Commandant-General Piet Joubert was born on 20 January 1834. In addition to being a fine soldier, he was a ‘self-taught’ lawyer and gained a reputation as an excellent attorney. When the First Boer War broke out, he was put in charge of the Boer forces and achieved several notable victories over the British, leading to the expulsion of the British from the Transvaal.
When the Second Boer War broke out, Joubert was again in overall command of the Boer armies in the Transvaal Republic. However, at 65 he lacked the same aggressive spirit and boldness needed to take the offensive to the British. Many observers believe that this lack of aggression had a negative effect on what might have happened had a younger man been in command and pursued the offensive to gain control of the port of Durban.
In October 1899, Joubert was commanding a raid near the Tugela River when he was thrown from his horse and injured. As a result of his injuries, Joubert resigned his command. Louis Botha resumed command of the Transvaal army until the end of the war.
Joubert’s injuries led to an infection and he died of peritonitis in Pretoria on 28 March 1900.
