The aftermath of the Anglo Zulu War of 1879 left the remnants of the Zulu Kingdom in the hands of Usibhepu, Dinizulu's uncle. Dinizulu, the rightful heir, enlisted military support from the Boers in restoring him as king. Following a successful campaign Dinizulu was sworn in and in return the Boers were granted a large tract of land. On 16th August 1884 this land was proclaimed the Nieuwe Republiek with Vryheid as the capital and Lucas Meijer as the president.

A raadsaal for the town fathers, a presidency for Lucas Meijer and a goal for miscreants were all built. The fate of the tiny republic followed that of many others and by 1888 it had been absorbed by its neighbour, the Zuid Afrikaanche Republiek. The moederkerk, which occupies pride of place in the centre of town, was completed in 1894.

At the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War on 20th October 1899, the Vryheid Commando swung into action and, led by General Lucas Meijer, fought at the battle of Talana. They went on to take part in the siege of Ladysmith and had the honour of capturing the British guns at Colenso.

Vryheid itself was left relatively unscathed by the big battles fought against the British forces to the west but smaller skirmishes with the Imperial forces did occur at Scheepersnek, as well as a major Boer attack on the British garrison stationed on Lancaster Hill just north of Vryheid. During this battle Lt. Col. Gawne was mortally wounded and a cairn demarcating the place where he fell as well as the British fortifications can be viewed on the hill.

General Louis Botha, one of five famous generals from Vryheid, tested the British lines the next year and led a successful invasion into Natal via Bloedrivierpoort, drawing thousands of imperial troops from the Transvaal and the Free State in a desperate attempt to trap him. The incursion finally ended at Italeni and Fort Prospect where the Boers were defeated, however General Botha managed to elude the pursuing British as he led his men back to the Transvaal.
At the culmination of the Anglo Boer war, chief Sikibobo, encouraged by the British civil authorities, attacked a Boer camp on the slopes of Holkrans mountain, killing 56 burgers of Commandant Jan "Mes" Potgieter's commando.

After the Anglo Boer War in 1903 the town was incorporated into the colony of Natal. The Carnegie library (presently the information Bureau) was built with funds from the Carnegie Foundation and houses started springing up along Bree, Kerk and Hoog streets as well as above the railway line at the base of the hill. 1910 saw the Natal Colony join the Union of South Africa and in 1912 the town was granted municipal status. It gradually grew into an agricultural market place for maize, sheep and cattle. The Empire Theatre is Hoog St., site of many musicals and revues, was completed in 1927.
Coal, which hat been used by the early Zulu tribes east of Vryheid, became commercially viable from 1908 onwards, with the construction of a rail link to the coalfields. Two big mines, Coronation an Hlobane, in time grew to provide thousands of jobs for the inhabitants of the area. With the increase in population so the need for water led to the construction of the Grootgewacht (1949), Bloemveld and Klipfontein dams to service the area. The present municipal building complex was completed in 1957 and the post office in 1980.

Following the successful national elections in 1994, the political development of Vryheid followed a peaceful route with the creation of a Transitional Local Council and the birth of the AbaQulusi Municipality in 2001.

Contact: The Vryheid Tourism Bureau
Tel: 034-982 2133 x 2271
Fax: 034-982 9497
Address:
C/o Mark & Landdrost Street
P.O. Box 57, Vryheid, 3100