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Christiaan Rudolf De Wet
1854–1922
A farmer turned commander, he became one of the best-known Boer leaders of the South African War through fast-moving guerrilla campaigns against British forces. After the war, he remained a powerful figure in public life, remembered as both a military hero and a deeply divisive political leader.
1 Audiobook
Three Years' War
by Christiaan Rudolf De Wet
About the author
Born in the Orange Free State in 1854, Christiaan Rudolf de Wet grew up with little formal schooling and worked as a farmer before entering public life. He first served in the First Boer War and later sat in the Volksraad of the Orange Free State, but his lasting fame came during the South African War of 1899–1902.
As commander in chief of Orange Free State forces, de Wet earned a reputation for bold raids, quick escapes, and highly effective guerrilla tactics. His campaigns frustrated much larger British forces and made him one of the most celebrated Boer generals of the war.
After peace was declared, he stayed active in politics and went on to help found the National Party in South Africa. His later role in the 1914 rebellion against the government made his legacy more complicated: admired by many Afrikaners as a symbol of resistance, he is also remembered as a controversial figure shaped by the conflicts of his time.