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Date: 2001 Type: Memorial Status: Extant   Click to view large map Coordinates: 31°14'42.71" S 27°12'27.27" E Alt: 1669m

General Jan Smuts narrowly escaped death during the closing stages of the Second Anglo-Boer War when an ambush took place here on 7 September 1901. The ambush site is along the headwaters of a stream in the upper reaches of a kloof (a deep narrow ravine) on the farm Moordenaarspoort. Smuts and three men of his commando were ambushed by colonial troops after riding up a narrow kloof to reconnoiter a possible route through the mountain. The troops had concealed themselves behind a large rock immediately below an overhanging stone ledge. Smuts' horse, Charlie, was shot from under him, but Smuts escaped by rolling into a donga alongside. The ambush resulted in the death of scout Martiens Adendorff, while two others - Lt. Willem Adendorff and Adjutant Johannes Neethling - were mortally wounded and died some time afterwards, in the custody of the colonial troops. A modest memorial was erected at the ambush site on the centenary of the Smuts ambush. The memorial comprises of an engraved granite wording plaque in English and Afrikaans mounted within a low sandstone plinth. The wording is transcribed below: IN MEMORY OF THE AMBUSH OF GENERAL J. C. SMUTS BY THE BRITISH FORCES OP HIERDIE TERREIN HET HY EN DRIE MANSKAPPE IN DIE LOKVAL INGERY OP 7-9-1901 GENL. J.C. SMUTS (ONTKOM) KAPT. M.C.C. ADENDORFF (GESNEUWEL) LT. W.D. ADENDORFF (NOODLOTTIG GEWOND) ADJ. J.J. NEETHLING (NOODLOTTIG GEWOND) The wording is provided below in English: IN MEMORY OF THE AMBUSH OF GENERAL J. C. SMUTS BY THE BRITISH FORCES ON THIS SITE HE AND THREE MEN RODE INTO THE AMBUSH ON 7-9-1901 GEN. J.C. SMUTS (ESCAPED) CAPT. M.C.C. ADENDORFF (KILLED) LT. W.D. ADENDORFF (MORTALLY WOUNDED) ADJ. J.J. NEETHLING (MORTALLY WOUNDED) A second smaller plaque is mounted onto the bedrock on which at the memorial was constructed. This records the details of the unveiling by General Smuts' grandson on the centenary of the ambush. The Afrikaans inscription is provided below: ONTHUL DEUR J.C. SMUTS, KLEINSEUN VAN GENL. SMUTS 7 SEPTEMBER 2001 This has been translated into English: UNVEILED BY J. C SMUTS GRANDSON OF GEN. SMUTS 7 SEPTEMBER 2001 William Martinson, 2026 Acknowledgements: Ben Maclennan arranged access to the site and Danie Schoeman - of the farm Moordenaarspoort - facilitated the visit.