Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"On February 6, 1838, Boer leader Pieter Retief and his party of Voortrekkers (pioneers) were killed by the Zulus. . . . Retief may have thought that he was leading a new 'chosen people' to the 'promised land,' but his followers were just looking for a peaceful existence away from the British government." [Furtado: 1001 Days]