He became a member of the Orange Free State Volksraad in 1883 for the Caledon River Division.

He was in command of the Rouxville and Thaba Nchu commandos, and moved with his mother through the Colesberg, Barkly East and Dordrecht areas.

[3] Later he worked with General De Wet in the eastern Free State and Brandwater Basin.

On the way there, he was captured by the British forces on 3 July 1900, and was exiled to Ceylon with three of his sons as prisoners of war.

[2][3][4] He was released from exile in 1902 and again became a member of the Legislative Assembly (Volksraad) for the Orange River Colony as well as a horse breeder before withdrawing from public life in 1910.