Andries Pretorius (1798-1853) was a South African political leader and general and till his death the most prominent and colorful Afrikaner figure.

In November 1838 the Voortrekker leader Pieter Retief and his companions were murdered at the village of the Zulu chief Dingane, and afterward the Voortrekker camp were massacred by Zulu warriors. The first efforts of both Boer and Briton to avenge these horrors met with dismal failure, leaving the Boer emigrants in a serious plight. At this stage Andries Pretorius was invited to become their leader and command a punitive expedition against Dingane.

Andries Pretorius was born on Nov. 27, 1798, at Graaff Reinet in the Cape Colony. It is unfortunate that only the scantiest details of his early life are available. He was taught by wandering teachers but in later life could express himself well in word and writing. A female admirer wrote of him as "a handsome...