Sarel Cilliers
Sarel Cilliers | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charl Arnoldus Cilliers 7 September 1801 Schoongezicht farm, Paarl, Cape Colony |
| Died | 4 October 1871 (aged 70) Doornkloof farm, Lindley, Orange Free State |
| Resting place | Doornkloof farm 27°43′36″S 27°41′53″E / 27.72667°S 27.69806°E |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Francina Viljoen (1801–1851), Aletta Elizabeth Loots (1821–1906) |
| Parent(s) | Carel Cilliers, Elizabeth Catherine Louw |
| Residence | Doornkloof |
| Occupation | Spiritual leader/Preacher, later a church elder and Councillor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Voortrekkers |
| Commands | Transvaal and Orange River Commandos |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Blood River Vegkop |
Charl (Sarel) Arnoldus Cilliers (7 September 1801 – 4 October 1871) was a Voortrekker leader and a preacher. With Andries Pretorius, he led the Boers to a huge victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River in 1838. In particular, Cilliers led the Voortrekkers in a vow which promised that if God would protect them and deliver the enemy into their hands, they would build a church and commemorate the day of their victory as if it were an annual Sabbath day, which their descendants would also be instructed to honour.
He was a prominent member of the Gereformeerde Kerk (Reformed Church), an offshoot of the Dutch Reformed Church. He is described as being a short, stout man, and was believed to have been very religious. He joined the Great Trek at the age of thirty-five.
The town of Kroonstad was, according to folklore, named after a horse belonging to Cilliers, which drowned in a stream (Kroonspruit) where the town is situated.
There is a Sarel Cilliers Museum as well as a statue of him (on the site of the Dutch Reformed Church) in Kroonstad. Numerous streets and roads in Kroonstad and throughout South Africa are named after him.