HG0023

Did You Know?

The graveyard at Helvetia is linked to the Battle of Helvetia, fought on 29 December 1900 during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902). The battle took place near the Helvetia farm, close to the present-day town of Emgwenya (formerly Waterval Boven) in Mpumalanga. Boer forces under General Ben Viljoen launched a successful night attack on a British garrison stationed at Helvetia, capturing artillery and supplies. The British dead from this engagement were buried on or near the battlefield, and the site includes graves for both Boer and British soldiers, reflecting the shared cost of the conflict. The exact number of burials at this specific graveyard is not widely documented in public records, but the site is recognized as a historical grave within the broader context of the war's eastern front. The British garrison at Helvetia was part of the occupation line along the Delagoa Bay railway, which the Boers repeatedly harassed. After the battle, the British reoccupied the area, and the graves were maintained by local communities and historical societies in later decades. Emgwenya, historically known as Waterval Boven, is situated on the Highveld escarpment, while Waterval Onder lies below the Elands River falls. The name 'Helvetia' derives from a Swiss settler's farm in the area. The graveyard is a tangible reminder of the skirmishes that occurred along the railway corridor between Pretoria and Maputo (then Lourenço Marques), which was vital for British supply lines. Today, the site is part of the region's heritage landscape, though it is not a formally proclaimed national heritage site and is primarily of local historical interest.

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