South Africans Rediscover Shared Legacy of Black Soldiers in Anglo-Boer War in Video

• A video filmed at what appears to be a South African war memorial wall showed rows of engraved names, including African surnames
• The footage sparked debate online about the overlooked role Black South Africans played alongside Boer fighters in the Anglo-Boer War
• South Africans in the comments shared rarely discussed history about black soldiers and farm workers who suffered alongside Boer families

A visitor filming names engraved on a memorial wall in Pretoria captured something that stopped many South Africans in their tracks. Among the rows of names carved into the stone were African surnames, a detail that caught people off guard and sent the video viral in July 2026.

The footage, filmed at what appears to be a military or war memorial, shows a visitor quietly reading through the names and photographing them with a smartphone. The moment is unhurried and solemn. But what the camera recorded sparked a wave of conversation about a chapter of South African history that many say has been quietly forgotten.

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SA's history hidden in plain sight

The comments section in the video by Bobo Nkosi filled quickly with people sharing what they knew, and what they had only recently learned, about the relationship between Black South Africans and Boer fighters during the Anglo-Boer War. Watch the memorial wall footage that sparked the conversation below:

Mzansi reacts to the forgotten history

South Africans in the comments were moved and unsettled in equal measure:

Anthony En Cheryl wrote:

"We stood shoulder to shoulder in the trenches and battlefields"

Gavin Powell said:

"Funny how they don't know black and Boer fought side by side against the English."

Chris Dreyer shared:

"Thank you for this post. Many people are completely unaware of the history and the two Boer Republics. To fully understand the history and the dynamics of our history you need to read the 'Memoirs of Paul Kruger'."

Sue Visser added:

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"All the brave black men, including indian, brown who served our borders pre 1994 are honoured by us, each and every year we have a memorial Day at different 'Afrikaner' monuments across SA... We shall never forget those blacks who died with our women and children."

Other Briefly News stories about history

• A wreath-laying ceremony in France that honoured South African soldiers who lost their lives during World War II.
• People were fascinated by a Ugandan travel creator who toured Freedom Square in Kampala, a memorial dedicated to South African anti-apartheid fighters.
• A gathering of Sol-Tech vocational college students at the Voortrekker Monument, where they celebrated their heritage through a powerful collective, went viral.

Source: Briefly News