By Githmi Koralage
Rainbow
Nation, a country popularized as the Republic of South Africa (RSA) is located
at the southernmost end of the Eurasian-African landmass. A unitary,
parliamentary republic with an executive president, South Africa is often
considered a middle power in the region. Despite the beauty of its landscape, and
diversity in the society, culture, as well as environment, the world acknowledges
the country as one that was once home to gruesome systemic racial-segregation;
and apartheid. It garnered a negative perception, leading the general public
all over the world to view them as a developing nation at the end of the
spectrum. However, when observing its history, especially the creation of RSA,
it is evident that South Africa is a country with strong, courageous,
determined, warriors who cannot be toppled easily. It is specifically
understood when studying the Boer War. Accordingly, this article discusses the
Boer War, and what it says about the reality of South Africa.
Time
Before the Boer War
The
indigenous San and Khoikhoi people who lived in the modern-day South African
region were joined by settlers from the North African continent from the 4th
century onwards. The continent and region were introduced to the Europeans with
the Portuguese navigator Bartholomeu Dias traveling around the tip of Southern
Africa in the 1480s. The first European to land on African soil was however
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama when he landed on Natal coast in 1497. In
1652, the Cape colony at Table Bay was founded by Jan Van Riebeeck, a
representative from the Dutch East India Company. (BBC News, 2022) It was
established to provide refreshments to the ships voyaging between the
Netherlands and the East Indies (modern-day Indonesian region). With time a population
of “free Burghers” emerged, and expanded the settlements northwards and
eastwards from the Cape colony. These Burghers were known as “Trekboers” and increasingly
became independent from the Dutch East India Company. (Williams-Wynn, 2021)
In
1795, the British invaded and captured the Cape colony. The occupation did not
last for a long time, because of the signing of the short-lived Treaty of
Amiens in 1803, which resulted in the British returning the Cape colony to the Netherlands.
In 1806, the British reoccupied the colony as a strategic move, due to Emperor
Napolean Bonaparte including the Netherlands as a part of his empire. Meanwhile,
another fighting force, the Zulu kingdom, which lasted from 1816 to 1826, was
expanding in the Eastern part of the Southern African region. (Williams-Wynn,
2021)
The
Trekboers increasingly became dissatisfied with the British authority in the
Cape colony. It was especially because 80% of those who had farms did not receive
titles for their lands (Williams-Wynn, 2021). This resulted in them migrating
further north, which became popularized as the “Great Trek”. The migrated
communities established Orange Free State and Transvaal. The British granted
the Transvaal limited self-governance in 1852, which was followed by a republic
being established in Transvaal in the late 1850s. (BBC News, 2022)
The
Indian population which comprised the South African population today also
migrated to the region from 1860-1911, as laborers (BBC News, 2022).
The
First Boer War
The
Transvaal Rebellion/ the First Boer War spanned from 1880 to 1881. In 1867,
diamonds were discovered in the Transvaal region. The year 1875 saw a surge in
neo-imperialism. According to that, the British annexed Transvaal in 1877 and
defeated the Zulus in Natal. The annexation of the Transvaal was met with
passive resistance. It turned into armed resistance with time, and on December
16, 1880, the first fight of the war broke out between the British garrison in
Potchefstroom and a 'commando' under General Piet Cronjé. The Boers turned out
to be experienced marksmen. Their knowledge of the territory of the region also
contributed significantly to their success. Further, the “commando” system that
was established contributed to getting the upper hand for the Boers in the
fight. The final battle of the war occurred in Majuba Hill, where the Boers
emerged as the victors. On August 03, 1881, the Pretoria Convention was signed
and the Transvaal was given independence with the British having its suzerainty.
Accordingly, the British had control over Transvaal’s foreign affairs and
internal rules related to the black community.
It was on February 27, 1884, that Transvaal finally earned its full
internal independence, until the Second Boer War. (BBC - History - the Boer
Wars, 2011)
The
Second Boer War
The
discovery of goldfields in Witwatersrand in 1886 was a watershed moment in
South African history. It made the struggling Boer Republic a potential
political and economic threat to British supremacy. The failed scheme of Prime
Minister of the Cape colony Cecil Rhodes to overthrow President Kruger of the
Transvaal government during the Jamesson Raid ten years later flared up
Afrikaner nationalism. The British colonial secretary Sir Joseph Chamberlain and
the British High Commissioner in South Africa Alfred Milner were anxious that
Kruger would unite South Africa under Afrikaners, which led to them being
interested in getting involved in the domestic affairs of Transvaal. Milner
agitated the English-speaking migrant workers for franchise rights, which
President Kruger refused to grant. Instead, he gave ultimatums; disputes
between the two states should be resolved through arbitration, British soldiers
in the borders should be withdrawn, and troops bound for South Africa by ship
should not disembark. British however rejected the ultimatum, which resulted in
the breakout of the Second Boer War on October 11, 1899. (BBC - History -
the Boer Wars, 2011) The war was marked as the bloodiest, longest, and most
expensive war the British engaged in between 1815 and 1915 (History | South
African Government, n.d.).
The
course of the war, which was in favour of the Boers changed in February of
1900. After the British captured significant landmarks, Kimberly and Ladysmith,
almost all Boer fronts collapsed, and the men were divided as some of the Boers
joined the British. However, in August 1900, the military effort of Boer was
revived under General Louis Botha. This revival lasted for two years and was known
as the guerilla phase because of the application of the tactic of gathering
swiftly to attack and dispersing quickly. (BBC - History - the Boer Wars, 2011)
End
of the Boer War
Ending
the Boer war with a clear-cut victory was not an easy task for the British.
After the failure of the military methods, the British had to resolve to a
different approach laced with strategy, tactics, brutality, and manipulation.
In 1900, Lord Herbert Kitchener became Commander of the British Garrison, he
integrated a three-fold strategy to end the Boer war. The first stage included the “scorched earth” policy, which deprived
the guerillas of access to food and shelter. (BBC - History - the Boer Wars,
2011)
The
second stage was expanding “concentration camps”. These camps sheltered
the families of the guerillas especially the women and children whose houses
were burnt during the first phase. Black people were also confined to the
concentration camps to prevent the guerillas from accessing food and to get
free labour for the gold mines. The terrible conditions and bad administration
of these camps led to the demise of 28,000 Boer women and children and at least
20,000 Black people. (BBC - History - the Boer Wars, 2011)
The
third stage included building blockhouses and barbed wire defenses. These
blockhouses known as the Kitchener Maginot Line contributed to stopping the disruption
of railway lines and bridges. Further, it prevented the Boer commanders from
reuniting their units for coordinated action. (Blockhouses of the Boer War,
n.d.)
The
strategies were successful. By 1902, the Second Boer War formally came to an
end with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging. As a result, the Transvaal and the Orange Free
State were made self-governing colonies under the British Empire. (BBC News,
2022)
Revelations
about South Africa
Boer
wars reveal a deeper narrative about South Africa and its people than what is
popularized. Even though Boers were of Dutch ancestry and white, we could say they
have much ownership of the land of South Africa as the Black natives, because
of the contributions they made to lay the foundation of South Africa.
The
African continent is deemed a war-torn, underdeveloped, and less civilized
continent. As a part of the continent, South Africa is viewed through the same
lens by the masses. However, the Boer Wars challenge this perception by
revealing qualities such as unity, pride, a sense of unique identity,
intelligence, courage, perseverance, and resilience of the ancestors of the
nation, the Afrikaners, and the native African clans. It was the reason why
apart from using military capabilities, the British had to take measures to
crush the soul of the Boer fighters, through policies such as scorched earth
and concentration camps. Further, the victories of the Boers revealed their
tactical intelligence and combat capabilities.
The
advanced military weapons the Boers used were facilitated by Germany and France
(Pom Poms in the Boer War, n.d.). This reveals that the Boers had the
skill and ability to conduct stable foreign relations. During the war, both
factions decided not to involve the Black community. However, the British
started employing the Black community as soldiers. (BBC - History - the Boer
Wars, 2011) Arguably this also played a part in deepening the racist
attitude of the Boers, which shaped the policies of early South African
governments and ultimately contributed to the establishment of apartheid.
Conclusion
The
Boer Wars are more than just a conflict over territory. It is a testimony to
how strong, courageous, and intelligent South Africans were and are. The legacy
of these wars has impacted every aspect of the country. The most significant aspect
of history is that South Africa is not a country that is easy to conquer. The
strength displayed by its people, then and now, has made it stand firm against
every adversity it has faced.
References
BBC
- History - The Boer Wars. (2011, March 29). https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/boer_wars_01.shtml
BBC
News. (2022, December 19). South Africa profile - Timeline. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14094918
Blockhouses
of the Boer War. (n.d.). https://www.bwm.org.au/blockhouses.php
History
| South African Government. (n.d.). https://www.gov.za/about-sa/history
Pom
poms in the Boer War. (n.d.). https://www.bwm.org.au/pom_poms.php
Williams-Wynn, C. (2021).
The Boers of Dutch Descent Under British Rule in South Africa [Review of The
Boers of Dutch Descent Under British Rule in South Africa]. In Smart
Surveyors for Land and Water Management - Challenges in a New Reality Virtually
in the Netherlands. FIG e-Working Week 2021. https://www.fig.net/resources/proceedings/fig_proceedings/fig2021/papers/ts_his/TS_HIS_williams-wynn_11143.pdf
