After the first Boer War gold was discovered in the Transvaal, and the Union recovered from bankruptcy in a very short period of time. Paul Kruger was doing well as President, making the British very uneasy. Fearing the situation, Cecil John Rhodes urges to go into the second Boer War with the Boers.

With the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899 LongTom joined the Boer Commandos.

Fighting with General Louis Botha and 7 000 men against 19 000 British soldiers of Lord Robberts, the Boers won the Battle of Bergendal, also known as the Battle of Belfast, in August 1900. LongTom was captured in November 1900 along with several other Boers, and sent to St. Helena Island. Here the Boers kept them busy with a game called rugby against the British, at one stage they even had to play for LongTom van Tonder’s life. (Film: Modder en Bloed).

Agreement to freedom was reached in 1902, and LongTom returned to Lydenburg.

Arriving back in Lydenburg, he found a destroyed town, with little or no infrastructure left. The worst news was yet to come, as he found out that his beloved oom Bart was killed by “handsoppers”in Northen Natal, and oom Bart’s wife also died in a concentration camp for women.

At the age of 22 years LongTom van Tonder had to start rebuilding his life and town.

His love for iron and wood took over and he gradually went into business as a blacksmith combined with his woodwork skills. He started building axes, hand slashers and two-man operated chain tree-cutters for farmers and foresters in the area. He made this to perfection, and with the forestry industry growing in the Lydenburg / Sabie area, LongTom became a well-known supplier of forestry equipment. With his father’s skills of teaching coming in handy, he started training people of all cultures in the skill of producing top class blades, slashers, axes and all relevant forestry equipment.

In 1910, when the Union of South Africa was established, LongTom opened his first factory for production. Equipment was transported to Eastern Transvaal and areas of Northen Natal. In 1915 another factory was opened in Ermelo in the Eastern Transvaal for distribution and manufacturing. The new South African rand was trading well against other currencies, and LongTom van Tonder felt the wealth of his operation to good effect. He was the first man to buy a new Model T Ford in the area.

The big droughts of the 1920’s, as well as the Big Depression of 1929 took its toll on LongTom’s operations. It was a big setback, and it took him a while to recover.

On 6 September 1968 LongTom van Tonder died at the age of 88. Not only did he die as a happy man, but also as a LEGEND and PIONEER in the Forestry Industry.

We salute and honour you, LongTom van Tonder!!