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Flags at the Blood River Monument.
A group of Afrikaaners is holding a separate commemoration at the Blood River Monument.
This as the national government marks the Day of Reconciliation at the Ncome Museum in the uMzinyathi District in KwaZulu-Natal.
The Afrikaner group observes the day as the Day of the Vow, to commemorate what is known as the Battle of Blood River, which was fought between the amaZulu regiments and the Voortrekker Boers in 1838.
The monument consists of 64 replica Voortrekker waggons cast in bronze and situated just as they were on the day of the famous battle.
Over the years, there have been calls for the two events to be merged, with critics arguing that separate events reinforce racial and cultural divisions.
Billy Miller from the Bloodriver Monument says, “You know what? Anything is possible at the end of the day. Like I said, today is a Sabbath day to us, so anyone and everyone is invited to celebrate God and give thanks to him.”
Reconciliation Day | Afrikaner Day of the Vow at the Voortrekker monument:
Meanwhile, Minister Gayton McKenzie will join Afrikaners at the Voortrekker monument as they commemorate the ‘Day of the Vow’, when the Voortrekkers defeated the Zulu regiments.
RECONCILIATION DAY | Minister Gayton McKenzie will join Afrikaners at the Voortrekker monument as they commemorate the ‘Day of the Vow’, when the Voortrekkers defeated the Zulu regiments. pic.twitter.com/wmkVY7zVJg
— SABC News (@SABCNews) December 16, 2025
