A wagon was built with strong beams; the long wagon could be taken apart with six pegs. Then it could be loaded onto oxen to transport it.
Cheap steel imported from England after 1860 was used to build ox wagons. In Birmingham, steel shafts for the construction of oxcarts were made by more than one company, such as Rigby and Sons.
The wagon was one’s best possession and therefore it was beautifully painted and regularly refurbished.
Wagons were used as forts as in Natal. Making use of wagons was a successful strategy and where the strategy was not used, such as Weenen and Bloukrans, the consequences were tragic.
Oxen were teachable. They knew their names and responded to them. They were harnessed according to temperament and ability – the front ones were smart and the hind ones strong.
The ox wagon found its way into Afrikaans and also African culture. The ANC and Cosatu have a wagon wheel in their emblem.
Many songs, proverbs, riddles and idioms with the ox wagon and oxen as its theme live on in Afrikaans today.
After the talk, questions were asked and one of the interesting tidbits was that Paul Kruger had built three toll roads in the ZAR!
Erik Holm, 13 August 2022