Wasbank village, river and valley
The river was named by the Voortrekkers, as it was on the banks of this river, that they washed their clothes and laid them out to dry on the large stone slabs, that can be seen on the south side of the bridge. The name of the village came from the river.
Farms in this valley were bought by the South African government after the Second World War, as part of a Soldier Settlement Scheme, to sell land to returning soldiers to ensure they had a means of earning a living. They were all encouraged to grow ground nuts (peanuts) to supply the Kilties Sweet factory, which had been started among the farm fields, for their peanut brittle. Extra run off of sweets were put out in the fields on Friday afternoons for the bees in the hives, as the honey was used in the production of the peanut brittle.
Wasbank Laager—Site of the Vow
It is at this laager on the 9th Dec 1838 that Andries Pretorius, Karel Landman and Sarel Cilliers formulated the “The Vow” and it was made for the first time.
The marker is on the side of the Wasbank Dundee road but there is no interpretive material. The actual site of the laager is across the road from the marker and lay between the hills and the river.