User:Cimok78

Theresa Viglione. Theresa Viglione was an Italian- South African woman. Born to an Italian family originally from Piedmont, Theresa Viglione moved to South Africa with her family in the early 1800s. Her family is believed to have belonged to the Valdese congregation, a Protestant Church in western Piedmont, whose members were forced to flee Piedmont - then part of the Sardinian Kingdom – because of discrimination against Protestants by the local authorities. Theresa Viglione became famous for a gallant deed that saved the life of many Voortrekkers in February 1836. Background. On February 6, 1838 a group of Voortrekkers and their servants went to negotiate with the Zulus’ king, Dingane. The party was lead by Piet Retief, an Afrikaner leader. The king received Retief and his group at his cattle-kraal, and they began to discuss a treaty amending a previous treaty signed in January 1836. Initially he seemed obstructive about drawing up the treaty, but he eventually put his mark on the document. After wishing them a safe return he invited the Voortrekkers to share some sourgbeer with him and his indunas. The trekkers left their muskets outside, entered the kraal and sat at the King’s feet. While beer was served the surrounding warriors began to dance and shout. Then, suddenly, the King leapt to his feet and looking up to the sky, he cried out in a loud voice, ”BULADANI ABATAGATI!!!” (“Kill the wizards!!!”). The Voortrekkers were immediately taken prisoner and hustled up a hill for execution. There, they were impaled and their bodies were left on the hillside to be devoured by wild animals - as was Dingane's custom with his enemies. Piet Retief was the last to be killed, after having seen all his men die before him. Dingane then gave orders for the Voortrekker laagers to be attacked, which would have plunged the migrant movement into serious disarray. Warning of the Trekkers. The Zulus headed towards Natal to annihilate the rest of the Voortrekkers, who were encamped in the countryside watered by the rivers Bloukrans, Bushman and Mooi streams. Gerrit Maritz, the acting commander in Retief’s absence was near Bushmans River. The Zulus, with a total strength of about three Regiments, almost wiped out the Lieberberg, Prinsloo, Botha, and Bezuidenhouts laagers. A band of Italian traders were encamped not far from the laagers, where many women and children were killed. Theresa Viglione was one of them. When she saw what was happening, she jumped on a horse and rode off to Bushmans River to Maritz camp. Theresa Viglione’s gallant deed saved the life of many of them because, having been warned in time, the trekkers further up the river were able to defend themselves. As a tribute to Theresa Viglione’s deed, she is immortalized in a frieze on the Voortrekker monument in Pretoria. References A Short History of South Africa, by John Selby, pages 91-96: Classic in Post-Colonial Worlds, by Lorna Hardwick and Carol Gillespie, page 153.