ZAR travel pass issued in Johannesburg by the Acting Special Commandant. 15 May 1900. R1,500
This travel pass dates from the final two weeks of Boer control over Johannesburg during the Second Anglo-Boer War, issued by the office of the Waarnemend Speciale Commandant (Acting Special Commandant) of the Witwatersrand Goldfields (W.W. Goudvelden, Z.A.R.) on 15 May 1900.
Transcription and Translation
Dutch: WelEd: Heer. Veldcornet – Joh:burg. Aan U overgelaten – Brenger dezes. gaat voor ziekte naar Europa – Nam. Wd Spec Comdt – C. Münnik
Translation: "To the Honourable Field Cornet – Johannesburg. Left to your discretion – The bearer of this [pass] is travelling to Europe due to illness – On behalf of the Acting Special Commandant – C. Münnik"
Historical Context and Significance
Eve of the Fall of Johannesburg: Stamped on 15 May 1900, the pass was issued just 16 days before Lord Roberts's British forces occupied Johannesburg on 31 May 1900. By mid-May, the Z.A.R. administration on the Rand was in a state of acute crisis—Kroonstad had already fallen to the British on 12 May, and panic, looting, and preparations to destroy the gold mines (a plan famously averted by Special Commandant Dr. F.E.T. Krause) were underway.
The Acting Special Commandant's Office: During the war, Johannesburg was placed under martial law administered by a Special Commandant (Speciale Commandant) who held sweeping civil and military authority over the Witwatersrand Goldfields, including the control of movement via permits, the protection of the mines, and the policing of foreigners (Uitlanders). The Wd. (Waarnemend) indicates the stamp was used by an acting official or deputy clerk—signed here by C. Münnik—handling routine wartime transit permits while senior commandants focused on the crumbling front lines.
A Diplomatic Escape Route to Europe: Because the Z.A.R. was landlocked and British naval blockades sealed off the Cape and Natal ports, "travelling to Europe" from Johannesburg in May 1900 meant taking the Delagoa Bay railway line (the Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij, or NZASM) east through Pretoria to the neutral Portuguese port of Lourenço Marques (modern-day Maputo), where neutral steamers—most notably German East Africa Line (Deutsche Ost-Afrika Linie) vessels—departed for Europe.
Deference to the Field Cornet: Rather than granting an unconditional clearance, the Acting Special Commandant's office writes "Aan U overgelaten" ("Left to your discretion"), delegating final vetting to the local Field Cornet (Veldcornet) of Johannesburg. Under the Z.A.R. commando system, the Field Cornet knew the burghers and residents of his ward personally and was responsible for verifying that military-aged men were not using medical excuses to desert commando duty.
210mm x 115mm
Top right corner folded; worn; rough edges.
R1,500
