Ghanzi In History (PART 4) Hendrick Van Zyl

There are many contradictory accounts of Hendrick Van Zyl character and career. One contemporary described him as “an intelligent and wealthy Boer who, accompanied by his wife and family of stalwart sons and a little daughter, with many natives servants, moved gradually to the edge of the desert.”

It is not clear whether it was the pull of ivory and ostrich feather profits or the push of political scandal that caused Van Zyl to emigrate permanently from the old South African Republic (Transvaal), where he had been an MP. His wealth and status had been built up over years through the export game products, as well as slaves, from north-western Botswana. After first spending several months on the Limpopo, he arrived back at Toteng in November 1874.