Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal well as others that are now bypassed. The only sold local newspaper in Ladysmith is the "Ladysmith Gazette". The "Ladysmith Gazette" is just over a century old, and is believed to have been established in 1902. The "Ladysmith Gazette" is part of the Caxton Group of newspapers. One of two free local newspapers is the "Ladysmith Herald". The other free newspaper is the "Times of Ladysmith". A large number of the Second Boer War Battlefields around Ladysmith have been preserved as memorial sites. Monuments and memorials to those who died during the battles have been erected at most of them.
Siege of Mafeking acted as messengers and orderlies and released men to fight. Work to build defences around the perimeter of Mafeking started on 19 September 1899; the town would eventually be equipped with an extensive network of trenches and gun emplacements. President Kruger of the Boer South African Republic declared war on 12 October 1899. Under orders of General Cronje the Mafeking railway and telegraph lines were cut the same day, and the town began to be besieged from 13 October. Mafeking was first shelled on 16 October after the British commanders ignored Cronje's 9 o'clock deadline to surrender. Colonel Baden-Powell had