Ramatsoe , Silla Moses (S M)

There is very little information left about this man. He was the brother of my grandfather. He was about 20 years old when he fell. The site where he fell is probably at 29?23'21.49"E, 26?16'38.56"S It might have been an ambush, because the oral history says he was shot at Rensburgshoop, on the road from the farm to Bethal, from a clump of black wattle trees. We don't know the circumstances, but a message got to his father, who went to look for him, and found his body in the grass, where he had crawled around before dying. The body was brought to the family graveyard and buried there. The grave coordinates are E 29.41711? , S 26.24936 ?, Altitude 1718.6 It seems unlikely that the present gravestone was erected by the family. It is in a style very different from the other old graves in the graveyard, of granite rather than white stone, and the ZAR coat of arms seems out of character. The inscription on the headstone constists of the following: The coat of arms of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, with the logo under it reading "VIR VRYHEID EN VADERLAND." DANIEL MALAN GEB. 6. MAART 1881 GESN. 24 Nov. 1901 TE VANRENSBURGHOOP Translated to English the words say: For Freedom and Fatherland. Daniel Malan Born 6 March 1881 Fell 24 November 1901 At Vanrensburghoop This rendering of the name of the farm is different from the one usually used, Rensburgshoop. D (Niel) Malan