was declared by the unit as Congella Day.
Memorials
The last commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel J A Moxham, who served from 1995 to 2000; preceded by Commandant KR Brewis, from 1989 to 1995; Commandant D J Edgcumbe from 1984 to 1989 and Commandant I Deetlefs, from 1980 to 1984.
Memorials to the Battle of Congella remain dotted about Durban.
There’s a plaque to remember Lieutenant G Wyatt who was killed on that full moon night and a ceramic tiled plaque for Captain Smith’s forces in Francis Farewell Square, west of the Durban City Hall. One for Boer casualties is situated in Bayhead.
There is also a plaque in Congella Park, Umbilo, commemorating the Voortrekker camp in 1842 of Commandant General Andries W Pretorius. The Congella battle site was named after former Zulu barracks (known as an ikhanda), called kwaKhangela, established by King Shaka kaSenzangakhona to keep a watchful eye on the nearby British traders at Port Natal. Its full name was kwaKhangela amaNkengane, meaning “place of watching over vagabonds”. Boer Commandant General Andries W Pretorius used the place as a laager to assemble a commando of 364 volunteers representing a force of the Natalia Republiek.
Today Congella Park has a thriving food garden, an initiative of the Umbilo Business Forum to give formerlyw homeless people an alternative to life on the streets.
Udo Richard Averweg served as a commissioned officer with Congella Regiment and is a member of the SA Military History Society (KwaZuluNatal Branch). Written in his personal capacity.