Today in History: Cecil John Rhodes is buried in the Matopos
Today, his grave site is part of the Matobo National Park, in Zimbabwe.
On this day in 1902, empire-builder and former Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, Cecil John Rhodes, was buried in the Matopo Hills, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
Although Rhodes remained a leading figure in the politics of southern Africa, especially during the Second Boer War, he was dogged by ill health throughout his relatively short life. He was sent to Natal at the age of 16 because it was believed the climate might help the problems he had with his heart.
On returning to England in 1872, his health again deteriorated, with recurring heart and lung problems, to the extent that his doctor, Sir Morell Mackenzie, believed he would only survive six months. He returned to Kimberley, where his health improved. From the age of 40, his heart condition returned with increasing severity until his death from heart failure in 1902, aged 48, at his seaside cottage in Muizenberg.
The government arranged an epic journey by train from the Cape to Rhodesia, with the funeral train stopping at every station to allow mourners to pay their respects. He was finally laid to rest at World’s View, a hilltop located approximately 35km south of Bulawayo, in what was then Rhodesia.
The bulk of his vast fortune was left to the public service, but he also provided for the education of young British colonists by the creation of a yearly scholarship, still in existence today. His immense estates in Rhodesia were left to the people of the territory, to be cultivated for their benefit. He left his home, Groote Schuur, as a residence for the Prime Minister of a united South Africa.
Information courtesy of: https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/cecil-john-rhodes-buried-matopos and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Rhodes#/media/File:Cecil_Rhodes_ww.jpg.
