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THE FIRST SETTLER Durban Timeline 1497-1990 24 December, A flotilla of three Portuguese ships under the command of Capt Vasco da Gama sailed up the eastern seaboard of southern Africa, and moored overnight in the lee of a headland, which may have been the Bluff. Probably because of the date, Da Gama named the land “Terra do Natal”. It is not known whether sailors landed here to take on fresh water, but this seems improbable as they made landfall three days later, at the mouth of the Limpopo. 1552 24 June, The Portuguese slave galleon Sao Joao ran aground at the mouth of the Umzimvubu River, near present-day Port Edward. 1554 27 April, The Portuguese slaver Sao Bento was grounded near the Mzikaba River, off the northern Transkei. 1589 March, The Portuguese ship Sao Thome was shipwrecked near the coast of Natal. The survivors landed at Sordwana Bay. 1593 24 March, The Portuguese ship Santo Alberto ran aground near the Mtata River. 1608 The Portuguese Galleon Sao Esperitowas wrecked off the coast of Natal. 1622 The Portuguese ship Sao Joao Baptista was shipwrecked off the coast of the southern Transkei. 1635 July, The Portuguese ship Nossa Senhora de Belem ran ashore near the mouth of the Mzimkulu River. 1647 The Portuguese ship Sacramento was shipwrecked near present-day Port Edward. On Easter day the Portuguese ship Nossa Serihora da Atalaya was shipwrecked near Keiskamma Point. 1684 The English ship Frances visited Natal on an ivory trading mission, but did not enter the bay. 1685 17 May, The English ketch Good Hope was caught in a squall off the Bay of Natal and was driven ashore at the Point, where she remained immovably stuck. The 24 survivors, under the leadership of Capt John Adams, managed to reach the shore safely, and settled on the Bluff. Being skilled ship’s carpenters, they set about building a decked boat from the remains of the wreck, which the Master and nine men then sailed for Madagascar, leaving nine of their comrades behind, five of the remaining men having, in the interim, died of dysentery. Soon after, another English ketch put into the Bay to barter for supplies of beef, and left with another four survivors, while the last five men opted to remain behind, presumably in the company of newfound families. 1686 16 February, The Dutch East India Company ship Stavemisse was grounded some 112km south of the Bay of Natal. Forty-seven of the survivors decided to make their way overland to Cape Town, and by the time they were discovered by a rescue party at the mouth of the Kei, only 22 had come through their journey. Soon thereafter the 13 survivors who had, wisely, opted to remain behind at the wreck were joined by two English sailors from the Good Hope who invited them to join the small settlement at Bay of Natal. Although two then died on their way, eleven others completed this journey. 25 December, The English ketch Bona Ventura was wrecked at St Lucia Bay and its nine survivors made their way south to the Bay of Natal, swelling the size of the new settlement to 25. By combining their skills and labours these men were able to build a small sloop, that they named the Centaurus. Twenty of them then sailed it to Cape Town where it was purchased by the Dutch administration. 1689 4 January, The Noord, sent by the Dutch administration at the Cape to search for additional shipwreck survivors from the Stavenisse, reached the bay. The following day it managed to sail over the sand bar at its entrance, thereby becoming the first ship to moor in the Bay of Natal. Timeline: Durban 1700 - 1899 1736 A hunting party headed by Hermanus Hubner journeyed to the Bay where it met three English sailors and three English women, thought to have been the survivors of an unnamed shipwreck at the mouth of the Lwavibusa River, some years previously. 1822 September, The British Admiralty commissioned Capt William Owen RN to conduct a survey of the south-eastern seaboard of Africa, south of Delagoa Bay. This took place in January 1823. 1823 23 June, An exploratory party under Lieutenants Francis Farewell and James King set sail on the brig Salisbury from Cape Town hoping to establish a trading station at St Lucia. Having failed to make a landing there, they turned back and, ran into a severe storm off the Bay of Natal. Seeking shelter from the elements, they managed to sail over the sandbar and into the bay, where they found a safe mooring off Salisbury Island, a small land outcrop in the bay. 1824 10 May, A small advance party under Henry Fynn arrived at Port Natal on the Julia,landing in the bay near the site of present-day Maydon Wharf. In expectation of being joined subsequently by a second party, Fynn established a camp on a sandy flat subsequently used as a market, and now known as Farewell Square. July, A second party under Francis Farewell arrived aboard the Antelope. It numbered about 26 persons and included in its number a Dutchman, Josias Hoffman, whose son would eventually become the first President of the OFS. Fynn had previously made contact with Shaka, the Zulu king, whose suzerainty included the bay area, and he introduced Farewell to the royal Zulu court. As a result the settlement at Port Natal began to flourish, with trade being conducted in ivory, hippo tusks, buffalo hides, cattle and grain. 7 August, At a meeting with Fynn and Farewell, Shaka granted the English settlers an area about Port Natal of about 6500 km² in extent. Upon his return, on 24 August, Farewell hoisted the Union Jack and formally took possession of the land in the name of the British Crown. 7 September, Nine members of the Dutch party boarded the Julia and headed back to Cape Town. 30 September, The brig Mary, under the command of Lt Richard King, reached Port Natal where, on the following day, in a futile attempt to cross the sand bar under gale force winds, she was lost without loss of life. 9 December, The Julia returned to the bay later in 1824, and when she left on 9 December the last eleven members of the Dutch party departed aboard her. On its way back the vessel is believed to have caught alight and was lost at sea with all lives on board. 1827 Early in the year the settlers began to run low of medical supplies and a 15 year old boy, Charles Rawden Maclean, better known to his companions as John Ross, was sent to Delagoa Bay to secure fresh stores. Travelling under a Zulu escort Ross made the 970km journey on foot and returned to Port Natal in July. 1828 Shaka sent a delegation to the British Government, accompanied by Lt King. They only travelled as far as Algoa Bay, where they were met with the hostility and rudeness of local officials. 7 September, Death of Lt King as the result of dysentery. 24 September, Shaka was murdered at his military camp at Dukuza, by his half-brothers Dingane and Mhlangana, together with his bodyguard Mbopha. 1829 October, Lt Farewell was attacked and killed on the banks of the Uzimbuvu River, south of Port Natal. 1830 Dingane sent a delegation to the Cape to declare his friendly intentions and to encourage trade with the colony. 1832 Dr Andrew Smith, an officer in the British Army Medical Corps, visited the Zulu court. 1834 A group of 190 merchants from Cape Town petitioned the British Government to annex “Port Natal and the depopulated country in its vicinity”. In the same year a party of Dutch farmers from the Uitenhage district visited Natal to evaluate its potential for farming. 29 December, Capt Allen Gardiner, a British naval officer turned missionary, arrived in Port Natal. 1835 23 June, At a meeting of 15 settlers, held at the home of Mr Berkin, the growing village was named D’Urban, after Sir Benjamin D’Urban, then Governor of the Cape, while the area about was named Victoria County. Under the direction of Capt Allen Gardiner, a plan for the new settlement was drawn up and rudimentary defences were erected in expectation of an attack from the Zulu. 1836 Dr Newton Adams, together with Revs Grout and Champion, of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, established a mission house and school south of Durban. The settlement was destroyed by Zulu forces in 1838, but was rebuilt by Adams the following year. In 1847 it was moved south of the Umlazi Location, near present-day Amanzimtoti. 1837 Durban’s first military regiment, the Port Natal Volunteers, was established. 19 October, An advance party of sixteen Dutch men under Piet Retief arrived in Durban, where they received a warm welcome from its trader community. 1838 The village of Congella was established by Dutch families on the south-western side of the bay. 6 February, Piet Retief , together with a party of 69 men, were slaughtered at the Zulu capital of Mgungundlovu, on the orders of Dingane. Thereafter, on 17 February, Zulu forces fell upon Dutch families who had already scattered over the Bloukrans and Bushman’s River valleys, killing 40 men, 56 women and 185 children, as well as over 200 of their retainers. March, Towards the end of March a force of some 2500 Port Natal levies under the command of Ogle, Stubbs and Cane crossed the Mgeni River and attacked a number of Zulu homesteads in the Untunjambili (Kranskop) area. Meeting little resistance they fired the villages and returned home with 4000 cattle and 500 women and children whom they planned to integrate into their settlements. 10 April, A second expeditionary force consisting of 18 Natal traders, 30 Khoi retainers and some 600 levies, 400 of whom were armed with muskets, crossed the Thukela near its mouth. Seven Zulu regiments, numbering some 10,000 men, under the command of Dingane’s brother, Mpande, immediately confronted them, and after a sustained attack, the trader-led group was virtually annihilated. 24 April, A large force of Zulu attacked Durban and over a period of nine days systematically destroyed the village. Settlers were forced to retreat to the brig Comet, moored in the Bluff channel. The Zulu withdrew on 3 May, leaving the survivors to pick their way through the ashes. May, Taking advantage of the confusion in the aftermath of the Zulu attack, dissident Dutch farmers from the Cape annexed Durban and declared the Republic of Natalia, with its capital at Pietermaritzburg. December, A detachment of 100 men of the 72nd Regiment of Foot of the Seaforth Highlanders, under the command of Major S Charters, arrived at Durban. Charter’s orders included the proper fortification of the town, and the pacification of the region. Fort Victoria was built on the Point, close to present-day Alexandra Square. 1839 The Volksraad of Natalia granted a farm, subsequently named Salt River Poort, to Andries Martinus Laas. In 1851 it was surveyed as the village of Pinetown. 1840 30 January, In 1839 Mpande broke with his brother, Dingane, and moved south of the Tukela with his followers. Having now entered into an alliance with the Dutch, on 30 January a combined force of 10,000 Zulu warriors and 300 Dutch commandos defeated Dingane’s army at the Mkuzi River. Mpande was then proclaimed King of the Zulu. The Republican Volksraad at Pietermaritzburg appointed George Cato to set out a new plan for Durban, and the first public sale of land took place in June. 1842 French naturalist M Adulphe Delagorgue arrived in Durban and set up camp near present-day Albert Park. He witnessed the subsequent confrontation near Congella between English and Dutch forces. May, After marching overland from the Eastern Cape, a contingent of 263 men of the 27th Regiment of Foot of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, under the command of Capt Thomas Charlton Smith, arrived in Durban to reclaim, on behalf of the British Crown, the ownership of Natal. Smith built a fortified laager on the site now known as the Old Fort. Meanwhile Dutch forces under Commandant Andries Pretorius had begun to muster at a camp, known as Congella, 5km south of Durban. After issuing an ultimatum, they seized the British cattle herd. 23 May, Smith counter-attacked with a force of 138 men supported by a howitzer sent across the bay by boat. The British attack on Congella was easily repulsed by the Dutch, and they were forced to retreat after suffering the loss of 51 men. The Dutch then laid siege to the British garrison in Durban. 24 May, During the night a small party of English settlers evaded Dutch picket lines by rowing two small boats to the Bluff, towing two horses behind them. Two of their number, Richard King and a Zulu retainer named Ndongeni set off on an epic 970km ride to Grahamstown to request the assistance of its British garrison. The ride took 10 days and was made possible by the string of mission stations previously established in the Transkei. 10 June, The Mazeppa, under the command of Joseph Cato and manned by the wives and families of the besieged garrison at Durban, slipped her mooring and under heavy fire from Dutch muskets, managed to sail over the bar with no casualties on board. 15 June, The Mazeppa reached Delagoa Bay where, after laying in additional stores, it headed south for the Cape. 26 June, The British frigate Southampton sailed into Durban and opened fire on the Dutch, who had, in the interim, taken Fort Victoria. Troops were landed in the Bay, and by 16.00 that afternoon the siege had been lifted. The Dutch then abandoned their camp at Congella, and retreated to Pietermaritzburg. 15 July, The Republic of Natalia formally submitted to British rule, and although its Volksraad remained in existence until 1845, from 1843 the territory was under the effective control of the British Representative, Henry Cloete. 1843 Durban’s first Methodist Church, a thatched wattle-and-daub structure erected by Rev J Archbell, was opened for worship. In 1850 this was replaced by a more substantial building, designed by his successor, Rev WC Holden. 4 May, The District of Natal was adopted as a British Colony. This was ratified by a Proclamation on 12 May, with Henry Cloete, Advocate of the Supreme Court in Cape Town, as Commissioner. The 45th Regiment of Foot, also known as the Sherwood Foresters, were garrisoned in Durban, where its Engineer’s Corps was responsible for building the Great West Road, crossing over the Berea Ridge at the 45th Cutting, thus opening up the interior for settlement. 1844 31 May, District of Natal was annexed to the Cape Colony. 1845 Roman-Dutch law was established in the District. 30 April, Natal was constituted as a distinct and separate government to be administered by a Lieutenant-Governor. 21 August, Boundaries of Natal were defined by Proclamation. Subsequent revisions took place on 5 June 1858, 7 September 1865 and 26 January 1903. Separate Proclamations regarding Zululand were made in 1887, 1895 and 1897 respectively. September, Natal was incorporated as a separate district of the Cape Colony. 22 November, Sir Peregrine Maitland, Governor of the Cape, appointed Martin West, formerly Resident Magistrate in Grahamstown, as Natal’s first Lieutenant-Governor. He landed at Port Natal on 4 December, and was sworn in at Pietermaritzburg on 12 December, when he also took over the administration of the Colony. He died in office in 1850. 1846 The first direct mail link between England and Natal was established when the Sarah Bell sailed into the bay. West appointed a Commission to give African land holding legal status. Included were the Surveyor-General, Lt CJ Gibb, and Theophilus Shepstone, Diplomatic Agent to the Native Tribes in 1845-53, and subsequently Secretary for Native Affairs, 1853-75. 1847 Shepstone began to establish “Native Locations” for exclusive Black settlement. On 8 March Umlazi, south of Durban, and Inanda, to its north-west, were proclaimed Start of the so-called Great Emigration from Britain, as the result of crop failures, the collapse of the railway financial boom, and general commercial distress. From 1847-51 over a million persons left the country for various destinations in the Empire, of which some 5,000 men, women and children travelled to Natal under a variety of land schemes. 2 March, Powers of the Cape Legislature to make laws for the District were revoked and its administration and legislative powers were placed in the hands of an appointed Council. November, 187 German settlers arrived at Port Natal. They were given land in an area 15km west of Durban, near Pinetown, which then became known as New Germany. 1848 Construction of Durban’s first windmill. Located on the Berea Ridge, it was also served as a useful landmark for ships entering the harbour. The site was located near present day Windmill Road. First sugar cane cultivars were imported from Mauritius. 13 April, Umgeni River breaks its banks and comes down in flood along the eastern floodplain. 22 November, The first plots were sold in Durban. 1849 The first settlers to be brought out to Natal under the Byrne immigration scheme arrived in Durban aboard the Wanterer. Not unexpectedly Byrne went bankrupt in 1850. 1 August, Death in office of Martin T West, first Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony. 1850 5 February, First post office was opened in Durban. 21 December, Meeting of Durban residents resolved to petition the Colonial Government for the establishment of municipal government in the town. 1851 Benjamin CC Pine was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony. It seems probable that Pine Terrace was named in his honour at about the same time. He was knighted in 1857 when he took up a new posting in West Africa. Finding itself short of funds, the Colonial Government attempted to annex land on the Berea and, having laid out 18 stands, it proposed to sell them. Following vociferous opposition by Durban’s residents the Government was forced to abandon its project. At the same time 46 acres were surveyed near the Umbilo River to accommodate the establishment of smallholdings for Black farmers. The village of Pinetown was surveyed on the farm Salt River Poort, formerly owned by Andries Martinus Laas. October, A public meeting was held in Durban to propose the introduction of Indian labour. 1852 13 August, The first steamship to sail into Durban harbour, the Sir Robert Peel, was met at the bay by most of the town’s residents. The Natal Mercury was published in Durban for the first time. Jean-Baptiste Sabon and Bishop Allard established the Roman Catholic Church in the Colony. The Jane Morice sailed into Durban with a cargo of 15,000 cane tops from Mauritius. 1853 Adams College was founded by the American Board of Missions. The first lots of land were sold at Umbilo, subsequently known as Prospect Township. 30 January, Dr John William Colenso arrived on the steamship Calcutta, and after a visit of inspection to various parts of the Colony, he returned to England on 10 April. 17 March, Foundation stone laid for the construction of St Paul’s Anglican Church, giving onto Market Square. This was completed the following year. 21 September, A public meeting held in Kinghurst’s Store, and chaired by Mr AW Evans, constituted itself as the Durban Mechanics’ Institution, its objective being “the moral and intellectual improvement of its members and others”. Its first premises were located in a small thatched wooden building, originally intended as a shop, which it leased from Mr Pulleyn for £18pa. The services of Mrs Hall were engaged as Attendant at the Library for £12pa. The premises were officially opened to the public on 14 November 1853. By that time it could boast of 112 members, and had accumulated 409 volumes and 272 pamphlets. By 1857 the thatched roof had begun to leak, and the library and reading room were moved next door to a double-storey house belonging to Dr Johnston. In about 1861 it was renamed the Durban Public Library. 1854 The Durban Police force was established. Byelaws promulgated requiring Black visitors to the village to be clothed from the shoulder to the knee. The Durban Voluntary Guards, subsequently known as the Durban Light Infantry, was formed. 21 April, Ordinance No 1 of 1854 “For establishing Municipal Corporations within the District of Natal” was promulgated. This was published in Durban on 3 May. May, Lieutenant-Governor Benjamin Pine proclaimed the township of Durban a Borough. At the time its White population numbered 1,204. 10 June, Sir George Grey was appointed Colonial Secretary. 2 August, The first Town Council, consisting of 8 members representing four wards, was elected to office, with George Christopher Cato being elected the first Mayor of Durban. November, Durban’s first bank, the Natal Bank, opened its premises in Aliwal Street. 1855 February, Sidney Herbert, afterwards Lord Herbert of Lea, was appointed Colonial Secretary. 15 May, Lord John Russell, afterwards Earl Russell, was appointed Colonial Secretary. 20 May, Dr John Colenso, Bishop of Durban, together with his family, returned to Port Natal on the Jane Morice. His party included Mrs Colenso, their four children, Archdeacon CF McKenzie, the Rev WO Newnham, and a body of clergy, female teachers and other support staff. He preached for the first time on 27 May. 11 July, The foundation stone of the Congregational Chapel in Smith Street was laid with the usual honours. 21 July, Sir William Molesworth was appointed Colonial Secretary. 17 November, Henry Labouchere, afterwards Lord Taunton, was appointed Colonial Secretary. 1856 Rev Posselt established a Lutheran mission station at Christianenburg, subsequently known as Clermont. Francois Adams opened Durban’s first bookstore. Durban’s first jail was completed. Five years later a police station was built on the present site of Medwood Gardens. 12 April, Following four days of torrential rains during which time Durban suffered a deluge of 689mm, the Umgeni River burst its banks and flooded the low-lying plain north of the town, leaving most of Durban under water. 15 July, By Royal Charter Natal was proclaimed a separate British colony. On the same date John Scott, afterwards Sir, was appointed its Lieutenant-Governor. Provisions in the same Charter gave the franchise to every man above the age of 21 years who possessed any immovable property to the value of £50. These provisions excluded aliens and other persons convicted of any “treason, felony, or infamous offence, who have not received a free pardon”. 30 October, John Scott, the new Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony arrived at Durban aboard HMS Geyser. 1857 A partly-elected legislature was established. Butchers were obliged to remove to officially designated slaughter houses at the west end of town. The town’s first timber saw mill began operations from a site at the beach-end of Field Street. 16 March, The foundation stone for a new Wesleyan Church, located just off the corner of West and Gardiner Streets, was laid by the Rev Thomas Jenkins, formerly a missionary to the Mpondo. It was destroyed in 1877, and replaced soon after by a larger and more imposing structure, which served its community until 1977, when it was demolished. The churches’ former chapel in Aliwal Street was given over to a mission for Black residents. 23 March, The first Legislative Council under the new charter met in Pietermaritzburg. Donald Moodie, representing the Borough of Durban was elected its first Speaker. 1 June, Natal issued its first stamps. 14 July, The first meeting called for the town’s Total Abstinence Society. 1858 30 January, The first output of the Congella Salt Works, owned by Charles McDonald, was put up for sale in Market Square. Unfortunately this enterprise did not last long, owing to low levels of salinity in the bay as well as the rapid corrosion of the imported iron boiler-plate evaporating pans. 28 February, Lord Stanley, afterwards Earl of Derby, was appointed Colonial Secretary. 31 May, Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart, afterwards Lord Lytton, was appointed Colonial Secretary. 5 September, The 45th Regiment was relieved by the 85th Regiment, 1859 Following protracted negotiations between the Natal Government and the Colonial Secretary, the Natal Parliament passed the Coolie Law No 14 of 1859. This made it possible for the Colony to implement a programme whereby Indian labourers could be brought out to South Africa under a five-year contract of indenture. At the end of the five years, workers had the option of signing new contracts for a further five-year period, which would make them eligible to settle permanently in the colony, or of being given a free passage back to India Upon completion of a second contract of indenture, Indian labourers were also entitled to a gift of Crown land and full citizenship rights. This proviso was later withdrawn when Act No. 25 of 1891 was promulgated in order to discourage the settlement of Indians in the Colony. 18 June, Duke of Newcastle was appointed Colonial Secretary. 26 June, South Africa’s first railway line, linking the Point to Durban’s town centre, was opened by Acting Lt-Governor of Natal, Major Williamson. Most residents turned out to witness the event as the first steam locomotive, named The Natal, travelled a distance of some 3.2km from the railway station near Farewell Square to the Point. July, The Hermanus Isaac brought 90 Dutch settlers from Amsterdam to Durban. 24 September, The foundation stone for a Sailor’s Church, at the Point was performed by Rev WHC Lloyd, the Colonial Chaplain. 17 November, The first contingent of 341 indentured labourers from India to find employment as workers on Natal’s cane fields, entered the bay aboard the SS Truro. Immigration was suspended in 1866 due to depressed economic conditions in the Colony, and following allegations made in 1870 of embezzlement and ill-treatment of Indian workers on the part of White farmers, was only resumed in 1874. 1861 Under the guidance of Captain Vetch RE, construction began on a crescent-shaped pier, north of Milne’s breakwater at the entrance to the bay. Its purpose was to create a second harbour off the “back” beach on the seaward side of the Point. Construction was completed on the Natal Government Hospital, Durban’s first such facility, located near the current site of the Supreme Court, on the Esplanade. It was replaced in 1879 by Addington Hospital, on Erskine Terrace, where many of the casualties from the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 were admitted. First building bye-law passed prohibiting the use of thatch as a roofing material within the boundaries of the Borough. Bauboo Naidoo, an interpreter, opened a shop in Field Street, Durban, for the sale of condiments and other delicacies not included in the rations issued by law to indentured workers, thereby becoming the first Hindu Indian shop keeper in the Colony. 26 November, A second contingment of 310 indentured Indian labourers arrived in Durban from Calcutta on board the Belvedere. 1862 Proclamation promulgated requiring all Black males to wear trousers within the municipal boundaries of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. 1863 Durban’s population now numbered approximately 3,390 White, 1,380 Black and 230 Indian residents. 1864 The Queen’s Bridge, the first to be built across the Umgeni River, was opened to traffic. It was sited near Morewood’s Drift, also known at Morewood’s Ford. Letters Patent were issued vesting the Natal Native’s Trust with the authority to hold location lands in trust for the Black population. J Maclean was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony. November, Work began on Durban’s first lighthouse, located on the Bluff. The structure was designed by colonial engineer Peter Paterson, was completed in January 1867. Initially it used a ship’s lantern, until 1869 when a proper signal light was installed. For military reasons, it was demolished at the start of WWII and the present lighthouse was rebuilt near the site after 1946. The first eight street lamps were lit in Durban. This innovation did not survive for long, as by 1867, the Council could no longer afford to buy the oil and the lamps were put out. 4 April, Edward Cardwell, afterwards Viscount Cardwell, was appointed Colonial Secretary. 1865 The Legislative Council passed a law that specifically excluded indigenous male residents of Natal from the franchise in general, but still permitted individuals who had been exempted from African Law for seven years, and had resided in the Colony for twelve, to apply for the vote. Such applications had to be supported by three duly qualified white electors, but the granting of the vote remained at the discretion of the Governor Work was begun on laying down a hard surface on Berea Road. To pay for the project tollgates were erected at points where it crossed Ridge and Umgeni Roads. 1866 County Alfred, between the Mtamvuna and Mzimkulu Rivers, was incorporated in Natal. 1 June, Durban High School opened its doors from a building in Smith Street, opposite the old police station, near Broad Street. In 1880 its premises were moved to the building previously used as the Natal Government Hospital, on the Esplanade, and in 1894 it was moved again to its present location, in St Thomas’ Road, on the Berea. Thereafter, from 1895 to 1907, the old hospital building was taken over by the Durban Boys Model School. 6 July, Earl of Carnarvon was appointed Colonial Secretary. 1867 Robert W Keate was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony. 8 March, Duke of Buckingham and Chandos was appointed Colonial Secretary. 4 April, The Durban to Umgeni railway line was opened. 1868 10 December, Earl Granville was appointed Colonial Secretary. 1869 The first “passenger Indians” arrived in Durban. The appellation referred to Indian immigrant traders, artisans, teachers and shop assistants who paid their own passage to the Colony. 1870 The Durban Fire Department was established, following the gift of a fire engine to the Borough Council by William Palmer, the local agent for the Royal Insurance Company. 6 July, Earl of Kimberley was appointed Colonial Secretary. 1872 Photographic record made of the surviving British settlers who had arrived in Durban before 1851. Anthony Musgrave was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony. Aboobaker Haji Ahmed Jhaveri arrived in Natal. Hilton College was founded. The Coolie Consolidation Amendment Act No 12 of 1872 made provision for a Protector of Indian Immigrants. It abolished flogging for breaches of the Masters and Servants Act, and legislated the improvement of medical treatment for Indian labourers. 25 November, Colonel Price-Lloyd was appointed the first Protector of Indian Immigrants. In order to give effect to the law he immediately set about building up a suitable administrative system. 1873 Langalibalele, chief of the Hlubi, refused to register his firearms and, in an attempt to evade the colonial authorities, began to move his clan to Griqualand East. In a skirmish that followed a number of people were killed, including seven policemen. Langalibalele was arrested, and after his trial, he was banished for life to Robben Island. Following an appeal by Dr John Colenso, Anglican Bishop of Natal, he was released and allowed to return to his lands where he died in 1887. The incident led to the recall of the Governor, Benjamin Pine. April, Musgrove retired frim his position as Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony. July, Sir Benjamin Pine returned for a second term as Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony. 22 December, The Protector of Indian Immigrants was appointed to the Natal Legislature’s Executive Council. He held this seat until 21 December 1876 when his seat was taken by the Colonial Engineer. 1874 2 January, The Immigration Trust Board was established in under Natal Law No 208 of 1874. 21 February, Earl of Carnarvon was appointed Colonial Secretary. 1875 Sir Henry Ernest Bulwer was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony. June, Aboobaker Amod, a Memon trader from Porbander, opened a store in West Street, thus establishing himself as the first “Arab” trader in Natal. In the 1870s White colonial perceptions differentiated between Hindu and Muslim Indian immigrants, the latter being commonly referred to as “Arabs”. 1877 The first Harbour Board was constituted. 1 January, The Point to Umgeni railway line was opened. On this same day, under Act No 4 of 1875, the Natal Government acquired the Natal Railway Co Ltd and all its holdings. 2 August, The Durban Young Ladies’ Evangelical Collegiate Institute, now known as Durban Girls’ High School was founded. 1878 Following a protracted drought in the town, Councillor HW Currie proposed to sink an artesian well at the foot of the Botanic Gardens, where a spring had previously provided local elephants with drinking water. This became known as Currie’s Fountain, and was capable of yielding 227,000 litres a day, enough to supply Durban’s needs for drinking water until the Umbilo Water Works were completed in 1887. Other waterworks completed subsequently included Umlaas in 1891, Camperdown in 1901, and Shongweni in 1827. Natal Law 20 of 1878 was passed governing Indian Education. The new Addington Hospital was opened 4 February, Sir Michael E Hicks-Beach, Bart, was appointed Colonial Secretary. May, The Durban to Pinetown railway line was opened. 25 May, The Umgeni to Avoca railway line was opened. 1879 General Sir Garnet J Wolseley was appointed Governor of the Colony. Establishment of the Indian Immigration School Board. The Resident Magistrate of Umzinto, JA Knight, was the first to use two crossed lines to denote a registered letter, an innovation which was eventually adopted by postal services throughout the world. 11 January, British forces invaded Zululand. 22 January, At a battle, which took place on the slopes of Isandlwana, more than 2,500 British troops and colonial levies lost their lives fighting against a Zulu army. Later that day, in an epic defence of the Rorke’s Drift Mission Station, 104 men of the 24th Regiment held off an attack by 4,500 Zulus under the command of Dabulamanzi. Eleven of the 89 survivors were awarded the Victoria Cross. March, The Pinetown to Botha’s Hill railway line was opened. 15 March, The Avoca to Mount Edgecombe railway line was opened. 4 July, Zulu forces were finally defeated at the battle of Ulundi. 21 September, The Mount Edgecombe to Verulam railway line was opened. 1880 Major-General Sir George Pomeroy-Colley was appointed Governor of the Colony. 1 February, The Rossburgh to Isipingo railway line was opened. 28 April, Earl of Kimberley was appointed Colonial Secretary. October, The Botha’s Hill to Camperdown railway line was opened. December, The Camperdown to Pietermaritzburg railway line was opened. 1881 The Harbour Board was reconstituted for a second time. 1882 Sir Henry Bulwer was appointed Governor of the Colony. Zulu workers arriving in Durban and registering with the police were issued with white calico trousers. The Theatre Royal opened its doors to patrons from premises in West Street. 1883 The franchise was extended to White male persons of 3 years’ residence in the Colony. 1885 Sir Arthur E Havelock was appointed Governor of the Colony. The South African Republic (ZAR) passed Law No 3 of 1885, the first legislation in South Africa directed specifically against Indian immigration, whereby “any of the native races of Asia, including so-called Coolies, Arabs, Malays, and Mohammedan subjects of the Turkish Empire” were grouped together. The act did not permit any of these groups to obtain rights of citizenship, to be “owners of fixed property in the Republic except only in such streets, wards and locations as the Government for purposes of sanitation shall assign to them”, and for all traders to be registered. Sir Henry Bulwer appointed a commission to investigate the position of Indian residents in Natal and the impact of potential new immigrants upon the Colony. Jacaranda trees were planted fir the first time in Durban. 25 October, Building was completed of Durban’s first Town Hall. In 1910 it was given over to the Post Office once a second Town Hall had been completed nearby. 1887 Opening of Umbilo’s Municipal Water Works. Annexation of Zululand by the British Crown. Durban’s municipal museum, reputedly the largest such establishment in South Africa, was opened in a section of the old Town Hall. It was subsequently re-housed in the City Hall. 1888 The Registration of Servants Act No. 2 of 1888 was passed by the Natal legislature. This classified Indians as members of an “uncivilized race” and made them liable to registration. Free Indians were forced to carry passes or face arbitrary arrest. The ZAR rejected a British-Indian petition and placed Asiatics in the same category as its indigenous African population, whom it regarded only as labourers. 1889 Sir Charles HH Mitchell was appointed Governor of the Colony. 1891 19 Law, known as the “Code of Native Law” was adopted. 1892 The firm of Hewlett & Sons Ltd was established. At first it dealt only in the production of tea, but it soon expanded into sugar cane farming, and in 1903 it opened its first sugar mill at Tinley Manor. In a general election Natal voted in favour of self-government. The following year a ministry under Natal’s first Prime Minister, Sir John Robinson, took office, with an elected lower house of 37 members. Rickshas introduced to Durban. Later their use was to spread to Pietermaritzburg and the Natal midlands, as well as Johannesburg, Lourenco Marques, Bulawayo and Mombasa. 1893 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi arrived in Durban. The London-trained lawyer was brought to South Africa by a group of Indian citizens concerned with obtaining rights of equal citizenship in their new country. Having bought a first-class train ticket for Johannesburg at the Durban station, he was forcibly ejected from the train at Pietermaritzburg following complaints from fellow White passengers. Sir Walter Francis Hely-Hutchinson was appointed Governor of the Colony. 26 June, Law providing for the establishment of Responsible Government in the Colony was given Royal Assent, and became law in the Colony on 20 July 1894. 10 October, First Natal parliament, under Prime Minister Sir John Robinson, took office. 1894 The Franchise Bill, which aimed to disenfranchise Natal Indians, was introduced in the Natal Colonial Parliament. This issue was to begin Mahatma Gandhi's political career and eventually led to the founding of the first South African Indian political organisation, the Natal Indian Congress. A critical shortage of agricultural labour in the Cape led to the appointment by its Colonial Government of a Labour Commission. One of its findings came out strongly against the importation of indentured labour from India and China. 22 August, The Natal Indian Congress (NIC) was founded with Dada Abdullah Haji Adam as its first Chair and Mahatma Gandhi as its secretary. As a result of NIC-led protests against the Franchise Act, the British Government did not immediately sanction its passing, but allowed the legislation to be reintroduced in 1896. 1895 The promulgation of the Indian Immigration Law Amendment Act, Law No 17 of 1895, allowed the Colony of Natal to impose a £3 penalty tax upon all previously indentured Indians who either failed to re-indenture or to return to India after the expiration of their labour contracts. In 1903, the Act is extended to include girls aged 13 and older, and boys aged 16 and older. Durban’s main post office ran out of ha’penny stamps. 1896 Michaelhouse was founded. Gandhi returns to Durban by ship but is prevented from disembarking for nearly a month by quarantine regulations. Even then he was attacked by an angry crowd near the Ship Hotel in West Street, and was only saved from serious harm by the intervention of Mrs Sarah Jane Alexander, the Police Superintendent’s wife. The franchise was extended to exclude all persons who were either “Natives”, or descendants in the male line of “Natives” of countries which had not hitherto possessed elective representative institutions founded on the parliamentary franchise. This was obviously aimed at Black residents originating from the southern African interior. 1 July, Durban’s first sewage disposal system was inaugurated, discharging the town’s wastes into the sea from the Point. This was retained until 1938, probably to the great delight of the city’s off-shoe lobster population. Fernando Pessoa, 1888-1935, arrived in Durban from Portugal. After being educated at the Durban High School, from 1899-1904, he left Durban in 1905, and went on to become a poet of world repute. It seems doubtful that he ever wrote any of his work in Durban, but today his youthful and somewhat brief sojourn in the town is marked by a statue in his honour in Pessoa Square, opposite the old station building. Reclamation work begins on Durban’s bay area, as well as the creation of an esplanade along part of the foreshore and the making of an embankment along the town length of the bay. After this was completed in 1902 it was named the Victoria Embankment, in honour of the British monarch’s diamond jubilee. In 1896, there were 9,309 registered White voters in Natal, and although only three Africans and 251 Indians had also been allowed to acquire voting rights in the colony, this small number was disenfranchised by the Franchise Act No 8 of 1896. 17 April, The Tongaat Sugar Company successfully applied to the Natal Immigration Trust Board for permission to recruit indentured artisans from India. 18 September, The European Protection Association was established in Pietermaritzburg, calling for limits to be placed upon Indian immigration and the compulsory repatriation of indentured labourers upon expiration of their contracts. 26 November, As a result of anti-Indian sentiment, White residents of Durban held a meeting where they condemned Mahatma Gandhi and set up the Colonial Patriotic Union. 1897 The Natal Immigration Restriction Act, and its subsequent amendments in 1900, 1903 and 1906, imposes an educational, health, age and mean tests on Indians, other than indentured workers, seeking admission into the country. Zululand was incorporated into Natal Colony. The Natal Dealers Licenses Act No 18 of 1897 empowered licensing officers to arbitrarily refuse to issue licenses to Indian traders. 15 February, Second Natal parliament, under Prime Minister Harry Escombe QC, took office. 7 May, The Natal Indian Congress (NIC) collects £1,539 from South African Indians for famine relief in India. 5 October, Third Natal parliament, under Prime Minister Sir Henry Binns, took office. 1898 The Portuguese community donated a civic clock to mark the 400th anniversary of the naming of Natal by Vasco da Gama. The last outstanding areas of the Kingdom of Zululand were incorporated into Natal Colony. 1899 9 June, Fourth Natal parliament, under Prime Minister Lt-Col Albert Henry Hime, took office. 30 September, The Durban Light Infantry entrains from Durban Station in expectation of war with the Dutch Republics of the Orange Free State and the ZAR. This marks the first time that this regiment was deployed for action 11 October, Republican forces invaded the Cape and Natal, occupying Ladysmith. 23 December, Winston Churchill arrived in Durban aboard the SS Nduna,following his escape from a Republican jail in Pretoria. Timeline: Durban 1900 - 1990 1901 Colonel Sir Henry Edward McCullum was appointed Governor of the Colony. Urban myth has it that a Durban housewife prepared the first known “kitchen suit” for her young gardener by adapting one of her son’s old school uniforms. This idea was adopted by the clothing company Harvey, Greenacre & Co, who then produced a number of variations for male wear based upon the original design, including uniforms for house servants, gardeners, police and ricksha pullers. From the beginning Black employees found such apparel offensive. 1902 The former ZAR districts of Utrecht and Vryheid were ceded to Natal. 1 May, The first electric trams ran in Durban. 1903 Founding of newspaper Indian Opinion . This was subsequently published from the Phoenix Settlement . January, The districts of Vryheid and Utrecht were annexed to the Colony. 15 May, The steamship Umona ran onto a reef south of one of the Maldive islands. The passengers, which included a group of 475 Indian labourers headed for the coffee and sugar plantations of Natal, were all landed safely on the island, together with adequate provisions. 18 August, Fifth Natal parliament, under Prime Minister Sir George Morris Sutton, took office. 25 September, The last horse-drawn tram ran its route from the Town Hall to Prospect Road, in Umbilo. 1904 Settlement established at Phoenix by Gandhi. 26 June, The Armadale Castle enters the harbour following extensive dredging operations in the harbour mouth. 29 June, Durban’s new floating dock was brought on-line when, for the first time, it lifted the 7000 ton SS Kentout of the water for repairs. 1905 6 May, Sixth Natal parliament, under Prime Minister Charles John Smythe, took office. 1906 Martial law was repealed. Lillie Langtry visits Durban. Her personal ricksha puller, a man named Jim, is said to have worn her racing colours of fawn and turquoise. 1 January, A poll tax of £3 was introduced in Natal.on every Indian resident over 18 years of age February, The Bhambatha Rebellion erupted in Natal in protest against a so-called “hut tax” levied by the Natal Government. Martial Law proclaimed in the Colony. 24 April, The Natal Indian Congress, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, established an ambulance corps to render assistance to the wounded in the field during the Bhambatha uprising . 28 November, Seventh Natal parliament, under Prime Minister Frederick Robert Moore, took office. 1907 Lt-Col Sir Mathew Nathan was appointed Governor of the Colony. Council introduces two special “funeral” trams for the use of mourners. This was suspended for White use after only two trips, following a loud protest from the town’s undertakers, but remained in use until 1931 for Black customers. 1908 A private referendum run by The Natal Witness showed that only 438 of those polled favoured unification with the other colonies, while 1396 would welcome a federal solution. Isolation was preferred choice of 790 people. October, Twelve delegates from the Cape of Good Hope, five from Natal, eight from the Transvaal, five from the Orange River Colony, and three from Rhodesia, appointed by their respective parliaments, met in Durban to consider the viability of a South African union. These 33 representatives constituted the South African National Convention which deliberated at Durban for over three weeks and then adjourned to meet at Cape Town on 23 November 1908. 1909 The Electric Theatre, Durban’s first permanent cinema, opened its doors. The Native Administration Act of 1908 was adopted, providing for the appointment of a permanent Secretary for Native Affairs, and dividing the Colony into four districts, each under the control of a District Native Commissioner. They were then required to carry out the orders and directions of “the Supreme Chief”, which were given through the Secretary of Native Affairs. It also established a Council for Native Affairs which met in August of each year and whose members excluded persons of colour. 10 June, Referendum was held on the adoption of the Act of Union. From a total of 14, 822 ballots cast, a majority of 7,430 men voted in its favour. 1910 The first commercial wireless radio station in sub-Saharan Africa began broacasting from Jacobs. General Lord Methuen was appointed Governor of the Colony. 12 April, The new City Hall was inaugurated, at which stage the old City Hall was given over for use by the Post Office. 30 April, The first airplane flight took place in Durban. 31 May, Natal joined the Cape, Transvaal and Orange Free State, to form the Union of South Africa . A wireless-radio installation was built on The Bluff with a range of about 650 kms. 1911 The last ship to bring indentured Indian labour to Natal, the Umlazi, arrives in Durban. At this stage the indentured labour scheme was finally abolished. Isaiah Shembe founded the Nazareth Baptist Church at Ekuphakameni, near the Phoenix Settlement. 1912 12 July, The Durban Technical Institute (DTI) opens its doors. 1914 Outbreak of WWI. Many residents of Durban lost their lives in the conflict and the Cenotaph in Gardiner Street was dedicated to their memory. 1915 13 May, Following the sinking of the Lusitaniaby a German submarine, anti-German riots broke out in Durban as well as other major towns in South Africa. One of the premises targeted by the mob was a biscuit factory in Palmer Street belonging to JML Bauman, a town councillor whose two sons were serving in the South African army fighting Germans in East Africa. Subsequent to this incident the name of his business was changed to Bakers’ Ltd. 1916 The Durban and District Native Football Association was established. 1917 The Indian Printers Union and the Indian Workers Union were founded. Their secretaries, MK Moodley and Rev BLE Sigamoney, were both Natal-born Indians. The Umngeni River came down in flood. 1918 Outbreak of Spanish influenza. 1919 July, Indian entrepreneur Mr Siddhoo introduces the first truck to be converted to use as a passenger transport. 1920 Mrs Edith Benson became the town’s first woman Councillor. 1921 5 March, The Durban Land Alienation Ordinance, No 14 of 1922, was passed by the Durban Town Council, enabling it to exclude Indians from the ownership or occupation of property in designated White areas. This legislation preceded the imposition by the Nationalist Party of apartheid legislation by 27 years 6 March, The Natal Indian Congress was re-established in Durban for the second time. Ismail Gora was elected president. The first Comrades Marathon was run between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. 1922 The DTI was split into the University of Natal, now known as the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and the Natal Technicon, now known as the Durban University of Technology. 1923 31 May, The Mayor of Durban, Walter Gilbert, officially opened the third national conference of Indian organisations in the Durban Town Hall, which formally established the SA Indian Congress. Omar Hajee Amod Jhaveri was elected its first president. 1924 10 December, The town’s first public wireless programme was broadcast from the City Hall. 1925 15 June, Durban Transport introduced the first three Thornycroft single-decker petrol engine busses. The first Dennis single-decker diesel engine bus was run on 2 November 1834, while first Daimler double-decker diesel-powered bus came into service on 20 August 1938. 1927 Athlone Bridge, spanning over the Umngeni River, was opened to traffic. 11 November, The Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTHS) holds its first parade when 3,000 ex-servicemen marched through town to the cenotaph. The birth of the movement was inspired by Natal Mercury cartoonist, Charles Evenden. 1928 The Maharajah of Mysore presents the citizens of Durban with an elephant. Nellie, as she was soon named, became a firm favourite with local children. 1929 The Governor-General of South Africa, the Earl of Athlone, opened Sastri College, a high school for Indian boys in Durban. 1930 12 May, Durban’s first traffic lights were installed at the intersection of Pine and Field Streets. In 1931 an additional 14 units were ordered at a cost of £1040. In 1933 the first traffic signal with buried sensors was erected on an experimental basis at the intersection of St Thomas’ and Musgrave Roads. Regrettably, despite the time passed since then, Durban’s drivers have still to master the Rules of the Road regarding inoperative traffic lights. 1933 The first group of Indian girls was matriculated in South Africa. 1935 The Borough of Durban was granted city status. 24 February, The first electric trolley bus came into service on the Marine Parade route to phase out the old electric trams. 1938 The Fitzsimons Snake Park was opened. Although it was initially established to produce snake anti-venom, it went on to become one of the city’s most popular attractions. 1939 3 March, The fifth cricket test between England and South Africa began at Kingsmead, and although it had previously been resolved by its organisers that it would be played to a conclusion, no matter how long that took, the test was eventually declared a draw on March 14, when the English side, requiring only 42 runs for victory, was forced to leave to catch their ship home. This has since become known in sporting history as the Timeless Test. 3 September, Upon the outbreak of WWII, a number of defensive measures were set up around Durban, on the Bluff and at Battery Beach. Blockhouses were built at the harbour entrance and anti-submarine nets were thrown across the channel at the base of North and South piers. A number of prominent city features which, it was believed, could have assisted enemy navigation, were also dynamited, including the lighthouse and an unusual rock formation on the beach known as Hole in the Wall. 1940 April, Perla Siedle Gibson began to sing to every ship connected with the war effort, arriving or leaving from Durban harbour. Wearing a trademark white dress and floppy red hat, she serenaded over 13,000 ships and achieved worldwide recognition as “The Lady in White”. Durban celebrated the marriage of Sir Delvers Broughton and Diana Caldwell prior to their departure for Kenya. Early the following year Durban social climbers were horrified to learn of the arrest of Sir Delvers for the murder of Lord Erroll who, it was alleged, had begun a romantic dalliance with Lady Diana. This incident subsequently formed the basis in 1988 for a film White Mischief. 1941 The first, and probably only, vehicle accident in the world involving an overturned trolley bus took place at the corner of West and Farewell Streets. Thirtyseven passengers were injured in the process. 1943 20 September, Italian submarine Ammiraglio Cagni entered Durban Harbour under escort and surrendered to the Allies. 1949 Durban celebrated the centenary of the arrival of its 1849 Settlers. 13 January, Following an incident between a black youth and an Indian shopkeeper in Victoria Street, riots broke out in Victoria Street, Grey Street, Victoria Avenue, Tollgate, Mayville, Musgrave Road and Cato Manor. According to official figures 200 people were killed and 1029 injured with over 25,000 people being displaced from their homes. 2 August, The last electric tram to serve Durban pulled into the municipal sheds. 1958 Durban-born Penny Coelen wins the Miss World title. 1959 The so-called Beer-Hall Riots broke out in Cato Manor, in protest against the Durban Municipality’s monopoly on the brewing of sorghum beer. 1960 December, Municipal by-law prohibiting the wearing of bikinis on the city’s beaches was repealed. 1961 31 May, South Africa unilaterally proclaimed itself a Republic and left the Commonwealth. 1968 29 February, The city’s new water reservoir was opened at Durban Heights. 1971 The Natal Indian Congress was re-established for a third time. 1972 The Marine Hotel, on the corner of Gardiner Street and the Victoria Embankment, was demolished. Amongst its many prominent guests it numbered the Prince of Wales in 1923, Prince George in 1934 and Prince Bernhardt of The Netherlands in 1954. 1975 The Union Whaling Station, located on The Bluff, which had been in operation since 1908, closed down. At its peak in 1965 it processed 3640 whales killed by its fleet. In 1973 five members of the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) were caught by the Harbour Police in an attempt to vandalise one of their ships, but were let off with a warning after pleading a severe case of youthful indiscretion. The hacksaw they used has never been preserved for posterity. 1982 Durban celebrated the 150th anniversary of its naming. 1986 Morris Fynn, descendant of early pioneer Henry Francis Fynn, initiated a campaign of vandalising apartheid signs on Durban’s beachfront. The hacksaw he used has been preserved for posterity in the Old Courthouse Museum, in Aliwal Street. 1990 The Separate Amenities Act was repealed, thus opening up Durban’s facilities to all races.

Northern Cape Northern Cape, province, western South Africa . It is bordered to the north by Namibia and Botswana ; to the east by North West , Free State , and Eastern Cape provinces; to the south and southwest by Western Cape province; and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean . Northern Cape was administratively created out of northern and central Cape of Good Hope province in 1994. Kimberley is the provincial capital. Northern Cape’s eastern half and southwest form part of the Highveld, an arid plateau that gradually rises to the Great Escarpment (more than 6,000 feet [1,900 metres] in elevation) along the province’s southern border. To the northwest is desert, including the sand dunes of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park , a conservation area jointly managed by South Africa and Botswana. The Orange River traverses the province from east to west and provides water for irrigation. The Orange is joined by one of its main tributaries, the Vaal River , near Douglas, in the east. In the west, near the Namibian border, the river plunges in a series of cataracts and rapids at Augrabies Falls , a total drop of more than 600 feet (183 metres). Thornveld is the natural vegetation of the province, and the climate is generally hot and arid. Annual rainfall increases from 4 inches (100 mm) in the west to about 14 inches (350 mm) in the east. Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. About half of the population is of mixed race. Blacks make up about one-third of the population, and whites constitute about one-tenth. Afrikaans is by far the most widely used language, spoken by about two-thirds of the population. Tswana is spoken by about one-fifth of the population. Several other languages are also spoken, including Xhosa and English. More than two-thirds of the population live in urban areas. The major urban centres are Kimberley and Upington. Annual spring wildflower display, Northern Cape province, South Africa. Merino sheep are raised in the south and Karakul sheep in the north, and cattle graze throughout the province. Pig raising and horse breeding are also practiced. Wheat, alfalfa (lucerne), cotton, peanuts (groundnuts), citrus fruit, and grapes are grown under irrigation. There are vineyards in the north. Winter rains in the western part of the province sustain an abundance of wildflowers. Mining is an important industry in Northern Cape. Major copper mines are located in Nababeep, Okiep, and Aggeneys. Diamonds are recovered throughout the province. Many diamonds and other precious stones are mined in the arid region of Namaqualand in the west, along the Atlantic coast. Kimberley, in the east, is well known for its diamond-mining past and is still a centre for mining and cutting diamonds. Northern Cape province produces almost all of the manganese mined in South Africa. Tungsten, zinc, lead, asbestos, iron ore, and limestone are also extracted at various locations. Area 143,973 square miles (372,889 square km). Pop. (2009 est.) 1,147, 600. The Northern Cape Province is the largest province in South Africa, with the lowest number of residents. The capital city is Kimberley. Some of its best-known attractions in this province are several of South Africa’s best national parks. This includes the Augrabies Falls National Park, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Namaqua National Park and the Ai Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. Read more about South Africa’s 9 provinces. The province borders the Free State Province, Eastern Cape Province, North-West Province and Western Cape Province. It also borders Namibia in the Northwest. Find out more about South Africa’s location. Towns in the Northern Cape Province The biggest city in the Northern Cape Province is Kimberley, the capital city. The other main towns include: Barkly West Calvinia Carnarvon Colesberg Danielskuil De Aar Fraserburg Griekwastad Hondeklipbaai Kakamas Kamieskroon Kathu Kuruman Loeriesfontein Loxton Nieuwoudtville Prieska Springbok Upington Northern Cape The Northern Cape (Afrikaans : Noord-Kaap [ˈnuərtkɑːp] ; Tswana : Kapa Bokone; Xhosa : Mntla-Koloni) is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa . It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley . It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park , part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and an international park shared with Botswana . It also includes the Augrabies Falls and the diamond mining regions in Kimberley and Alexander Bay . The Namaqualand region in the west is famous for its Namaqualand daisies . The southern towns of De Aar and Colesberg found within the Great Karoo are major transport nodes between Johannesburg , Cape Town and Gqeberha . Kuruman can be found in the north-east and is known as a mission station. It is also well known for its artesian spring and Eye of Kuruman . The Orange River flows through the province, forming the borders with the Free State in the southeast and with Namibia to the northwest. The river is also used to irrigate the many vineyards in the arid region near Upington . Native speakers of Afrikaans comprise a higher percentage of the population in the Northern Cape than in any other province. The Northern Cape's four official languages are Afrikaans, Tswana , Xhosa , and English . Minorities speak the other official languages of South Africa and a few people speak indigenous languages such as Nama and Khwe . The provincial motto, Sa ǁa ǃaĩsi 'uĩsi ("We go to a better life"), is in the Nǀu language of the Nǁnǂe (ǂKhomani) people. It was given in 1997 by one of the language's last speakers, Ms. Elsie Vaalbooi of Rietfontein , who has since died. It was South Africa's first officially registered motto in a Khoisan language . Subsequently, South Africa's national motto , ǃKe e ǀxarra ǁke, was derived from the extinct ǀXam language . History Main article: History of the Northern Cape The Northern Cape was one of three provinces made out of the Cape Province in 1994, the others being Western Cape to the south and Eastern Cape to the southeast. Politically, it had been dominated since 1994 by the African National Congress (ANC). Ethnic issues are important in the politics of the Northern Cape. For example, it is the site of the Orania settlement, whose leaders have called for a Volkstaat for the Afrikaner people in the province. The Northern Cape is also the home of over 1,000 San who emigrated from Namibia following the independence of the country; they had served as trackers and scouts for the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War , and feared reprisals from their former foes. They were awarded a settlement in Platfontein in 1999 by the Mandela government. The precolonial history of the Northern Cape is reflected in a rich, mainly Stone Age, archaeological heritage . Cave sites include Wonderwerk Cave near Kuruman, which has a uniquely long sequence stretching from the turn of the twentieth century at the surface to more than 1 million (and possibly nearly 2 million) years in its basal layer (where stone tools , occurring in very low density, may be Oldowan ). Many sites across the province, mostly in open air locales or in sediments alongside rivers or pans, document Earlier, Middle and Later Stone Age habitation. From Later Stone Age times, mainly, there is a wealth of rock art sites – most of which are in the form of rock engravings such as at Wildebeest Kuil and many sites in the area known as ǀXam -ka !kau , in the Karoo . They occur on hilltops, slopes, rock outcrops and occasionally (as in the case of Driekops Eiland near Kimberley), in a river bed. In the north eastern part of the province there are sites attributable to the Iron Age such as Dithakong . Environmental factors have meant that the spread of Iron Age farming westwards (from the 17th century – but dating from the early first millennium AD in the eastern part of South Africa) was constrained mainly to the area east of the Langeberg Mountains, but with evidence of influence as far as the Upington area in the eighteenth century. From that period the archaeological record also reflects the development of a complex colonial frontier when precolonial social formations were considerably disrupted and there is an increasing 'fabric heavy' imprint of built structures, ash-heaps, and so on. The copper mines of Namaqualand and the diamond rush to the Kimberley area resulted in industrial archaeological landscapes in those areas which herald the modern era in South African history. Geography See also: List of cities and towns in the Northern Cape A waterfall situated a few kilometres north of Nieuwoudtville on the road to Loeriesfontein , in the Northern Cape (Namaqualand region). The Northern Cape is South Africa's largest province, and distances between towns are enormous due to its sparse population. Its size is just shy of the size of the American state of Montana and slightly larger than that of Germany. The province is dominated by the Karoo Basin and consists mostly of sedimentary rocks and some dolerite intrusions. The south and south-east of the province is high-lying, 1,200–1,900 metres (3,900–6,200 ft), in the Roggeveld and Nuweveld districts. The west coast is dominated by the Namaqualand region, famous for its spring flowers. This area is hilly to mountainous and consists of granites and metamorphic rocks . The central areas are generally flat with interspersed salt pans. Kimberlite intrusions punctuate the Karoo rocks, giving the province its most precious natural resource, diamonds . The north is primarily Kalahari Desert, characterised by parallel red sand dunes and acacia tree dry savanna. Northern Cape has a shoreline in the west on the South Atlantic Ocean. It borders the following areas of Namibia and Botswana: ǁKaras Region , Namibia – northwest Hardap Region, Namibia – far northwest Kgalagadi District, Botswana – north Domestically, it borders the following provinces: North West – northeast Free State – east Eastern Cape – southeast Western Cape – south and southwest Rivers The major river system is the Orange (or Gariep ) River Basin, draining the interior of South Africa westwards into the Atlantic Ocean. (The political philosopher Neville Alexander has used the idea of the 'Garieb' as a metaphor for nationhood in South Africa, a flowing together, in preference to the rainbow metaphor where the diverse colours remain distinct) The principal tributary of the Orange is the Vaal River , which flows through part of the Northern Cape from the vicinity of Warrenton . The Vaal, in turn, has tributaries within the province: the Harts River and the Riet River , which has its own major tributary, the Modder River . Above the Orange-Vaal confluence, the Seekoei River drains part of the northeastern Karoo into the Orange River above the Vanderkloof Dam . Next downstream from the Orange-Vaal confluence is the Brak River , which flows nonperennially from the south and is in turn fed by the Ongers River , rising in the vicinities of Hanover and Richmond respectively. Along the Orange River near the town of Kakamas , the Hartebeest River drains the central Karoo . Above Kenhardt the Hartebeest is known as the Sak River , which has its source on the northern side of the escarpment, southeast of Williston . Further downstream from Kakamas, below the Augrabies Falls , and seldom actually flowing into the Orange River, is the Molopo River , which comes down from the Kalahari in the north. With its tributary, the Nossob River , it defines part of the international boundary between South Africa and Botswana . Further tributaries of the Molopo River include the Kuruman River , fed by the Moshaweng River and Kgokgole River , and the Matlhwaring River . Flowing west into the Atlantic, in Namaqualand , is the Buffels River and, further south, the Groen River . [citation needed ] Climate Windmills in Namaqualand, Northern Cape Mostly arid to semiarid, few areas in the province receive more than 400 mm (16 in) of rainfall per annum and the average annual rainfall over the province is 202 mm (8.0 in).[13] Rainfall generally increases from west to east from a minimum average of 20 mm (0.79 in) to a maximum of 540 mm (21 in) per year. The west experiences most rainfall in winter, while the east receives most of its moisture from late summer thunderstorms. Many areas experience extreme heat, with the hottest temperatures in South Africa measured along the Namibian border. Summers maximums are generally 30 °C (86 °F) or higher, sometimes higher than 40 °C (104 °F). Winters are usually frosty and clear, with southern areas sometimes becoming bitterly cold, such as Sutherland , which often receives snow and temperatures occasionally drop below the −10 °C (14 °F) mark. Kimberley averages: January maximum: 33 °C (91 °F) (min: 18 °C (64 °F)), June maximum: 18 °C (64 °F) (min: 3 °C (37 °F)), annual precipitation: 414 mm (16.3 in) Springbok averages: January maximum: 30 °C (86 °F) (min: 15 °C (59 °F)), July maximum: 17 °C (63 °F) (min: 7 °C (45 °F)), annual precipitation: 195 mm (7.7 in) Sutherland averages: January maximum: 27 °C (81 °F) (min: 9 °C (48 °F)), July maximum: 13 °C (55 °F) (min: −3 °C (27 °F)), annual precipitation: 237 mm (9.3 in) Demographics - Race/Ethnicity - Languages - Religion Demographics Population density in the Northern Cape <1 /km2 1–3 /km2 3–10 /km2 10–30 /km2 30–100 /km2 100–300 /km2 300–1000 /km2 1000–3000 /km2 >3000 /km2 Dominant home languages in the Northern Cape Afrikaans English Xhosa Tswana No language dominant As of the 2022 census , the Northern Cape had a population of 1,355,629, an increase of 18.3% from the prior census in 2011 . It is least populous and by a considerable margin the least densely populated of South Africa's nine provinces. The median age is 27, an increase of 2 years from 2011. Race/Ethnicity In the 2022 census, 50.1% of the population described themselves as Black African , 41.6% as Coloured , 7.3% as White and 0.8% as Indian/Asian . Coloureds form a higher proportion of the population in the Northern Cape than in any other province except for the Western Cape . Historic Breakdown of Population by Group Population Group1996200120112022 Black African 44.9%46.5%50.4%50.1% Coloured 43.7%42.9%40.3%41.6% White 11.2%10.3%7.1%7.3% Indian/Asian 0.2%0.2%0.7%0.8% Othern/an/a1.6%0.2% Languages In the 2022 census, 54.6% of the population reported their first language as Afrikaans , 35.7% as Setswana , 4.5% as Xhosa , and 2.4% as English . The Northern Cape is the only province in which native Afrikaans-speakers form a majority of the population. It is also the province with the second-highest proportion of Setswana speakers, after North West province. Religion The population of the Northern Cape is overwhelmingly Christian . As of the 2022 census, 97.8% of the population described themselves as Christians , the highest proportion among South Africa's provinces. Among other religions, 0.8% of the population described themselves as Muslim , and 0.7% of the population stated that they practiced Traditional African religions. Only 0.3% of the population described themselves as being atheist, agnostic, or having no religious affiliation Municipalities - Cities and towns - Economy Municipalities Main article: List of municipalities in the Northern Cape Northern Cape districts and local municipalities Sign along R354 welcoming motorists into the Northern Cape from the Western Cape . The sign is in Afrikaans (top left), English (bottom left), Tswana (top right), and Xhosa (bottom right) The Northern Cape Province is divided into five district municipalities . The district municipalities are in turn divided into 27 local municipalities : District municipalities Frances Baard District Sol Plaatje Dikgatlong Magareng Phokwane John Taolo Gaetsewe District Moshaweng Ga-Segonyana Gamagara Namakwa District Richtersveld Nama Khoi Kamiesberg Hantam Karoo Hoogland Khâi-Ma Pixley ka Seme District Ubuntu Umsobomvu Emthanjeni Kareeberg Renosterberg Thembelihle Siyathemba Siyancuma ZF Mgcawu District (formerly Siyanda) Kai !Garib Dawid Kruiper !Kheis Tsantsabane Kgatelopele Cities and towns Main article: List of cities and towns in the Northern Cape Springbok viewed from the old cemetery Population 50,000+ Kimberley Upington Population 10,000+ Douglas Barkly West Colesberg De Aar Jan Kempdorp Kathu Kuruman Postmasburg Prieska Springbok Victoria West Warrenton Population < 10,000 Orania Carnarvon Garies Griekwastad Groblershoop Hartswater Keimoes Kakamas Pofadder Port Nolloth Strydenburg Sutherland Vanderkloof Economy As reported by the Northern Cape Provincial Government, unemployment still remains a big issue in the province. Unemployment was reported to be at 24.9% during Q4, 2013. Unemployment also declined from 119,000 in Q4, 2012 to 109,000 in Q4, 2013. The Northern Cape is also home to the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), which is located 75 km North-West of Carnarvon . The economy of the Northern Cape relies heavily on two sectors, mining and agriculture, which employ 57% (Tertiary Sector) of all employees in the province.[citation needed ] See also: Northern Cape wine Most famous for the diamond mines around Kimberley , it also has mining activities for Manganese and iron ore. The Northern Cape also has a substantial agricultural area around the Orange River , including most of South Africa's sultana vineyards. Some Wine of Origin areas have been demarcated. The Orange River also attracts visitors who enjoy rafting tours around Vioolsdrif . Extensive sheep raising is the basis of the economy in the southern Karoo areas of the province. See also Northern Cape Provincial Legislature Griqualand West List of speakers of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE

Explore Explore Explore Explore Welcome to South African Websites, your gateway to the best of South Africa's online world! South African Websites, your comprehensive resource for quick links to a wide range of websites that cater to all your interests and needs within the vibrant and diverse South African online community. Our curated collection includes websites from various categories, including news, entertainment, sports, travel, business, education, culture, and more. Whether you're a South African resident looking for the latest local news, an expat seeking connections to home, or a traveler planning a trip to South Africa, our website is designed to provide you with easy access to some of your favorite South African websites, all in one place. With our user-friendly interface and organized categories, you can quickly browse through our list of handpicked websites, saving you time and effort in your online search. 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South African Flag Songs South Africa’s national anthem is a musical diamond, being the only neo-modal national anthem in the world. But what does that mean, and what are the lyrics? South Africa’s national anthem combines new English lyrics with extracts from the 19th-century hymn ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika’ and the Afrikaans song ‘Die Stem van Suid-Afrika’. ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika (Lord, Bless Africa)’ is the official anthem of the African National Congress, while ‘Die Stem van Suid-Afrika (The Call of South Africa)’ was the country’s national anthem during Apartheid. When South Africa won the Rugby World Cup back in 1995, the songs were as usual heard alongside each other – and the powers-that-be decided to finally acknowledge both songs as national anthems. Two years later, they merged into one song. Today, South Africa’s anthem is the only neo-modal national anthem in the world, meaning it is the only one that starts in one key and finishes in another. Read more: The greatest national anthems in the world The South African national anthems What are the lyrics to South Africa’s national anthem? South Africa’s national anthem features five of the most widely spoken of the country’s eleven official languages – Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans and English. You can find all the lyrics below, along with an English translation beside each line. Language: isiXhosa and isiZulu Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika (God Bless Africa) Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo, (Raise high Her glory) Yizwa imithandazo yethu, (Hear our Prayers) Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo (God bless us, we her children) Language: Sesotho Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso, (God protect our nation) O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho, (End all wars and tribulations) O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso, (Protect us, protect our nation) Setjhaba sa South Afrika - South Afrika. (Our nation South Africa - South Africa) Language: Afrikaans Uit die blou van onse hemel, (Ringing out from our blue heavens) Uit die diepte van ons see, (From the depth of our seas) Oor ons ewige gebergtes, (Over our everlasting mountains) Waar die kranse antwoord gee, (Where the echoing crags resound) Language: English Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand, Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land. "The Call of South Africa" Ringing out from our blue heavens, From our deep seas breaking round; Over everlasting mountains, Where the echoing crags resound; From our plains where creaking wagons Cut their trails into the earth, Calls the spirit of our country, Of the land that gave us birth. At thy call we shall not falter, Firm and steadfast we shall stand, At thy will to live or perish, O South Africa, dear land. In our body and our spirit, In our inmost heart held fast; In the promise of our future, And the glory of our past; In our will, our work, our striving, From the cradle to the grave – There's no land that shares our loving, And no bond that can enslave. Thou hast borne us and we know thee, May our deeds to all proclaim Our enduring love and service To thy honour and thy name. In the golden warmth of summer, In the chill of winter's air, In the surging life of springtime, In the autumn of despair; When the wedding bells are chiming Or when those we love do depart, Thou dost know us for thy children And dost take us to thy heart Loudly peals the answering chorus: We are thine, and we shall stand, Be it life or death, to answer To thy call, beloved land. In thy power, Almighty, trusting, Did our fathers build of old; Strengthen then, O Lord, their children To defend, to love, to hold – That the heritage they gave us For our children yet may be: Bondsmen only to the Highest[a] And before the whole world free. As our fathers trusted humbly, Teach us, Lord to trust Thee still: Guard our land and guide our people In Thy way to do Thy will. Literal translation of "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" From the blue of our heavens From the depths of our sea, Over our eternal mountain ranges Where the cliffs give an echo. Through our far-deserted plains With the groan of ox-wagon – Rises the voice of our beloved, Of our country South Africa. We will answer to your calling, We will offer what you ask: We will live, we will die – We for Thee, South Africa. In the marrow of our bones, In our heart and soul and spirit, In the glory of our past, In our hope of what will be. In our will and work and wander, From our crib to our grave – Share no other land our love, No other loyalty can sway us. Fatherland! We will bear the nobility, Of your name with honour: Dedicated and true as Afrikaners – Children of South Africa. In the sunglow of our summer, In our winter night's cold, In the spring of our love, In the autumn of our sorrow. At the sound of wedding bells, At the stonefall on the coffin – Soothes your voice us never in vain, You know where your children are. At your call we never say no, We always, always say yes: To live, to die – Yes, we come, South Africa. On your almight steadfast entrusted Had our fathers built: Give to us also the strength, o Lord! To sustain and to preserve – That the heritage of our fathers For our children heritage remain: Servants of the almighty, Against the whole world free. As our fathers trusted, Teach us also to trust, o Lord – With our land and with our nation It will be well, God reigns. History National anthems of South Africa "God Save the King"1901–1952 "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika"1938–1952 "God Save the Queen"1952–1957 "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika"1952–1994 "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika "1994–1997 "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika"1994–1997 "National anthem of South Africa "1997–present Duration: 2 minutes and 12 seconds.2:12 A 1938 recording of "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" being performed by the ASAF Choir, featuring the first and last verses. Duration: 1 minute and 5 seconds.1:05 Mid-20th century recording of "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" being performed by the South African Air Force Band. Duration: 5 minutes and 7 seconds.5:07 "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika"'s all four stanzas sung by a choir in the mid-20th century Duration: 5 minutes and 19 seconds.5:19 "The Call of South Africa" all four stanzas sung by a choir in the mid-20th century in English Duration: 1 hour, 23 minutes and 52 seconds.1:23:52 "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" performed by a US military band in 1994 as part of an official state visit by South African president Nelson Mandela to the US capital of Washington, DC. Background and inception In May 1918, C.J. Langenhoven wrote an Afrikaans poem called "Die Stem", for which music was composed in 1921 by Marthinus Lourens de Villiers [af ], a reverend.The music composed that ended up being accepted was actually a second version; the first did not satisfy Langenhoven. It was widely used by the South African Broadcasting Corporation in the 1920s, which played it at the close of daily broadcasts, along with "God Save The King ". It was recorded for the first time in 1926 when its first and third verses were performed by Betty Steyn in England for the Zonophone record label it was sung publicly for the first time on 31 May 1928 at a raising of the new South African national flag . In 1938, South Africa proclaimed it to be one of the two co-national anthems of the country, along with "God Save the King ". It was sung in English as well as Afrikaans from 1952 onward, with both versions having official status in the eyes of the state, while "God Save the Queen " did not cease to be a co-national anthem until May 1957, when it was dropped from that role. However, it remained the country's royal anthem until 1961, as it was a Commonwealth realm until that point. The poem originally had only three verses, but the government asked the author to add a fourth verse with a religious theme. The English version is for the most part a faithful translation of the Afrikaans version with a few minor changes. Composition It is uplifting in tone, addressing throughout of commitment to the Vaderland (English: Fatherland) and to God . However, it was generally disliked by black South Africans , who saw it as triumphalist and strongly associated it with the apartheid regime where one verse shows dedication to Afrikaners (though the specific mention of Afrikaners is omitted in the English version to avoid alienating the British-descent Anglophone whites living in South Africa as they are not considered Afrikaners) and another to the Great Trek of the Voortrekkers . P. W. Botha , who was the state president of South Africa during the 1980s, was fond of the song and made his entourage sing it when they visited Switzerland during his presidency. Decline As the dismantling of apartheid began in the early 1990s, South African teams were readmitted to international sporting events, which presented a problem as to the choice of national identity South Africa had to present. Agreements were made with the African National Congress (ANC) that "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" would not be sung at rugby matches, due to its connection to the apartheid system and minority rule (which led the ANC and other such groups at the time to view the song as offensive). However, at a rugby union test match against New Zealand in 1992 , the crowd spontaneously sang "Die Stem" during a moment of silence for victims of political violence in South Africa, and although it was ostensibly agreed upon beforehand that it would not be played, an instrumental recording of "Die Stem" was played over the stadium's PA system's loudspeakers after the New Zealand national anthem was performed, and spectators sang along, sparking controversy afterwards. Although it remained the official national anthem of the state during this time period, both the usage of it and the then-national flag began to dwindle whenever possible, particularly overseas. For example, at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona that year, Schiller's "Ode to Joy ", as set to Beethoven 's music, was used instead of it, along with a neutral Olympic-style flag instead of the South African flag at the time. "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika"'s future seemed in doubt as the country prepared to transition to majority rule , with many predicting that it would not remain after the transition into the new democratic dispensation. In 1993, a commission sought out a new national anthem for South Africa, with 119 entries being suggested, but none were chosen. Instead, it was decided to retain "Die Stem"'s official status after the advent of full multi-racial democracy which followed the 1994 general election . When the old South African flag was lowered for the last time at the parliament building in Cape Town , "Die Stem" was performed in Afrikaans and then in English as the new South African flag was raised. After 1994, it shared equal status with "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika ", which had long been a traditional hymn used by the ANC. In 1995, "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" was sung by a black choir at the Rugby World Cup final match, as it had been done at the 1994 South African presidential inauguration in Pretoria, first in Afrikaans and then in English. Consolidation The practice of singing two different national anthems had been a cumbersome arrangement during the transition to post-apartheid South Africa . On most occasions, it was usually the first verse of "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" that was sung at ceremonies, in both official languages prior to 1994, with some English medium schools in what was then Natal Province singing the first verse in Afrikaans and the second in English. During this period of two national anthems, the custom was to play both "Die Stem" and "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" during occasions that required the playing of a national anthem. However, this proved cumbersome as performing the dual national anthems took as much as five minutes to conclude. In 1997, with the adoption of a new national constitution, a new composite national anthem was introduced, which combined part of "Nkosi Sikelel 'iAfrika" and part of "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" into a single composition in order to form a new hybrid song. Legacy Since the end of apartheid and the adoption of a new national anthem in the 1990s, the status of "Die Stem" has become somewhat controversial in contemporary South Africa, due to its connection with the apartheid regime and white minority rule. Although elements of it are used in the current South African national anthem, in recent years some South Africans have called for those segments to be removed due to their connection with apartheid, whereas others defend the inclusion of it, as it was done for post-apartheid re-conciliatory reasons. When "Die Stem" was mistakenly played by event organisers in place of the current South African national anthem during a UK-hosted women's field hockey match in 2012, it sparked outrage and confusion among the South African staff members and players present. The Afrikaans version remains popular with Afrikaner nationalists [60] and far-right organisations such as the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging , where it is sometimes performed at the funerals of such groups' members or at demonstrations by them. Die Stem was also the name of a far-right periodical during the apartheid era. Oranje-blanje-blou Oranje-blanje-blou (Afrikaans for Orange, white and blue) refers, of course, to the old South African flag used between 1928 and 1994. This song was popular especially among Afrikaners when this flag flew over South Africa. The tune is by Henry Hugh Pierson (they don't say whether it was borrowed from this composer), and the lyrics are by an Afrikaans poet who wrote under the name Eitemal. The attribution for the text reads: "EITEMAL na: ,,O.D., hoch in Ehren''. (There is a commonly used style of quotation marks, primarily German but often used in Afrikaans, that opens a quote with commas rather than the more familiar "inverted commas"). The title simply gives the colours of the 1928 South African flag, or, more strictly, the Dutch Princenvlag: orange, white and blue. (I am not certain of the derivation of "blanje", since it is not used in ordinary spoken Afrikaans, but I would guess that it is a form of the French "blanc", white). The text reads: Die Hoogland is ons woning, die land van son en veld, waar woeste vryheidswinde waai oor graf van meenge held. Die ruimtes het ons siel gevoed, ons kan g'n slawe wees, want vryer as die arendsvlug, die vlugte van ons gees. Chorus: Dis die tyd, (repeated) dis die dag, (repeated) om te handhaaf en te bou. Hoog die hart, (repeated) hoog die vlag, (repeated) hoog Oranje-blanje-blou! Ons gaan saam die donker toekoms in om as een te sneuwel of oorwin, met ons oog gerig op jou, ons Oranje-blanje-blou! (Note: In the sixth line [hoog Oranje-blanje-blou], there is an echo of "blou, blanje-blou!") Die ruwe berge-reekse staan hoog teen awendlug, soos gryse ewighede daar versteen, verstyf in vlug. En stewig soos die grou graniet ons Boeretrots en -trou, die fondament warop ond hier 'n nuwe nasie bou. (Chorus) Die God van onse vaders het ons hierheen gelei ons dien sy grootse skeppings-plan, solank ons Boere bly. Ons buig ons hoof voor Hom alleen; en as Hy ons verhoor omgord ons bly die lendene: Die toekoms wink daar voor. Translation (off the cuff - any improvements welcome). Note: the reference to Hoogland (translated here as highlands) is probably poetic licence for Highveld (Afrikaans Hoe"veld), a region which includes large parts of both the former Transvaal Province (Zuid- Afrikaansche Republiek) and the current Free State Province (the old Oranje Vrij Staat). The highlands are our home, the land of sun and veld, where wild winds of freedom blow over [the] grave of many a hero. The open spaces have fed our souls, we cannot be slaves [literaaly "we can be no slaves"] as freer than the eagle's flight, the flights of our spirit. Chorus: It's the time, it's the day, to maintain and to build. High the heart, high the flag, high Orange-white-blue! We go together into the dark future together to die or win, with our eye fixed on you, our Orange-white-blue! (Sneuwel means literally to die in warfare; oorwin means to win in battle.) The rugged mountain ranges stand high against the evening light like petrified grey eternities there, stiffened in flight. And firmly like the grey granite our Boer pride and loyalty, the foundation upon which we here are building a new nation. (The word awendlug [evening air] seems to be an error; it seems more logical to say awendlig [evening light]; awend is a poetic form [harking back to Dutch] for the more usual Afrikaans "aand"). The God of our fathers led us here, we serve his mighty creation plan, as long as we Boers remain. Webend our heads before Him alone; and if He hears us we gird our loins joyfully: The future waves us on. (Source: The FAK [Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereninge] Sangbunde). Mike Oettle, 06 Feb 2004 Ons Vlag Nou waai ons Vlag en wapper fier! Sy kleure is ons vreugde; hul skoonheid spoor ons harte aan tot ware, ed'le deugde. Oranje dui op heldemoed wat krag vind by die Here; die Blanje eis 'n rein gemoed; die Blou verg trou en ere. Ons Vlag bly steeds ons eenheidsband. Al kom ook sware tye; dis God wat waak oor Volk en Land, Suid-Afrika ons eie. Translation: Now our flag waves and flaps bravely! Its colours are our joy; their beauty encourages our hearts to true, noble virtues. Orange stands for heroic courage which draws strength from the Lord; the White demands a pure attitude; the Blue wants loyalty and honour. Our flag remains our bond of unity. Even if times get hard; it's God who watches over Nation and Land, South Africa our own. The forms "sware" (where "swaar" would be the usual way of speaking), "ed'le" (for "edele") and "ere" (for "eer") are poetic forms, adaptations to the scansion. The same goes for the word "meen'ge" in Oranje-blanje-blou, which would normally be "menige". (Source: The FAK [ Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereninge] Sangbunde). Mike Oettle, 10 Feb 2004 DIE VLAGLIED Die betekenis van 'n eie nasionale vlag word n�rens mooier en treffender besing as in die woorde van C.J. Langenhoven se Vlaglied nie. Die Vlaglied is slegs die laaste strofe van die gedig �Ons eie vlag�. Dit is deur F.J. Joubert getoonset. Nooit hoef jou kinders wat trou is te vra: Wat beteken jou vlag dan, Suid-Afrika? Ons weet hy's die se�l van ons vryheid en reg Vir naaste en vreemde,vir oorman en kneg; Die pand van ons erf'nis,geslag op geslag, Om te hou vir ons kinders se kinders wat wag; Ons nasie se grondbrief van eiendomsland, Uitgegee op gesag van die Hoogste se hand. Oor ons hoof sal ons hys, in ons hart sal ons dra, Die vlag van ons eie Suid-Afrika. Which I translate as follows: THE FLAG SONG Nowhere the meaning of an own national flag is expressed more beautifully and fittingly than in the words of C.J. Langenhoven's Flag Song. This is the last stanza of the poem �Ons eie vlag� (Our own flag). It was set to music by F.J. Joubert. Never your children so faithful need ask: What does you flag mean then, South Africa? We know it's the seal of our freedom and rights For neighbour and stranger, for servant and boss; The pledge of our heritage, from parent to child To keep for our children's children to be The writ of our nation of the right to the land. That was written on authority of the Highest own hand We'll hoist ov'r our heads, and we'll hold in our heart The flag of our dearest South Africa Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 31 Aug 2007 De Vlaamse Leeuw This song is an odd one to find in the FAK Sangbundel, since its title translates as "The Flemish Lion" and the language is Dutch, definitely not Afrikaans. Clearly, it was included because, centuries after the Eighty Years War, the symbol of Flanders still finds a resonance with Afrikaner descendants of those Protestant Flemings who fled Spanish rule and went to live in the Seven Provinces. The words are credited to T H van Peene, and the tune to K Mirij, arrangement by Dirkie de Villiers (son of M L de Villiers, the composer of the music to Die Stem van Suid-Afrika, the former South African national anthem). There are two verses and a refrain: Zij zullen hem niet temmen, de fiere Vlaamse Leeuw, al dreigen zij zijn vrijheid met kluisters en geschreeuw. Zij zullen hem niet temmen, zolang e'e'n Vlaming leeft, zolang de Leeuw kan klauwen, zolang hij tanden heeft. Refrain: Zij zullen him niet temmen zolang e'e'n Vlaming leeft, zolang de Leeuw kan klauwen, zolang hij tanden heeft, zolang de Leeuw kan klauwen, zolang hij tanden heeft. De tijd verslindt de steden, geen tronen blijven staan, de legerbenden sneven, een volk zal niet vergaan. De vijand trekt te velde, omringd van doodsgevaar. Wij lachen met zijn woede, die Vlaamse Leeuw is daar. Here's an attempt at a translation: They won't tame him, the proud Flemish Lion, even if they threaten his freedom with chains and shouting. They will not be able to tame him as long as even one Fleming lives, as long as the Lion can claw, as long as he has teeth. Refrain: They will not tame him, the proud Flemish Lion, as long as one Fleming lives, as long as the Lion has claws, as long as he has teeth, as long as the Lion has claws, as long as he has teeth. Time eats up the cities, no thrones last forever, the armed companies die in battle, a people will not disappear. The enemy goes out to war, surrounded by deadly danger. We laugh at his anger, the Flemish Lion is there. I have written the word een as e'e'n - each 'e' carries an acute accent. This emphasises the word, giving the meaning "even if only one Fleming is left alive". The word verslindt means to destroy by eating - this verb is used literally only of animals (never humans) and, poetically, of things that destroy in like manner. I am not certain that I have the right word for "kluisters" - I don't have a dictionary at hand as I write this - and would be grateful if some Dutch correspondent would check that. "Geschreeuw" can mean either shouting or screaming, but shouting seems more appropriate. In the second verse, "de legerbenden sneven" - "leger" means army, but "armed companies" seems to fit better with "benden" or bands. "Sneven" (in Afrikaans "sneuwel") means to die in war or in battle (rather than dying of disease, another common way in which soldiers have traditionally lost their lives). I have rendered "een volk" as "a people", but "a nation" could also be appropriate. "Trekt te velde" means literally to go out into the fields, but its application to an enemy means that it is out on campaign (after all, campaign comes from a word meaning "fields", also). Mike Oettle, 02 Mar 2004 Words and tune of this song were created 1847, one of the most difficult times for Flemish identity and Dutch language in Belgium. Since 1973 it has been the official hymn of the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (Flemish Community). More information (in Dutch) can be found at: http://docs.vlaanderen.be/channels/hoofdmenu/vlaamseoverheid/volkslied.jsp In 20th Century Protestant, and probably also Catholic, songbooks in the (Northern) Netherlands the song was a standard item. It was one of the first tunes I learnt to play on the piano (after listening to my grandfather playing it on his organ). Gerard van der Vaart, 03 Mar 2004 I may add that the original version was deliberatly transposed (lowered, I believe) at the moment of adoption by the (then) Flemish Community so as to start with the same note as the Dutch hymn, 'Wilhelmus'. As can be seen on the link provided, the flag relation is mainly prescribed usage; the Lion is present metaphorically. "Kluisters" are shackles, but "chains" is all right. There are some who think that the song is old-fashioned, preferring "Waar Maas en Schelde vloeien" (Where Maas/Meuse and Scheldt are flowing"). In the recent past, song festivals such as the "Vlaams Nationaal Zangfeest" (Flemish National Songfest") ended by singing the 'Vlaamse Leeuw', the 'Wilhelmus', and 'Die Stem van Suid-Afrika'. Jan Mertens, 03 Mar 2004 Transvaalse Volkslied The Transvaalse Volkslied, although the official anthem of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek and when the territory was officially called Transvaal (1879-81and 1901 onwards), it was not well thought of by the authorities. The words and music of the Transvaalse Volkslied are by Catharina F van Rees, and it is dated 1875 - surprisingly it dates to the period before the annexation of 1879, since the emotions seem to blend well with those of the victorious rebels of 1881. Possibly this date accounts for the song's non-avoidance of the word Transvaal, which was the name of the state so strongly rejected in the uprising of 1880-81. The arrangement is by G G Cillie'. (There is an acute accent on the final letter in this surname; it is pronounced "Sil-yee". The surname is French, although its spelling is no longer authentically French; other members of this family spell it as Cilliers or Celliers.) The language is Dutch. (As mentioned previously, Afrikaans was the spoken language of all the 19th-century Boer republics, but was hardly ever written, and was not generally well thought of by those who had been educated in either English or Dutch.) Kent gij dat volk vol heldenmoed en toch zo lang geknecht? Het heeft geofferd goed en bloed voor vryheid en voor recht. Komt burgers! laat de vlaggen wapp'ren, ons lijden is voorbij; roemt in die zege onzer dapp'ren: Dat vrije volk zijn wij! Dat vrije volk, dat vrije volk, dat vrije, vrije volk zijn wij! Kent gij dat land, zo schaars bezocht en toch zo heerlik schoon; waar de natuur haar wond'ren wrocht, en kwistig stelt ten toon? Transvalers! laat ons feestlied schallen! Daar waar ons volk hield stand, waar onze vreugdeschoten knallen, daar is ons vaderland! Dat heerlik land, dat heerlik land, dat is, dat is ons vaderland! Kent gij die Staat, nog maar een kind in's werelds Statenrij, maar tog door 't machtig Brits bewind weleer verklaard voor vrij? Transvalers! edel was uw streven, en pijnlik onze smaad, maar God die uitkomst heeft gegeven, zij lof voor d'eigen Staat! Looft onze God! Looft onze God! Looft onze God voor land en Staat! Now for a translation (again lease excuse and correct! any errors): Do you know the people full of heroic courage and yet so long servants? It has offered possessions and blood for freedom and for justice. Come, citizens, let the flags wave, our suffering is past; be joyous in the victory of our brave ones; We are the free people! The free people, the free people, the free, free people are we! Do you know the land, so seldom visited, and yet so wonderfully beautiful; where nature has wrought her wonders, and profligately puts them on display? Transvalers! let our festival song resound! There were our people stood fast, where our gunshots of joy resound, there is our fatherland, That wonderful land, that wonderful land, that is, that is our fatherland! Do you know the State, yet still a child among the States of the world, but nontheless by the mighty British power truly declared as free? Transvalers! Noble was your struggle, and painful our suffering, but God has given the outcome, and praise for our own State! Praise our God! Praise our God! Praise our God! Praise our God for land and State! In the first verse, "wapp'ren" and "dapp'ren" are poetic forms that omit the middle vowel. The same goes for "wond'ren" in the second verse. "Geknecht" means "reduced to the state of servants" (not quite slaves). In the third verse the word Statenrij has no exact equivalent in English, although English occasionally uses the same construction of ending a word with -ry to form a noun from a shorter one, as in "heraldry". "Statenrij" is perhaps best rendered as "the multitude of States" or "the variety of States" (independent states, that is). "Door't" is a typically Dutch construction which has disappeared from Afrikaans, except in one or two idioms, where the definite object "het" is reduced to its final letter and (sometimes) tagged onto the previous word. (North country English has a comparable usage, although this is a shortening of "the".) Mike Oettle, 04 Mar 2004 Vryheidslied On flipping through the FAK book I came across a song. The title is Vryheidslied. The lyrics are by Jan F E Celliers, and the music by Emiel Hullebroeck. The words are: Vrome vad're, fier en groot Deur vervolging, ramp en nood, was hul leuse, tot die dood: Vryheid! Vryheid! Erf'nis van hul moed en trou is die grond waar ons op bou. Juigend tot die hemel-blou: Vryheid! Vryheid! Ere wie die dood mag lei om te rus aan hulle sy, met die sterwenswoord te skei: Vryheid! Vryheid! Op dan, broers, en druk hul spoor, voorwaarts, broers, die vaandel voor, laat die veld ons krygsroep hoor: Vryheid! Vryheid! Woes geweld mag hoogty hou, kettings mag ons lede knou, maar die leuse bly ons trou: Vryheid! Vryheid! Jukke mag vir slawe wees, manneharte ken geen vrees, duld geen boei vir lyf of gees: Vryheid! Vryheid! Now the English translation: Pious fathers (ancestors), proud and brave Through persecution, disaster and need their motto, to the death, was: Freedom! Freedom! The heritage of their courage and faith is the land we build on. Joyful to the blue heavens: Freedom! Freedom! Honours to those led by death to rest at its side, uttering their final word: Freedom! Freedom! Up, then, brothers, and follow their tracks, forwards, brothers, the banner in front, may the veld hear our battle cry: Freedom! Freedom! Brutal force might with the day, chains may chafe our limbs, but to this motto we are faithful: Freedom! Freedom! Yokes may be for slaves, the hearts of men know no fear, tolerating no shackles for body or soul: Freedom! Freedom! Notes: The word "vader" translates as "father", and its usual plural is "vaders" ("fathers"). The plural form "vadere" (here poetically shortened to "vad're") means "ancestors". The word "lede" means "members", but is here an abbreviation of "ledemate" ("body parts" or "limbs"). "Ledemate" is used also of members of a church community, a reference to St Paul's description of the Church as being the Body of Christ, made up of people with different functions. The ordinary translation of "vaandel" is "ensign" (a naval ensign is a vlootvaandel), but in the poetic context, "banner" seems more appropriate. Mike Oettle, 14 April 2004 Vaarwel aan die Vierkleur Here are the lyrics of Vaarwel aan die Vierkleur, as they appear in the FAK-Sangbundel (Fourth Edition 1979, sixth printing of 2002) published by Protea Boekhuis for the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge (FAK). I don't know if I've managed to turn out an acceptable rendition in English. The original is rather tearful I'm afraid. The word 'Vierkleur' I kept, 'Fourhue' rather sounds like a steed ridden by a LOTR character. To pronounce 'Vierkleur', say "veerckler" with -er as in 'her'. One strong image gets lost in translation, the word 'vlag' is feminine you see. Here goes: No longer may the Vierkleur wave, in tears we gave it up, it has been buried with our braves sunk into an honourable grave it has been buried with our braves sunk into an honourable grave. Happier those who fell when still the Flag was borne, than us who had to see and mourn it dragged into the dust than us who had to see and mourn it dragged into the dust. No happy morning for it there, we part from it forever now resting in the Nation's heart and dedicated to the Past now resting in the Nation's heart and dedicated to the Past. Blessed to those who bore it boldly to brave the prideful foe whose feeble arms to it did cling as they went to their death whose feeble arms to it did cling as they went to their death. Let Future Ages never forget them as long as men endure till even Heaven is outworn and Earth reels before its fall, till even Heaven is outworn and Earth reels before its fall. Jan Mertens, 30 Apr 2004 Die Vlaglied / The Song of the Flag Another flag song, this time abut the former South African flag called "Die Vlaglied" / "The Song of the Flag" which was composed by CJ Langenhoven, the composer of the former South African National Anthem "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" / "The Call of South Africa". This song was sung by a Children's Choir at the dedication ceremony marking the establishment of the Republic of South Africa held at the Cape Show Grounds in Cape Town on 31 May 1961. The English and Afrikaans versions are as follows: "The Song of the Flag" Cradled in beauty forever shall fly In the gold of her sunshine the blue of her sky, South Africa's pledge of her freedom and pride In their home by sacrifice glorified. By righteousness armed, we'll defend in our might The sign and the seal of our freedom and right, The emblem and loyalty, service and love; To our own selves true and to God above, Our faith shall keep what our hearts enthrone - The flag of the land that is all our own. "Die Vlaglied" Nooit hoef jou kinders wat trou is te vra: "Wat beteken jou vlag dan, Suid-Afrika?" On sweet hy's die seel van ons vryheid en reg Vir naaste en vreemde, vir oorman en kneg; Die pand van ons erf'nis, geslag op geslag, Om te hou vir ons kinders se kinder swat wag; Ons nasie se grondbrief van eiendomsland, Uitgegee op gesag van die Hoogste se hand. Oor ons hoof sal ons hys, in ons hart sal ons dra, Die vlag van ons eie Suid-Afrika. Bruce Berry, 31 Aug 2007 The Fallen Flag While this is not a song about a flag (it has no tune that I am aware of), it is very much a poem about the vierkleur of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek , and to my mind belongs with the South African flag songs which have already been posted to FOTW. This poem was published in England in 1902 as part of a collection entitled "Songs of the Veld". The book was banned in South Africa by the British military authorities at that time. A new edition of "Songs of the Veld" has just been published in Cape Town, with the addition of commentary and historical notes in both Afrikaans and English. The ISBN is 978-0-620-39432-1. THE FALLEN FLAG Inscribed to Albert Cartwright � The African Bonivard. Furl the fourfold banner, Lay that flag to rest; In the roll of honour � The brightest, bravest, best. Now no hand may wave it, O'er valley, pass or hill; Where thousands died to save it � The patriot hearts are still. It flew o'er proud Majuba, Where the victor farmers stood: O'er the tide of the Tugela � Dark-dyed with hostile blood. On Stormberg passes glorious � And o'er Ma'rsfontein* height, � Wher Cronje's host victorious Withstood the British might. But a prouder grander story Is the record of the band, Which surpassed all former glory, In the latest greatest stand. When ten to one outnumbered � Of hope and help bereft, On ground with graves encumbered, Defenders still were left. There were hero hearts to lead them, On the path where death was won; To float the flag of Freedom Where the eagle sees the sun. To keep the Vierkleur flying On every fortress hill; From the cold clasp of the dying There were hands to sieze it still. O Land, so fondly cherished � Endeared by patriot graves, � The soil where such have perished Is not the soil for slaves. From age to age your story Shall sound to other days: You leave your sons the glory That fallen flag to raise. O sacred smitten Nation, Crowned on thy Calvary, There's a day of restoration � An Easter Morn for Thee. Vierkleur, young hands shall grab thee � New armies round thee stand; Men whose fathers died shall clasp thee On the blood-bought Burghers' Land. * Magersfontein should thus be pronounced. [This footnote, explaining the spelling Ma'rsfontein, appears under the second stanza.] Mike Oettle, 18 Dec 2008 Nkosi Sikelele Afrika Song Nkosi Sikelel\'i Afrika (Herr Gott segne Afrika) Maluphakanyisw\'uphondo Iwayo (Lass seinen Ruf erhoben sein) Yizwa imithandazo ythu (Höre und vernehme unsere Gebete) Nkosi sikelela, Nkosi sikelela (Oh Herr Gott segne Afrika) Nkosi Sikelel\'i Afrika (Herr Gott segne Afrika) Maluphakanyisw\'uphondo Iwayo (Lass seinen Ruf erhoben sein) Yizwa imithandazo ythu (Höre und vernehme unsere Gebete) Nkosi sikelela, Thina lusapho Iwayo (Oh Gott segne uns, uns Kinder Afrikas) Woza moya (Komm Geist) Woza moya woza (Komm Geist komm) Woza moya (Komm Geist) Woza moya woza (Komm Geist komm) Nkosi sikelela (Oh Herr Gott segne) Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso (Gott segne unsere Nation) Ofedise dintwa le matshwenyeho (und stop alle Kriege und Leiden) Oh se boloke (Und segne es) O se boloke morena (Und segne es Herr, Oh Gott) Setjhaba sa heso (Segne unsere Nation) Setjhaba sa Afrika (Unsere Nation, Afrika) Nkosi Sikelel\'i Afrika (Herr Gott segne Afrika) Maluphakanyisw\'uphondo Iwayo (Lass seinen Ruf erhoben sein) Yizwa imithandazo ythu (Höre und vernheme unsere Gebete) Nkosi sikelela (Oh Gott segne uns, uns Kinder Afrikas) Nkosi sikelel\'i Afrika (Gott segne Afrika) "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika Uit die blou van onse hemel, Uit die diepte van ons see, Oor ons ewige gebergtes Waar die kranse antwoord gee. Deur ons vêr-verlate vlaktes Met die kreun van ossewa – Ruis die stem van ons geliefde, Van ons land Suid-Afrika. Ons sal antwoord op jou roepstem, Ons sal offer wat jy vra: Ons sal lewe, ons sal sterwe – Ons vir jou, Suid-Afrika. In die murg van ons gebeente, In ons hart en siel en gees, In ons roem op ons verlede, In ons hoop op wat sal wees. In ons wil en werk en wandel, Van ons wieg tot aan ons graf – Deel geen ander land ons liefde, Trek geen ander trou ons af. Vaderland! Ons sal die adel, Van jou naam met ere dra: Waar en trou as Afrikaners – Kinders van Suid-Afrika. n die songloed van ons somer, In ons winternag se kou, In die lente van ons liefde, In die lanfer van ons rou. By die klink van huw'liks-klokkies, By die kluit-klap op die kis – Streel jou stem ons nooit verniet nie, Weet jy waar jou kinders is. Op jou roep sê ons nooit nee nie, Sê ons altyd, altyd ja: Om te lewe, om te sterwe – Ja, ons kom, Suid-Afrika. Op U Almag vas vertrouend Het ons vadere gebou: Skenk ook ons die krag, o Here! Om te handhaaf en te hou – Dat die erwe van ons vad're Vir ons kinders erwe bly: Knegte van die Allerhoogste, Teen die hele wêreld vry. Soos ons vadere vertrou het, Leer ook ons vertrou, o Heer – Met ons land en met ons nasie Sal dit wel wees, God regeer. See also Music portal South Africa portal List of historical national anthems National anthem of South Africa National anthem of the Orange Free State National anthem of the Transvaal Flag of South Africa (1928–1994)

LIMPOPO "Northern Transvaal" redirects here. For the rugby union team, see Blue Bulls . For the cricket team previously called Northern Transvaal, see Northerns (cricket team) . Limpopo (/lɪmˈpoʊpoʊ/ ) is the northernmost province of South Africa . It is named after the Limpopo River , which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane , while the provincial legislature is situated in Lebowakgomo . The province is made up of three former homelands of Lebowa , Gazankulu and Venda and part of the former Transvaal province. The Limpopo province was established as one of nine provinces after the 1994 South African general election . The province's name was first "Northern Transvaal", later changed to "Northern Province" on 28 June 1995, with two other provinces. The name was later changed again in 2002 to the Limpopo Province. Limpopo is made up of three main ethnic groups: the Pedi , the Tsonga and the Venda . Traditional leaders and chiefs still form a strong backbone of the province's political landscape. Established in terms of the Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders Act, Act 5 of 2005, the Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders' main function is to advise the government and the legislature on matters related to custom, tradition, and culture, including developmental initiatives that affect rural communities. On 18 August 2017, Kgosi Malesela Dikgale was re-elected as the Chairperson of the Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders. Geography Sundown over one of the mountain ranges found in Limpopo. Limpopo Province shares international borders with districts and provinces of three countries: Botswana 's Central and Kgatleng districts to the west and northwest respectively, Zimbabwe 's Matabeleland South and Masvingo provinces to the north and northeast respectively, and Mozambique 's Gaza Province to the east. Limpopo is the link between South Africa and countries further afield in sub-Saharan Africa . On its southern edge, from east to west, it shares borders with the South African provinces of Mpumalanga , Gauteng , and North West . Its border with Gauteng includes that province's Johannesburg -Pretoria axis, the most industrialised metropolis on the continent. The province is central to regional, national, and international developing markets. Limpopo contains much of the Waterberg Biosphere , a massif of approximately 15,000 km2 (5,800 sq mi) which is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve . Law and government Main article: Politics of Limpopo The current Premier of Limpopo Province is Stanley Mathabatha , representing the African National Congress . Municipalities Main article: List of municipalities in Limpopo Limpopo districts and local municipalities Limpopo Province is divided into five district municipalities . The district municipalities are in turn divided into 25 local municipalities : District municipalities Capricorn District Blouberg Lepele-Nkumpi Molemole Polokwane Mopani District Ba-Phalaborwa Greater Giyani Greater Letaba Greater Tzaneen Maruleng Sekhukhune District Elias Motsoaledi Ephraim Mogale Fetakgomo Tubatse Makhuduthamaga Vhembe District Makhado Musina Collins Chabane Thulamela Waterberg District Bela-Bela Lephalale Modimolle–Mookgophong Mogalakwena Thabazimbi Economy Man and his donkeys collecting wood in a rural area Limpopo has a total population of 6.015 Million with 1.641million Households., The province has a high Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.710, which is the third highest in South Africa. Agriculture The bushveld is beef cattle country, where extensive ranching operations are often supplemented by controlled hunting. About 80% of South Africa's game hunting industry is in Limpopo. Sunflowers , cotton , maize and peanuts are cultivated in the Bela-Bela and Modimolle areas. Modimolle is also known for its table grapes . An embryotic wine industry is growing in Limpopo. Tropical fruit, such as bananas , litchis , pineapples , mangoes and pawpaws , as well as a variety of nuts , are grown in the Tzaneen and Louis Trichardt areas. Tzaneen is also at the centre of extensive citrus , tea , and coffee plantations and a major forestry industry. Most of the farmers and households lack a water supply. Therefore, they drill their boreholes on their premises. Housing Most Limpopo residents live in rural areas; this has led to a new phenomenon of rural development, where the residents have invested in building lavish homes on their tribal land. Limpopo rural houses have been profiled by TV channels, lifestyle vloggers, social media influencers, and Africa's biggest facts brand, Africa Facts Zone. According to 96.2% of Limpopo live in formal housing, above the national average of 84.0%. This makes Limpopo the province with the highest percentage of people living in formal housing in South Africa. Mining Ajoite in quartz , from the Messina mine, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Scale at bottom is one inch, with a rule at one cm. Limpopo's rich mineral deposits include the platinum group metals, iron ore, chromium, high- and middle-grade coking coal , diamonds, antimony , phosphate , and copper, as well as mineral reserves like gold, emeralds, scheelite , magnetite , vermiculite , silicon , and mica . Commodities such as black granite , corundum , and feldspar are also found. Mining contributes to over a fifth of the provincial economy. Limpopo has the largest platinum deposit in South Africa. The Waterberg Coalfield , the eastern extension of Botswana 's Mmamabula coalfields, is estimated to contain 40% of South Africa's coal reserves. Tourism The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism has targeted the province as a preferred eco-tourism destination. Its Environment and Tourism Programme encompasses tourism, protected areas, and community environment development to achieve sustainable economic growth. While Limpopo is one of South Africa's poorest provinces, it is rich in wildlife, which gives it an advantage in attracting tourists. Both the private and public sectors are investing in tourism development. Near Modjadjiskloof , at Sunland Baobab farms, there is a large Baobab tree which has been fashioned into a relatively spacious pub. Transportation and communications The province has excellent road, rail, and air links. The N1 route from Johannesburg , which extends the length of the province, is the busiest overland route in Africa in terms of cross-border trade in raw materials and beneficiated goods. The port of Durban , South Africa's busiest, is served directly by the province, as are the ports of Richards Bay and Maputo . Polokwane International Airport is situated just north of Polokwane . Limpopo province contains approximately 56 airports and airstrips. Education The Department of Education is responsible for effecting quality education and training for all. The Department has to coordinate all professional development and support. Policies, systems, and procedures had to be developed. Educational institutions As of December 2020, 12.9% of the Limpopo population had attained some post-school qualifications. The following higher education institutions are found in Limpopo: University of Limpopo (Polokwane , Mankweng ) University of Venda (Thohoyandou ) Tshwane University of Technology (Polokwane Campus) Capricorn College for TVET (Seshego ) Capricorn College for TVET (Polokwane) Lephalale TVET College (Lephalale)[ Letaba TVET College (Tzaneen)[ Mopani South East TVET College (Phalaborwa) Sekhukhune TVET College (Motetema) Vhembe TVET College (Venda) Waterberg TVET College (Mokopane) Giyani Campus Of Nursing College Limpopo Province College of Nursing (Giyani Campus) Limpopo Province The Limpopo province is one of the nine provinces in South Africa . It is the northernmost province. Read more about South Africa’s 9 provinces here. Where Is the Limpopo Province of South Africa? The Limpopo province of South Africa borders Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana. Some Facts About the Limpopo Province They named the Limpopo province after the Limpopo River that runs through the province. Its capital city is Polokwane, the only South African town bordering the Kruger National Park. The province covers 48,554 square miles or km and is South Africa’s fifth-largest province. The highest elevation in the province is 2,126 metres or 6,975 feet. Districts or Regions in The Limpopo Province The province has five regions: 1. Capricorn They named the Capricorn region after the Tropic of Capricorn. It is the region where the Bapedi people live. The region starts at the Ysterberg, along the Wolkberg and extends to the tropic of Capricorn in the north. This region is perfect for an overnight stop when travelling from Gauteng to other areas in the province. 2. Maponi It is primarily the Vatsonga people who live in the Maponi region. The region is also called the Valley of Elephants. The Maponi region includes the northern part of the Drakensberg. 3. Sekhukhuni The Sekhukhuni region’s name is from King Skhukhune, who was the king of the Bapedi people in the 18th century. This region has many farms producing grapes, maize, cotton and sweet potatoes. Currently, the Bapedi and Ndebele people live here. 4. Vhembe The Vhavenda and Vatsonga people live in the Vhembe region. Visitors can see many baobab trees, abundant wildlife and bird life in this region. The Soutpansberg mountain is part of this region. 5. Waterberg The Waterberg region is the largest region of the Limpopo province. It contains the Waterberg mountain range and has natural beauty and diverse landscapes. Most of the region forms part of conservation efforts, especially for white rhinos and elephants. The Batswana people live here. Cities and Towns in The Limpopo Province The main towns in the Limpopo Province include: Haenertsburg Bela-Bela Hoedspruit Lephalale Louis Trichardt Modimolle (previous name: Nylstroom) Mokopane (previous name: Potgietersrus) Mookgophong (previous name: Naboomspruit) Musina Phalaborwa Thabazimbi Thohoyandou Tzaneen Vaalwater Sports Sports Association football : Polokwane was one of South Africa's host cities for the 2010 FIFA World Cup , with matches being played at the Peter Mokaba Stadium . Football clubs in the province include Real Rovers, Silver Stars, Black Leopards, Polokwane City, Baroka, Ria Stars, and Dynamos. Rugby union : Limpopo has no provincial rugby team of its own; it is represented in the domestic Currie Cup by the Pretoria -based Blue Bulls . The Blue Bulls also operate a Super Rugby franchise, known simply as the Bulls . Limpopo nonetheless produces its share of top players. Most notably, the two most-capped forwards in the history of the country's national team , John Smit and Victor Matfield , are both natives of Polokwane. Basketball : The province is home to Limpopo Pride , a professional team that plays in South Africa's top basketball division, the Basketball National League . Demographics The population of Limpopo consists of several ethnic groups distinguished by culture, language, and race. 97.3% of the population is Black , 2.4% is White , 0.2% is Coloured , and 0.1% is Indian /Asian . The province has the smallest percentage and second smallest total number of White South Africans in the country. However, there are several localities with a White majority, notably Hoedspruit and Modimolle . It also has the highest Black percentage out of all the provinces. The Northern Sotho people comprise the largest percentage of the population, 52% of the province. The Tsonga people comprise about 24.0% of the province; the Tsonga also comprise about 11.5% of Mpumalanga province since the southern part of their homeland, Gazankulu , was cut off from Limpopo and allocated to Mpumalanga. The Venda make up about 16.7%. Afrikaners make up the majority of Limpopo's White population, about 95,000 people; English -speaking Whites number just over 20,000. Vhembe district has the smallest share of White people in Limpopo, about 5,000 total. In contrast, the Waterberg district has the largest share of Whites, with more than 60,000 Whites residing there. Coloureds and Asians /Indians make up a tiny percentage of the province's total population. HIV / AIDS At 18.5% (2007), Limpopo has a relatively high incidence of HIV compared to other South African provinces. Cases rose from 14.5% to 21.5% between 2001 and 2005, with a slight fall between 2005 and 2007. However, as at 2019, the Limpopo province HIV stats sat at (13.2%) which is one of the lowest in comparison with other provinces in South Africa. BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE

FREE STATE Free State (province) The Free State (Sotho : Freistata; Afrikaans : Vrystaat [ˈfrɛistɑːt] ; Xhosa : iFreyistata; Tswana : Foreistata; Zulu : iFuleyisitata), formerly known as the Orange Free State, is a province of South Africa . Its capital is Bloemfontein , which is also South Africa 's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Boer republic called the Orange Free State and later the Orange Free State Province . History Further information: Orange Free State The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans were abolished and reincorporated into South Africa. It is also the only one of the four original provinces of South Africa not to undergo border changes, apart from the reincorporation of Bantustans, and its borders date from before the outbreak of the Boer War . The Free State is one of the nine provinces of South Africa and is centrally located. It represents 10.6% of the total land area of the country. It boasts wide horizons, blue skies, mountains and goldfields. The province covers an area of 129 464 km2 and is roughly the size of Nicaragua. In 2011, the province had a population of 2.7 million with four district municipalities and one metropolitan municipality. The Free State is situated on the flat, boundless plains in the centre of South Africa. It borders most of the other provinces, the exceptions being Limpopo and the Western Cape. To the east, it has an international boundary with Lesotho nestling in the hollow of its beanlike shape, and the escarpment separates it from the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The Orange and Vaal rivers form the southern, western and most of the northern border and the last section of the north-eastern boundary is formed by the Klip River. The western part of the Free State consists of plains, with pans as primary hydrological feature. The eastern part is mountainous. The Maluti Mountains along the border are connected to the Drakensberg on the border with KwaZulu-Natal. The province consists mainly of grasslands with some Karoo vegetation in the south. Climate Almost uniformly at about 1,300m above sea level, the Free State climate is typical of the interior plateau with rain falling in summer, cold winters and lots of sunshine. Almost all precipitation falls in the summer months, with aridity increasing towards the west. Frost occurs throughout the region usually from May to early September in the west and up to early October in the east. To the north, the Vaal irrigation area nourishes the small assortment of farming towns below it, and the hue of the Free State countryside is often green. Areas in the east experience frequent snowfalls in winter, especially on the higher ranges, whilst the west can be extremely hot in summer. The south brings hot, dry summer days and long, cold winter nights. This semi-desert area also brings fluctuations of temperature from day to night. The west is warm and cold in equal measure, its inhabitants making use of the many man-made water recreation facilities to endure the heat as much as using heating facilities in winter’s low temperatures. Regions Regions The Fezile Dabi District is an important agricultural production area, mainly maize. The Vaal Dam is the main source of water and offers a wide variety of leisure facilities. Other attractions include the Vredefort Dome, which is the third largest meteorite site in the world, and San paintings. Sasolburg is the location of the country’s largest chemical and synthetic fuel plant. The Lejweleputswa District boasts goldfields and it is a major agricultural area. The district forms part of the larger Witwatersrand basin. The first gold was discovered in the early 1940s. Bothaville is one of the important maize centres in the country. The annual National Maize Production Organisation festival attracts more than 70 000 visitors and is the second largest private show in the world. The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality contains the largest population and comprises mainly of open grassland, with mountains in the most eastern region. The main urban centre is Bloemfontein. The city is the trade and administrative hub of the Free State and boasts the provincial government and the seat of the Appeal Court of South Africa. It also has a rich history, which includes the establishment of the African National Congress in 1912 and the National Party in 1914. The Thabo Mofutsanyana District borders Lesotho to the east and has beautiful hills and fruit farms. The district is one of the most important tourism destinations due to spectacular scenic beauty of the Drakensberg and Maluti mountain ranges. Other attractions include the Golden Gate Highland Park, the annual cherry festival at Ficksburg, a Basotho cultural village in Maluti-a-Phofung, and Khoisan rock paintings. The Xhariep District is located in the south-west of the province and is a semi-arid area with extensive farming, mainly sheep. The district comprises open grasslands with small wide dispersed towns. The Xhariep Dam is one of the tourists’ attractions. It offers a variety of leisure facilities. Tourism The Free State lies at the heart of the country. The province disposes of inter alia 14 nature reserves with varying facilities; four large holiday resorts; 12 state dams with banks totalling some 760 km; numerous sports and outdoor opportunities; nine restored battlefields; some 12 000 tourist beds and a booming guesthouse industry. Each region offers its own unique tourism attractions; Mangaung Phillip Sanders and Maselspoort resorts near Bloemfontein Botanical Gardens, Naval Hill and Franklin Game Reserve Bloemfontein Zoo National Museum – huge collection of fossils and archaeological discoveries Women’s Memorial Monument Anglo-Boer War Museum SA Military Museum Freshford House Museum Waaihoek precinct, founding venue of the ANC Digareteneng (Place of curtains), built to coincide with the visit of King George V in 1952 Maphikela House has been declared as a national monument and named after Mr Thomas Maphikela who was the first Secretary-General of the ANC Dr Sebe James Moroka House historical site (Thaba Nchu) Sand Du Plessis Theatre Loch Logan Waterfront Mimosa Mall Shopping Complex Oliewenhuis Art Gallery President Brand Street -housing inter alia Appeal Court, Free State Legislature, Gen. CR de Wet Statue, City Hall, Afrikaans Literature Museum Fezile Dabi District Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site The Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site, declared a heritage site by UNESCO in 2005, came about in a matter of minutes an estimated 2 billion years ago when an asteroid that hit the earth, with the resultant rock formation today mainly between Parys, Vredefort and an adjacent part of North West Province spanning some 10 km in diameter. As such it is the largest known impact structure on earth. Eco-tourism at the Ghoya Africa conservancy situated on the R34 ± 12 km south of Heilbron en route to Edenville and the Francolin Creek Conservancy situated approximately 30 km east of Heilbron Two luxurious golf estates, private game ranches and nature reserves in the Parys region Deneysville at the Vaal Dam, hosts the biggest annual inland regatta, the Round the Island Race – on the 300 km² sprawling Vaal Dam. Lejweleputswa District Aventura Aldam Holiday Resort and Willem Pretorius Game Reserve NAMPO Harvest Farm near Bothaville Golden Arts & Crafts Scramble at Hennenman and Virginia Aco tractor factory near Hoopstad Voortrekker Monument at Winburg Gold Museum in the Welkom Library Underground mine tours Phakisa Racetrack Folk Dancing Monument at Boshof Thabo Mofutsanyane District Golden Gate National Highlands Park near Bethlehem Basotho Cultural Village at QwaQwa Seekoeivlei Nature Reserve near Memel constitutes a wetland with RAMSAR status is a bird-watching mecca Wolhuterskop Nature Reserve in Bethlehem Sterkfontein Dam Titanic Rock at the northern entrance of Clarens Bushman rock art at 27 farms near Fouriesburg Korannaberg Hiking Trail at Excelsior Mountain bike trails at Marquard Claerhout Art Gallery at Tweespruit Cherry Festival annually in November at Ficksburg Xhariep District Gariep Dam and resort Annual Equestrian Endurance event at Fauresmith Railroad tracks running through the centre of Fauresmith Landzicht Wine Cellar at Jacobsdal Open Mine Museum and mining hole at Jagersfontein Open Mine Museum at Koffiefontein Transgariep Museum and Laurens van der Post Memorial at Philippolis The ‘Little Gallery’ at Smithfield Gariep Dam The ‘Eye’ of Zastron DH Steyn bridge near Bethulie The Free State (Sotho : Freistata; Afrikaans : Vrystaat [ˈfrɛistɑːt] ; Xhosa : iFreyistata; Tswana : Foreistata; Zulu : iFuleyisitata), formerly known as the Orange Free State, is a province of South Africa . Its capital is Bloemfontein , which is also South Africa 's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Boer republic called the Orange Free State and later the Orange Free State Province . History Further information: Orange Free State The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans were abolished and reincorporated into South Africa. It is also the only one of the four original provinces of South Africa not to undergo border changes, apart from the reincorporation of Bantustans, and its borders date from before the outbreak of the Boer War . Law and government See also: Executive Council of the Free State The provincial government consists of a premier, an executive council of ten ministers, and a legislature. The provincial assembly and premier are elected for five-year terms, or until the next national election. Political parties are awarded assembly seats based on the percentage of votes each party receives in the province during the national elections. The assembly elects a premier, who then appoints the members of the executive council. The provincial legislature meets at the Vierde Raadsaal in Bloemfontein . As of February 2023 the premier of Free State is Mxolisi Dukwana of the African National Congress (ANC).[8] Geography Cornelia in the Riemland region The Free State is situated on a succession of flat grassy plains sprinkled with pastureland, resting on a general elevation of 3,800 feet only broken by the occasional hill or kopje . The rich soil and pleasant climate allow for a thriving agricultural industry. The province is high-lying, with almost all land being 1,000 metres above sea level. The Drakensberg and Maloti Mountains foothills raise the terrain to over 2,000 m in the east. The Free State lies in the heart of the Karoo Sequence of rocks, containing shales , mudstones , sandstones and the Drakensberg Basalt forming the youngest capping rocks. Mineral deposits are plentiful, with gold and diamonds being of particular importance, mostly found in the north and west of the province. Fauna and flora The flats in the south of the reserve provide ideal conditions for large herds of plain game such as black wildebeest and springbok . The ridges, koppies and plains typical of the northern section are home to kudu , red hartebeest , southern white rhinoceros and buffalo . The Southern African wildcat , black wildebeest , zebra , eland , white rhinoceros and wild dog can be seen at the Soetdoring Nature Reserve near Bloemfontein . The South African cheetahs were reintroduced in the Free State for the first time in June 2013 after a hundred years of regional extinction, at Laohu Valley Reserve near Philippolis .[9] Following the reintroduction of an adult female South African cheetah in early 2016, three wild cheetah cubs were born for the first time in Laohu Valley Reserve in February 2017, making the three new cubs the first cheetahs born in the wild since their disappearance from the Free State province in over a century. Climate The Free State experiences a continental climate , characterised by warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. Areas in the east experience frequent snowfalls, especially on the higher ranges, whilst the west can be extremely hot in summer. Almost all precipitation falls in the summer months as brief afternoon thunderstorms , with aridity increasing towards the west. Areas in the east around Harrismith , Bethlehem and Ficksburg are well watered. The capital, Bloemfontein , experiences hot, moist summers and cold, dry winters frequented by severe frost. Bloemfontein averages: January maximum: 31 °C (min: 15 °C), July maximum: 17 °C (min: -2 °C), annual precipitation: 559 mm Bethlehem averages: January maximum: 27 °C (min: 13 °C), July maximum: 16 °C (min: -2 °C), annual precipitation: 680 mm Borders Borders Mafahlaneng township at Tweeling In the southeast, the Free State borders seven districts of Lesotho : Mokhotlong – farthest to the east Butha-Buthe – northwest of Mokhotlong and northeast of Leribe Leribe – southwest of Butha-Buthe and northeast of Berea Berea – southwest of Leribe and north of Maseru Maseru – south of Berea and northeast of Mafeteng Mafeteng – southwest of Maseru and northwest of Mohale's Hoek Mohale's Hoek – southeast of Mafeteng Domestically, it borders the following provinces: KwaZulu-Natal – east Eastern Cape – south Northern Cape – west North West – northwest Gauteng – north Mpumalanga – northeast The Free State borders more districts of Lesotho and more provinces of South Africa than any other province. It is traversed by the northwesterly line of equal latitude and longitude. Municipalities Main article: List of municipalities in the Free State Free State districts and local municipalities The Free State Province is divided into one metropolitan municipality and four district municipalities . The district municipalities are in turn divided into 19 local municipalities : Metropolitan municipalities Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality District municipalities Fezile Dabi District Moqhaka Ngwathe Metsimaholo Mafube Thabo Mofutsanyana District Setsoto Dihlabeng Maluti-a-Phofung Nketoana Phumelela Mantsopa Lejweleputswa District Masilonyana Tokologo Tswelopele Matjhabeng Nala Xhariep District Letsemeng Kopanong Mohokare Major cities and towns See also: List of cities and towns in the Free State The Free State's major towns include: Bloemfontein & Botshabelo in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality Welkom , Odendaalsrus and Virginia in Lejweleputswa Bethlehem , Harrismith and Phuthaditjhaba in Thabo Mofutsanyana Kroonstad , Sasolburg and Parys in Fezile Dabi Health The Free State is the only province in South Africa that operates a free 24-hour dedicated rotor-wing aeromedical service from a public hospital. They are able to reach far-flung areas in only 45 minutes and deliver a high level of care on scene. On 31 October 2018, Free State Emergency Medical Service launched an additional 65 road ambulances to augment the fleet. The Free State has many public and private hospitals. Economy The province is the granary of South Africa, with agriculture central to its economy, while mining on the rich goldfields reef is its largest employer. Agriculture Cattle grazing near Winburg Agriculture dominates the Free State landscape, with cultivated land covering 32,000 square kilometres, and natural veld and grazing a further 87,000 square kilometres of the province. It is also South Africa's leader in the production of biofuels, or fuel from agricultural crops, with a number of ethanol plants under construction in the grain-producing western region. South Africa is one of the top ten Maize producers in the world (12,365,000 tons as of 2013). Field crops yield almost two-thirds of the gross agricultural income of the province. Animal products contribute a further 30%, with the balance generated by horticulture. Ninety percent of the country's cherry crop is produced in the Ficksburg district, which is also home to the country's two largest asparagus canning factories. Soya, sorghum, sunflowers and wheat are cultivated in the eastern Free State, where farmers specialise in seed production. About 40% of the country's potato yield comes from the province's high-lying areas. The main vegetable crop is asparagus, both white and green varieties. Although horticulture is expanding and becoming increasingly export-orientated, most produce leaves the province unprocessed. The Free State's advantage in floriculture is the opposing seasons of the southern and northern hemispheres. Mining The Free State is also rich in mineral wealth, gold representing 20% of the world's total gold production. Mining is the province's major employer. The province has 12 gold mines, producing 30% of South Africa's output and making it the fifth-largest producer of gold in the world. The Harmony Gold Refinery and Rand Refinery are the only two gold refineries in South Africa. Gold mines in the Free State also supply a substantial portion of the total silver produced in the country, while considerable concentrations of uranium occurring in the gold-bearing conglomerates of the goldfields are extracted as a byproduct. Bituminous coal is also mined, and converted to petrochemicals at Sasolburg. The Free State also produces high-quality diamonds from its kimberlite pipes and fissures, and the country's largest deposit of bentonite is found in the Koppies district. Industry Since 1989, the Free State economy has moved from dependence on primary sectors such as mining and agriculture to an economy increasingly oriented towards manufacturing and export. Some 14% of the province's manufacturing is classified as being in high-technology industries – the highest of all provincial economies. The northern Free State's chemicals sector is one of the most important in the southern hemisphere. Petrochemicals company Sasol , based in the town of Sasolburg , is a world leader in the production of fuels, waxes, chemicals and low-cost feedstock from coal. Tourism On top of Koranaberg In the northeastern Free State, nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti mountains, the Golden Gate Highlands National Park is the province's prime tourist attraction. The park gets its name from the brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the spectacular sandstone cliffs, especially the imposing Brandwag or Sentinel Rock, which keeps vigil over the park. Brandwag (The Sentinel) The sandstone of this region has been used for the lovely dressed-stone buildings found on the Eastern Highlands, while decoratively painted Sotho houses dot the grasslands. Some of South Africa's most valued San (Bushman) rock art is found in the Free State, particularly in the regions around Clarens , Bethlehem , Ficksburg , Ladybrand and Wepener . Sesotho is the dominant home language in most of the province. Zulu is the major language in the far eastern municipality of Phumelela . Setswana is the main language in Tokologo in the northwest, and in and around the area of Thaba Nchu . The Free State is the only province in South Africa with a Sesotho majority. Afrikaans is widely spoken throughout the province, as a first language for the majority of whites and coloureds (who constitute a minority) and as a second or third language by Sesotho, Setswana and Xhosa speakers. Although there are relatively few native English speakers, English is becoming increasingly important as the language of business and government. This is evidenced by the shift of tertiary institutions such as the University of the Free State from solely using Afrikaans as the medium of instruction to using both Afrikaans and English. Ethnicity The majority of the population are black Africans who speak Sotho as a first language. The vast majority of white people in the Free State are Afrikaans-speaking. In 1880 the white population made up 45.7% of the total population. In 1904 this had fallen to 36.8%.[11] Of the 142,679 people in 1904, only 60% were born in the province. Of the 2,726 European immigrants born in non-British states, 1,025 came from the Russian Empire , mainly Jews . In 1904 whites made up a majority in most settlements, namely Ficksburg (52.3%), Wepener (60.2%), Ladybrand (60.0%), and Kroonstad (51.6%), and made up a substantial minority in Bloemfontein (45.7%) and Winburg (36.3%). Education Universities University of the Free State (Bloemfontein , Phuthaditjhaba ) Central University of Technology (Bloemfontein , Welkom ) Other educational institutions Akademia (Bloemfontein ) Boston City Campus (Bloemfontein ) Damelin (Bloemfontein ) Flavius Mareka FET College (Kroonstad , Mphohardi , Sasolburg ) Goldfields FET College (Welkom , Tosa ) Maluti TVET College (QwaQwa , Bethlehem , Harrismith ) Motheo TVET College (Bloemfontein , Botshabelo , Thaba nchu , Koffiefontein ) Qualitas Career Academy (Bloemfontein ) Media Newspapers Die Volksblad (Bloemfontein ) Bloem news (Bloemfontein ) Bloemfontein Courant Dumelang News (The People's Paper ) Express-News (Bloemfontein , Botshabelo , Thaba Nchu ) Free State Times Vista Newspaper (Welkom ) VrystaatKroon Radio OFM Lesedi FM Motheo FM Radio Rosestad 100.6 FM Kovsie FM CUT FM 104.1 MedFM BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE

The First Boer War (Dutch: Eerste Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans: Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, Boer War 1899 - 1902 Introduction The Anglo Boer War was fought by Britain and her Empire against the Boers. The Boers were comprised of the combined forces of the South African Republic and the Republic of the Orange Free State. The Boer Republics declared war on 11th October 1899 and the conflict ended on 31st May 1902, a duration of 2 years and 8 months. There were three distinct phases to the War: Stage 1 - Boer offensive. At first, the Boer republican fighters were successful in three major offensives. Their commandos invaded northern Natal and besieged the town of Ladysmith, invaded Cape Colony to lay siege to the British garrisons in Kimberley and Mafeking. While the British did achieve some tactical victories at Talana and Elandslaagte, there were serious defeats for the British at Stormberg, Magersfontein and Colenso which became known as 'Black Week' (10th - 15th December 1899). Stage 2 - British response. With heavy reinforcements and the assumption of overall command by Lord Roberts with Lord Kitchener as his Chief of Staff, the British turned the situation around. Imperial troops eventually relieved the besieged towns of Ladysmith (28th February 1900), Kimberley (15 February 1900) and Mafeking (18th May 1900). On 13th March 1900 Roberts occupied Bloemfontein, the capital of the Orange Free State, and on 28th May the province was annexed and renamed the Orange River Colony. On 31st May, British troops entered Johannesburg and, on 5th June, Pretoria was taken. The Transvaal was annexed on 1st September 1900. To many it seemed that the war was over. At the end of November, Roberts made a triumphal return to England. Stage 3 - Guerrilla war. Under the leadership of Louis Botha, Christiaan de Wet, Jan Smuts and de la Rey, the Boers abandoned the British style of warfare and increased their reliance on small and mobile military units. The mobility of these units enabled them to capture supplies, disrupt communications and undertake raids on the army of occupation. They were very successful in evading capture. In response, the British embarked on a scorched earth policy to deny supplies to the fighters. Approximately 30,000 farms were burnt. In March 1901 the need to restrict the movement of the Boers brought the development of 8,000 blockhouses and 3,700 miles of wire fencing guarded by 50,000 troops. This was followed by a number of 'drives' which had the intention of cornering the Boers but the operations mainly produced large numbers of displaced Boer and African families. These refugees were sent to concentration camps around South Africa. These measures were largely responsible for bringing the Boers to the negotiation table to end the War. Chronology 1899 October: 11th.-Time fixed by Boers' ultimatum expired at 5 p.m. 14th.-Boers march on Kimberley and Mafeking. 15th.-Kimberley isolated. 20th.-Talana Hill captured by British under Symons. 21st.-Boers routed at Elandslaagte. 22nd.-Yule retires from Dundee on Ladysmith. 23rd.-Death of Gen. Symons at Dundee. 30th.-Nicholson's Nek disaster. 31st.-Gen. Buller lands at Cape Town. November: 1st.-Boers invade Cape Colony. 2nd.-Ladysmith isolated. 9th.-General attack on Ladysmith repulsed. 15th.-Armoured train wrecked near Chievely. 23rd.-Methuen successfully attacks Boers at Belmont. 25th.-Methuen successfully attacks Boers at Enslin. 28th.-Methuen defeats Boers at Modder River. December: 10th.-Gatacre surprised in night attack on Stormberg. 11th.-Methuen repulsed at Magersfontein, Gen. Wauchope killed. 15th.-Buller's force repulsed at Colenso. 18th.-Lord Roberts appointed Com.-in-Chief in S. Africa. 1900 January: 6th.-Disaster to Suffolk Regt. near Rensburg.-Attack on Ladysmith repulsed. 10th.-Lords Roberts and Kitchener arrive at Capetown.-Movement for relief of Ladysmith resumed. 11th. –Dundonald seizes pont at Potgeiter's Drift. 18th.-Buller makes second attempt to relieve Ladysmith. 23rd-24th.-Spion Kop captured on 24th, but evacuated during night.-Gen. Woodgate fatally wounded. February: 5th. -Buller's third attempt to relieve Ladysmith commenced.-Lyttlelton crosses Tugela, and captures Vaal Krantz. 9th.-Lord Roberts arrives at Modder River. 13th.-Lord Roberts at Dekiel's Drift. 15th.-Lord Roberts at Jacobsdal.-Relief of Kimberley. 17th.-Rearguard action between Kelly-Kenny and Cronje en route to Bloemfontein.-Fourth attempt to relieve Ladysmith.-Buller advances on Monte Cristo Hill. 19th.-Buller takes Hlangwane Hill. 20th.-Cronje bombarded by Lord Roberts near Paardeberg. 21st.-Fifth Division crosses Tugela. 23rd.-Buller unsuccessfully attacks Railway Hill. 26th.-Buller makes fresh passage of Tugela. 27th.-Cronje surrenders at Paardeberg.-Pieter's Hill carried by Hildyard. 28th.-Relief of Ladysmith.-Clements occupies Colesberg. March: 5th.-Gatacre occupies Stormberg.-Brabant defeats and pursues Boers. 7th.-Lord Roberts routs Boers at Poplar Grove. 10th.-Lord Roberts defeats Boers at Driefontein. 13th.-Lord Roberts occupies Bloemfontein. 31st.-Broadwood attacked at Waterworks.-Artillery entrapped at Koorn Spruit. April: 7th.-Col. Dalgety isolated near Wepener. 25th.-Dalgety relieved by Chermside. May: 12th-Lord Roberts enters Kroonstad.-Attack on Mafeking repulsed, Commandant Eloff taken. 13th.-Mahon repulses attack at Koodoosrand. 15th.-Buller occupies Dundee.-Plumer joint hands with Mahon. 17th-18th.-Relief of Mafeking. 28th.-Annexetion of Orange Free State. 31st.-British flag hoisted at Johannesburg.-Surrender of Yeomanry at Lindley. June: 5th.-Occupation of Pretoria. 8th.-Hildyard takes Botha's Pass.-Mishap to 4th Derbyshires at Roodeval. 11th.-Fight at Allemans Nek. 12th.-Boers evacuate Langs Nek.-Roberts defeats Botha at Diamond Hill. 14th.-Boer attack on Sand River repulsed. July: 4th.-Roberts and Buller join hands at Vlakfontein. 11th.-Disaster to Scots Greys and Lincolns at Uitval Nek. 21st.-Advance towards Komati Poort begins. 30th.-Surrender of Prinsloo and 3,000 Boers to Hunter in Brandwater basin. August: 16th.-Eland's River garrison relieved. 26th.27th.-Fighting at Dalmanutha. 30th.-Nooigedacht occupied and 2,000 prisoners released. September: 6th.-Buller occupies Lydenburg. 13th.-Proclamation issued by Roberts calling on burghers to surrender.-French occupies Barberton. 25th.-British force occupies Komato Poort. October: 9th.-De Wet driven across the Vaal. 24th.-Buller leaves Cape Town for England. 25th.-Formal annexation of S. African Republic. November: 6th.-De Wet defeated at Bothaville. 23rd.-Garrison at Dewetsdorp captured by De Wet. 29th.-Lord Kitchener takes supreme command. December: 5th.-De Wet’s attempt to enter Cape Colony frustrated by Knox. 11th.-Roberts leaves Cape Town for England. 13th.-Clements defeated by Delarey at Nooitgedacht.-Mishap to Brabant's Horse at Zastron. 14th.-De Wet and Steyn escape through Sprinkhaans Pass. 16th-20th.-Boer raid into Cape Colony. 28th.-De Wet fails to break back into Cape Colony. 29th.-Mishap to Liverpools at Helvetia. 1901 January: 7th.-Boer attack on Belfast. 18th.-Delarey's force defeated near Ventersburg. 28th.-French enters Ermelo.-Smith-Dorrien repels Botha.-Sweeping movement commences in S. E. Transvaal. February: 10th.-De Wet enters Cape Colony. 28th.-De Wet recrosses Orange River, having lost his guns. March: 3rd.-Unsuccessful attack by Delarey on Lichtenburg. 22nd-23rd.-Babington routs Delarey at Ventersdorp. April: 8th.-Plumer occupies Pietersburg. 14th.-Rawlinson captures laager at Klerksdorp. May: 29th.-Delarey defeated by Dixon at Vlakfontein. June: 2nd.-Kruitzinger captures James Town, Cape Colony. 6th.-Elliot captures De Wet's convoy near Reitz. 12th.-Disa.ster to Victorians near Wilmansrust. 26th.-Boers attack blockhouses on Delagoa Railway. July: 13th.-Broadwood surprises Reitz.-Narrow escape of Steyn. August: 6th.-Proclamation by Lord Kitchener of banishment of Boer leaders taken in arms after Sept. 15. 13th. -Kruitzinger's commandos routed near Steynsburg by Col. Gorringe. 17th.-Boer laager near Middelsburg captured by B.A.C. September: 5th.-Lotter's commando captured by Col. Scobell. 10th.-Col. Crabbe routs Scheepers's commando at Laingsburg. 17th.-Major Gough surprised near Utrecht. Smut's commando surprises 17th Lancers at Elands River Poort. 26th.-Botha's attack upon Forts Itala and Prospect, on Zulu Border, repulsed. 30th.-Delarey's attack upon Kekewich's camp at Moedwill repulsed. October: 16th.-Rhenoster River blockhouse line attacked. 20th.-Col. Dawkins captures three laagers, Nylstroom. 22nd.-Col. Benson surprises laager near Clipportje. 24th.-Kemp attacks Von Donop's convoy near Marico River. 25th.-Major Damant disperses Boers near Villiersdorp. 30th.-Col. Benson's column attacked at Brakenlaagte. November: 1st.-Col. Kekewich captures Van Albert's laager. 7th.-Maritz attacks Picquetberg. 11th.-Major Pack Beresford, S.A.C., captures Dutoit's laager at Doornhoek. 14th.-De Wet attacks Col. Byng near Heilbron. 26th.-Gen. C. Knox captures Commandant Joubert. December: 4th.-Gen. Bruce Hamilton captures laager near Ermelo. 10th.-Bruce Hamilton captures Bethel commando. 12th.-Bruce Hamilton captures Piet Viljoen's laager. 20th.-Majors Damant's and Bridgeford's columns severely handled by Boers. 23rd.-Kroonstad-Lindley blockhouse line completed. 24th.-De Wet captures Col. Firman's camp at Tweefontein. 29th.-Bruce Hamilton captures Gen. Erasmus east of Ermelo. 1902 January: 10th.-Bruce Hamilton captures Wolmaran's laager. 22nd.-Beyers enters Pietersburg concentration camp. 25th.-Gen. Ben Viljoen captured near Lydenburg. 28th.-Col. Du Moulin killed at Abraham's Kraal. 30th.-Col. Price takes Wessel's laager in Cape Colony. February: 4th.-De Wet's last gun captured by Col. Hon. J. Byng. 5th.-Lord Kitchener commences Wolvehoek drive against De Wet. 8th.-British convoy captured near Fraserburg. 12th.-Mishap to 28th Co. Mounted Inf. at Klip River. 20th.-Col. Park captures commando in Bothasberg. 22nd.-Col. Mackenzie captures Hans Grobelaar's commando near Lake Chrissie. 24th.-Delarey captures Von Donop’s convoy near Wolmaranstad. March: 7th.-Major Paris's column overwhelmed near Tweebosch by Delarey.-Methuen wounded and captured. 15th.-Bruce-Hamilton surprises Emmett's commando, captures Gen. Cherry Emmett. 31st.-W. Kitchener's column repulse Delarey. April: 1st.-2nd Dragoons surprise laager at Boschman’s Kop. 8th.- Col. Colenbrander attacks Beyers near Pietersburg. 11th.-Kemp's men attack Kekewich's column at Rooiwal; repulsed with heavy loses. May: 11th.-Col. Barker captures Manie Botha.-Rebels invest Ookiep. 7th.-Col. Cooper relieves Ookiep.-Serious accident to armoured train near Pretoria. 16th.-Conference at Vereeniging.-Jack Hindon, train wrecker, surrenders at Balmoral. 18th.-Aberdeen attacked by 120 Boers. 21st.-Lord Lovat captures Fouche's camp at Stapleford. 25th.-J. Hindon's corps surrenders at Balmoral. 27th.-Commandant Malan, mortally wounded, captured at Ripon Road, Cape Colony. 31st.-Conditions of surrender signed. The First Boer War (Dutch: Eerste Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans: Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally First Freedom War) also known as the First Anglo-Boer War or the Transvaal War, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881.The southern part of the African continent was dominated in the 19th century by a set of epic struggles to create within it a single unified state. British aggression into southern Africa was fuelled by three prime factors: first, the desire to control the trade routes to India that passed around the Cape; second, the discovery in 1868 of huge mineral deposits of diamonds around Kimberley on the joint borders of the South African Republic (called the Transvaal by the British), Orange Free State and the Cape Colony, and thereafter in 1886 in the Transvaal of a major gold find, all of which offered enormous wealth and power; and thirdly the race against other European colonial powers, as part of a general colonial expansion in Africa. Other potential colonisers included Portugal, who already controlled West (modern day Angola) and East Africa (modern day Mozambique), Germany (modern day Namibia), and further north, Belgium (modern day Democratic Republic of the Congo) and France (West and Equatorial Africa, and Madagascar). The British attempts in 1880 to annexe the Transvaal, and in 1899 both the Transvaal and the Orange Free State (leading to the Second Boer War), were their biggest incursions into southern Africa, but there were others. In 1868, the British annexed Basutoland in the Drakensberg Mountains (modern Lesotho, surrounded by the Orange Free State and Natal) following an appeal from Moshesh, the leader of a mixed group of African refugees from the Zulu wars, who sought British protection against both the Boers and the Zulus. The British did not try to stop Trekboers from moving away from the Cape. The Trekboers served as pioneers, opening up the interior for those who followed, and the British gradually extended their control away from the Cape along the coast toward the east, eventually annexing Natal in 1845. Indeed, the British subsequently ratified the two new Republics in a pair of treaties: the Sand River Convention of 1852 which recognised the independence of the Transvaal Republic, and the Bloemfontein Convention of 1854 which recognised the independence of the Orange Free State. However, British colonial expansion was, from the 1830s, marked by skirmishes and wars against both Boers and native African tribes .n 1875 Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli's Colonial Secretary, Lord Carnarvon, in an attempt to extend British influence, approached the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic and tried to organise a federation of the British and Boer territories to be modelled after the 1867 federation of French and English provinces of Canada, however the Boer leaders turned him down. The successive British annexations, and in particular the annexation of West Griqualand, caused a climate of simmering unease for the Boer republics. Outbreak of War With the defeat of the Zulus, and the Pedi, the Transvaal Boers were able to give voice to the growing resentment against the 1877 British annexation of the Transvaal and complained that it had been a violation of the Sand River Convention of 1852, and the Bloemfontein Convention of 1854.Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley, after returning briefly to India, finally took over as Governor of Natal, Transvaal, High Commissioner of SE Africa and Military Commander in July 1880. Multiple commitments prevented Colley from visiting the Transvaal where he knew many of the senior Boers. Instead he relied on reports from the Administrator, Sir Owen Lanyon, who had no understanding of the Boer mood or capability. Belatedly Lanyon asked for troop reinforcements in December 1880 but was overtaken by events.The Boers on 16 December 1880 revolted and took action at Bronkhorstspruit against a British column of the 94th Foot, who were returning to reinforce Pretoria.After Transvaal formally declared independence from the United Kingdom, the war began on 16 December 1880 with shots fired by Transvaal Boers at Potchefstroom. This led to the action at Bronkhorstspruit on 20 December 1880, where the Boers ambushed and destroyed a British Army convoy. From 22 December 1880 to 6 January 1881, British army garrisons all over the Transvaal became besieged.Although generally called a war, the actual engagements were of a relatively minor nature considering the few men involved on both sides and the short duration of the combat, lasting some ten weeks of sporadic action. The fiercely independent Boers had no regular army; when danger threatened, all the men in a district would form a militia organised into military units called commandos and would elect officers.Commandos being civilian militia, each man wore what he wished, usually everyday dark-grey, neutral-coloured, or earthtone khaki farming clothes such as a jacket, trousers and slouch hat. Each man brought his own weapon, usually a hunting rifle, and his own horses. The average Boer citizens who made up their commandos were farmers who had spent almost all their working life in the saddle, and, because they had to depend on both their horse and their rifle for almost all of their meat, they were skilled hunters and expert marksmen.Most of the Boers had single-shot breech loading rifle such as the Westley Richards, the Martini-Henry, or the Remington Rolling Block. Only a few had repeaters like the Winchester or the Swiss Vetterli. As hunters they had learned to fire from cover, from a prone position and to make the first shot count, knowing that if they missed the game would be long gone. At community gatherings, they often held target shooting competitions using targets such as hens' eggs perched on posts over 100 yards away. The Boer commandos made for expert light cavalry, able to use every scrap of cover from which they could pour accurate and destructive fire at the British with their breech loading rifles.The British infantry uniforms at that date were red jackets, black trousers with red piping to the side, white pith helmets and pipe clayed equipment, a stark contrast to the African landscape.The Highlanders wore the kilt. The standard infantry weapon was the Martini Henry single-shot breech loading rifle with a long sword bayonet. Gunners of the Royal Artillery wore blue jackets. This enabled the Boer marksmen easily to snipe at red-clad British troops from a distance. The Boers carried no bayonets leaving them at a substantial disadvantage in close combat, which they avoided as far as possible. Drawing on years of experience of fighting frontier skirmishes with numerous and indigenous African tribes, they relied more on mobility, stealth, marksmanship and initiative while the British emphasised the traditional military values of command, discipline, formation and synchronised firepower. The average British soldier was not trained to be a marksman and got little target practice. What shooting training British soldiers had was mainly as a unit firing in volleys on command. At the first battle at Bronkhorstspruit, Lieutenant-Colonel Anstruther and 120 men of the 94th Foot (Connaught Rangers) were dead or wounded by Boer fire within minutes of the first shots. Boer losses totalled two killed and five wounded. This mainly Irish regiment was marching westward toward Pretoria, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Anstruther, when halted by a Boer commando group. Its leader, Piet Joubert, ordered Anstruther and the column to turn back, stating that the territory was now again a Boer Republic and therefore any further advance by the British would be deemed an act of war. Anstruther refused and ordered that ammunition be distributed. The Boers opened fire and the ambushed British troops were annihilated. With the majority of his troops dead or wounded, the dying Anstruther ordered surrender.The Boer uprising caught by surprise the six small British forts scattered around Transvaal, housing some 2,000 troops between them, including irregulars with as few as fifty men at Lydenburg in the east where Anstruther had just left. Being isolated, and with so few troops, all the forts could do was prepare for sieges, and wait to be relieved. The other five forts, with a minimum of fifty miles between any two, were at Wakkerstroom and Standerton in the south, Marabastadt in the north and Potchefstroom and Rustenburg in the west. The three main engagements of the war were all within about sixteen miles of each other, centred on the Battles of Laing’s Nek (28 January 1981), Ingogo River (8/2/81) and the rout at Majuba Hill (27 February 1981). These battles were the outcome of Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley’s attempts to relieve the besieged forts. Although Colley had requested reinforcements these would not reach him until mid-February. He was, however, convinced that the garrisons would not survive until then. Consequently, at Newcastle, near the Transvaal border he mustered a relief column (the Natal Field Force) of available men although this amounted to only 1,200 men. Colley’s force was further weakened in that few were mounted, a serious disadvantage in the terrain and type of warfare. Most Boers were mounted and good riders. Nonetheless, Colley’s force set out on 24 January 1881 northward for Laing’s Nek on route to relieve Wakkerstroom and Standerton, the nearest forts.At the Battle of Laing's Nek on 28 January 1881, the Natal Field Force under Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley attempted with cavalry and infantry attacks to break through the Boer positions on the Drakensberg mountain range to relieve their garrisons. The British were repulsed with heavy losses by the Boers under the command of Piet Joubert. Of the 480 British troops who made the charges, 150 never returned. Furthermore, sharpshooting Boers had killed or wounded many senior officers.Further actions included the Battle of Schuinshoogte (also known as Ingogo) on 8 February 1881, where another British force barely escaped destruction. Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley had sought refuge with the Natal Field Force at Mount Prospect, three miles to the south to await reinforcements. However, Colley was soon back into action. On 7 February a mail escort on its way to Newcastle had been attacked by the Boers and forced back to Mount Prospect. The next day Colley, determined to keep his supplies and communication route open, escorted the mail wagon personally and this time with a larger escort.The Boer attacked the convoy at the Ingogo River crossing, but with a stronger force of some 300 men. The firepower was evenly matched and the fight continued for several hours, but the Boer marksmen dominated the action until darkness and a storm permitted Colley and the remainder of his troops to retreat back to Mount Prospect. In this engagement the British lost 139 officers and men, half the original force that had set out to escort the mail convoy.On 14 February hostilities were suspended, awaiting the outcome of peace negotiations initiated by an offer from Kruger. During this time Colley’s promised reinforcements arrived with more to follow. The British government in the meantime had offered a Royal Commission investigation and possible troop withdrawal, and their attitude toward the Boers was conciliatory. Colley was critical of this stance and, whilst waiting for Kruger’s final agreement, decided to attack again with a view to enabling the British government to negotiate from a position of strength. Unfortunately this resulted in the disaster of the Battle of Majuba Hill on 27 February 1881, the greatest humiliation for the British. On 26 February 1881, Colley led a night march of some 360 men to the top of Majuba Hill that overlooked the main Boer position. Early the next morning the Boers saw Colley occupying the summit, and started to ascend the hill. The Boers, shooting accurately and using all available natural cover, advanced toward the trapped British position. Several Boer groups stormed the hill and drove off the British at great cost to the British, including the loss of Major-General Colley. Many of the British were killed or wounded, some falling to their deaths down the mountain. This had such an impact that during the Second Boer War, one of the British slogans was "Remember Majuba." The Boers suffered only one killed and five wounded.Hostilities continued until 6 March 1881, when a truce was declared, ironically on the same terms that Colley had disparaged. The Transvaal forts had endured, contrary to Colley’s forecast, with the sieges being generally uneventful, the Boers content to wait for hunger and sickness to strike. The forts had suffered only light casualties as an outcome of sporadic engagements, except at Potchefstroom, where twenty-four were killed, and seventeen at Pretoria, in each case resulting from occasional raids on Boer positions.Although the Boers exploited their advantages to the full, their unconventional tactics, marksman skills and mobility do not fully explain the heavy losses of the British. Like the Boers, British soldiers were equipped with breech-loading rifles (the Martini-Henry) but they were (unlike the Boers) professionals and the British Army had previously fought campaigns in difficult terrains and against elusive enemy such as the tribesmen of the Northern Territories in modern day Afghanistan.Historians lay much of the blame at the feet of the British command and Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley, in particular, but poor intelligence and bad communications also contributed to British losses.At Laing’s Nek it seems that Colley not only underestimated the Boer capabilities, but had been misinformed of, and was surprised by, the strength of the Boers forces. The confrontation at Ingogo Nek was perhaps rash, given that reserves were being sent, and Colley had by then experienced the Boer strength and capabilities. Indeed, strategists have speculated as to whether the convoy should have proceeded at all when it was known to be vulnerable to attack, and whether it was necessary for Colley himself to take command of the British guard. Colley's decision to initiate the attack at Majuba Hill when truce discussions were already underway appears to have been foolhardy particularly as there was limited strategic value, as the Boer positions were out of rifle range from the summit. Once the Battle of Majuba Hill had begun, Colley’s command and understanding of the dire situation seemed to deteriorate as the day went on, as he sent unclear signals to the British forces at Mount Prospect by heliograph, first requesting reinforcements and the next stating that the Boers were retreating. The poor leadership, intelligence and communications resulted in the deaths of many British soldiers.The British government of William Gladstone was conciliatory as it realised that any further action would require substantial troop reinforcements, and it was likely that the war would be costly, messy and protracted. Unwilling to get bogged down in a distant war with apparently minimal returns (the Transvaal at the time had no known mineral resources, or other significant resources, being essentially a cattle and sheep agricultural economy), the British government ordered a truce.Under instructions from the British government, Sir Evelyn Wood (who had replaced Colley upon his death on 27 February 1881) signed an armistice to end the war, and subsequently a peace treaty was signed with Kruger at O'Neil's Cottage on 6 March. In the final peace treaty on 23 March 1881, the British agreed to Boer self-government in the Transvaal under a theoretical British oversight, the Boers accepting the Queen’s nominal rule and British control over African affairs and native districts. A three-man Royal Commission drew up the Pretoria Convention, which was ratified on 25 October 1881, by the Transvaal Volksraad (parliament). This led to the withdrawal of the last British troops.When in 1886 a second major mineral find was made at an outcrop on a large ridge some thirty miles south of the Boer capital at Pretoria, it reignited British imperial interests. The ridge, known locally as the "Witwatersrand" (literally "white water ridge" – a watershed) contained the world's largest deposit of gold-bearing ore. Although it was not as rich as gold finds in Canada and Australia, its consistency made it especially well-suited to industrial mining methods. By 1899, when tensions erupted once more into the Second Boer War, the lure of gold made it worth committing the vast resources of the British Empire and incurring the huge costs required to win that war. The sharp lessons the British learned during the First Boer War which included Boer marksmanship, tactical flexibility, and good use of ground had largely been forgotten when the second war broke out 18 years later, which also led to heavy casualties as well as many setbacks for the British. Nicolaas Pieter Johannes ("Niklaas" or "Siener") Janse van Rensburg Anglo-Zulu Wars 1879-1896 The destruction of the Zulu kingdom 1879 -1896 In the 1870s settler and colonial determination to bring Blacks under firm political control had undermined the hard-won security that many African societies had achieved. This was due to changes in economic conditions in South Africa's hinterland, and the consequent need to secure sufficient political authority over Africans- which would ensure security and access to labour. These societies attempted to resist the extension of colonial control over them, one of which was the Zulu kingdom. Sir Bartle Frere was appointed British high commissioner to South Africa in 1879 to realise the Policy of Confederation. This policy was set to bring the various British colonies, Boer republics and independent African groups under common control- with a view to implementing a policy of economic development. Sir Bartle Frere saw the self-reliant Zulu kingdom as a threat to this policy, a belief which was supported by Shepstone, the Secretary for Native Affairs. Shepstone averred that the Zulu people had revived their military power under Cetshwayo , which made them more of a threat to peace and prosperity in South Africa. On 11 December 1878, under the flimsy pretext of a few minor border incursions into Natal by Cetshwayo's followers, the Zulu were given an impossible ultimatum- that they should disarm and Cetshwayo should forsake his sovereignty. The inevitable invasion of Zululand began after the ultimatum had expired on *10 January 1879 (see insert note). Instead of fragmenting the Zulu as Shepstone predicted, this rallied the Zulu to their king's cause. Many historians mark the 10* January 1879 as the beginning of the Anglo-Zulu war, while others claim that the 12 January 1879 (first attack) or the 22 January 1879 (first decisive battle of Isandlwana) marked the beginning of the war. However, even the 10 January date is disputed as many sources say that the ultimatum actually expired on the 11 January 1879. Under the overall command of Lord Chelmsford, the British forces -many of them colonials (Whites) or members of the Natal Native Contingent (Blacks) – began carrying out the general plan put in place for the invasion of Zululand. The main objective was to occupy the Zulu royal kraal at Ulundi by advancing on it from three directions. This operation was similar to the Zulu tactic of attacking from three sides by means of the main force or chest in the centre, and an extended left and right ‘horn’ on each side. The right or Number I Column, commanded by Colonel C.K. Pearson, was to cross the lower Tugela River and advance towards Ulundi by way of Eshowe. The centre or main force, the Number III Column, advanced from Pietermaritzburg via Greytown to Helpmekaar, under the leadership of Lord Chelmsford himself. From Helpmekaar the centre force was to enter Zululand at Rorke's Drift and move eastwards to the royal kraal. The left or Number IV Column, commanded by Brevet Col Sir H. Evelyn Wood, concentrated at Utrecht with the object of reaching Ulundi from the north-west. In addition, two minor forces guarded the borders. The first of these forces was the Number II Column at Krantzkop, under Brevet Col A.W. Durnford to prevent the Zulus crossing the Tugela. The second was the Number V Column at Luneberg to safeguard the Transvaal, which had been annexed by the British in 1877 (see map). The first attack of the war took place on 12 January 1879, when the position of Sihayo's kraal, situated in the Batshe valley, threatened the successful advancement of the British column. Under Chelmsford’s orders, the attacking force moved across the Batshe to attack a rocky gorge into which Sihayo's men had retreated, driving their cattle before them. The Natal Native Contingent showed reluctance to face the Zulus, some of whom were armed with rifles. In an attempt to thwart the attack, stones were also rolled down onto the attackers and after sharp action, the Zulus retreated, with 30 dead, 4 wounded and 10 captured. The British however, suffered only 2 casualties, with 15 wounded. The Battle of Isandlwana The main Zulu army left Nodwengu on 17 January to defend Zululand from the centre column. These forces were under the command of chiefs Ntshingwayo kaMahole Khoza and Mavu-mengwana kaNdlela Ntuli. Cetshwayo had promised his men that the British would be defeated in a 'single day'. On the 17 January Chelmsford and his forces rode to Isandlwana, which he had selected as the site for his next camp. On 20 January Chelmsford’s men arrived and set up camp at Isandlwana hill. Chelmsford encountered some local resistance and mistakenly assumed it to be the main Zulu force. This divided his column, half of which he took to support an engagement some fifteen kilometres away. Colonel Henry Pulleine was left in charge of the remaining forces, but did not organise his troops into a defensive circular ‘laager’ formation, as the wagons would be needed shortly to transport supplies. Colonel A.W. Durnford arrived the next day with a detachment to reinforce the camp and take over command. Durnford, described as being 'as plucky as a lion but as imprudent as a child', impetuously pursued a Zulu foraging party. As he proceeded over the ridge of the Mabaso heights he encountered, to his horror, the Zulu army, a mass of 20 000 strong below. The Zulu had not intended to attack then, as it was a new moon and it was considered unwise to fight on a 'dark day'. However, once discovered, they had no choice but to go on the offensive. Pulleine was therefore forced to spread his firepower over a long distance, instead of concentrating his men in a tight formation. The Zulu steadily advanced in the horn formation, their centre, or chest, pitted against Puileine's left flank. They suffered huge losses as the British concentrated fire on the chest, and the attack was temporarily stalled. The Zulu’s left horn outflanked Durnford's infantry and descended onto the British camp from behind. Realising he was surrounded, Pulleine tried to retreat in order to save the endangered camp. This allowed the Zulu centre to advance again, and while raising the national cry of 'uSuthu' the Zulu interposed themselves between the retreating British and their camp. Hand to hand combat ensued and the Zulu carried the day. A detachment of British troops tried to mount a final stand at a stream two miles away, but most retreated to Rorke's Drift or fled down the Mzinyathi River with the Zulu in pursuit. The British lost 52 officers, 727 white soldiers and 471 black men of the Native Contingent - a third of Chelmsford's men. The Zulu, ‘as was their custom, took no prisoners at Isandlwana, and spared no lives, despite pleas for mercy'’. Everything else left behind was carried off as booty. The Battle of Rorke’s Drift and the Aftermath The Charge of the 17th Lancers at the Battle of Ulundi. Source: http://www.britishbattles.com/ One day later, a depot at Rorke's Drift was attacked against the orders of Cetshwayo, who favoured a defensive strategy. After the overwhelming victory over the British at Isandlwana, Zulu reserve forces who were not involved in the previous day’s battle retaliated with an attack on the “hastily erected fort” at the small garrison of Rorke’s Drift. Here the British fought with ‘rifle fire and bayonets’ and the Zulu force, led by Prince Dabulamanzi, suffered 500 casualties in this fruitless engagement. This provided the British with “much needed propaganda to counter the Zulu success at Isandlwana”. On the coast, the right column brushed aside Zulu resistance at the Nyezane river, before advancing to occupy the deserted mission station at Eshowe. The left column was also involved in heavy skirmishing around the Hlobane mountain. When the central British collapsed at Isandlwana, however, the left and right flanking columns were left exposed. The Zulus managed to cut Colonel C.K. Pearson’s right column off from the border, and Pearson's men were besieged for three months at Eshowe. The left flank column, however, managed to remain operative. Chelmsford swiftly made his way back to Natal. The might of the British army had suffered a severe repulse and any thoughts of a quick British victory were put to rest. On the other hand, the Zulu themselves suffered terrible casualties, and worse was to follow. After the defeat at Isandlwana British pride had to be restored, and reinforcements were sent for. Chelmsford's army advanced again into Zululand, inflicting heavy defeats on the Zulu in April at Gingindlovu, relieving Pearson's column, and at Khambula. The Zulu were now on the back foot. In July Chelmsford moved in on oNdini, and in a final onslaught known as the Battle of Ulundi, they secured an overwhelming military success. More than 1 000 Zulu were killed and Cetshwayo was forced to flee for safety, until he was captured in the Ngome forest in August and exiled to the Cape. The Zulu were then instructed to return to their homesteads and resume productive activities. The British, nonetheless, were at pains to explain that the war was against the Zulu royal house. The Division of Zululand The war itself had not destroyed the kingdom, but subsequent events served to divide the Zulu and undermine their economic and social cohesion. Taking a leaf out of Shepstone’s 'native policy', Sir Garnet Wolseley, the new British commander in Natal, divided the kingdom into thirteen territories under appointed chiefs. They were meant to represent the chiefly lineages of pre-Shakan times, which was a shaky argument at best, especially since one of them was John Dunn who had joined the British when hostilities began. Others had either been outrightly opposed to Cetshwayo or had shown little loyalty to him during the war. The chiefs’ allegiance was to those who had appointed them, and Britain thus effectively began to administer indirect rule over Zululand. Melmoth Osborn, who enthusiastically supported Shepstone's views, was appointed as British Resident in Zululand. Unsurprisingly Zululand suffered civil strife as a result of this arrangement. Those who continued to espouse the old Zulu order were known as the uSuthu, and were led by Ndabuko kaMpande, Cetshwayo's brother. They were to come into conflict with the appointed chiefs and by 1887 had 'fought themselves to a standstill'. In addition, a hut tax was imposed, not only on each hut but on every wife regardless of whether she occupied a hut. Wolseley's infamous settlement of Zululand had not destroyed the Zulu homestead-the basic productive unit in the kingdom's economy- nor had the Zulu been deprived of their land. The hut tax, however, served to divert some of the surplus accruing to an individual homestead head to the British government. Subsequently over 70% of the annual cost of administering Zululand was derived from this tax. As the civil war intensified, the British realised that this settlement was simply not workable. Cetshwayo, encouraged by Bishop Colenso and his daughter Harriette- who both visited him in Cape Town-petitioned the British government and was granted permission to visit England to put forward his case for the restoration of the Zulu monarchy. In Zululand similar petitions were presented to the British Resident by the uSuthu. Early in 1883 Cetshwayo was reinstalled as king, but his powers had been severely reduced. He was confined to a smaller area, surrounded by enemies, and his every move was watched by a Resident. Those who wished to show their loyalty to Cetshwayo were obliged to move into his central district of the kingdom. Zibhebhu, an arch opponent of Cetshwayo, whose allegiance was more to the colonial order than the royal house, occupied a large tract of territory to Cetshwayo's north, and forced uSuthu loyalists resident in his portion to return to Cetshwayo's area. A pre-emptive strike by the uSuthu against Zibhebhu failed. Later Zibhebhu and Hamu, another of the appointed chiefs, invaded the uSuthu. Cetshwayo was soundly defeated at his newly built capital at oNdini in 1883, with the level of bloodshed exceeding anything the Zulu had experienced during Cetshwayo's reign. Matters worsened for the uSuthu when Cetshwayo died in late 1883- as the balance of power in Zululand had now shifted decisively to the Imperial administration, and its supporters in Zululand. In a last-ditch measure to regain power, Cetshwayo's son, Dinuzulu, entered into a treaty with the Transvaal. In military terms, the alliance proved successful and Zibhebhu's army was forced out of the loyalists' territory. But this agreement came at a huge cost. In return for their assistance, the Boers were promised vast tracts of territory on Zululand's western margin, which they called The New Republic, with its 'capital' at Vryheid. When the Transvaalers tried to claim even more land than what was agreed upon, the uSuthu refused. Having realised the extent of the chaos in Zululand, the British intervened. Dinuzulu was allowed to retain control of his portion of central Zululand, but the Boers were also acknowledged as owners of the New Republic. This lead to a Reserve area being set aside for those opposed to the loyalists. In Natal, pressure mounted for the annexation of Zululand, and almost inevitably it was annexed to the Crown in 1887. The promulgation of a Code of Laws placed Zululand under a similar 'Native Policy' to that in Natal. Once more the uSuthu mounted resistance to the annexation, and again Zibhebhus services were called upon. The revolt was spectacularly successful for a short period, as the uSuthu under Dinuzulu made good use of the mountainous terrain to repulse a police contingent sent to arrest their leaders. Zibhebhus followers were attacked by Dinuzulu and forced to flee hastily from the Ndwandwe district. Finally reinforcements arrived, the uSuthu were driven from their hideouts, leading Dinuzulu to surrender. In 1889, he and his leading adherents were tried for treason, found guilty and sentenced to prison terms on St Helena. In 1894 Dinuzulu was pardoned and allowed to return to Zululand, but as a mere induna, or state official, with no chiefly powers or privileges. To appease colonial interests, his return was coupled with the annexation of Zululand by Natal in 1897. After eighteen years, settler interests had prevailed in the land of the Zulu, and the plans Shepstone initially envisaged for the kingdom could be put into place. White settlers and traders entered Zululand in increasing numbers, and Zululand was thus 'reconstructed'. The territory was divided among compliant chiefs who ruled with limited authority, and the governor of Natal became the supreme chief over Zululand. The situation was worsened further by several natural disasters between 1894 and 1897. These disasters included a plague of locusts, drought and the devastating rinderpest epidemic of 1897- which led to a massive decline in homestead production. Already under stress from the imposition of the hut tax, many more Zulu men were forced into the Witwatersrand labour market to make ends meet and pay taxes. The gradual emergence of a permanent labouring class alongside a traditional economy, based on homestead production and cattle-keeping, led to new social divisions in Zulu society. August 30, 1864 – March 11, 1926) was a Boer from the South African Republic - also known as the Transvaal Republic - and later a citizen of South Africa who was considered by some to be a prophet of the Boere (who are the smaller section of the language based macro group which became known as Afrikaners). Consequently his nickname became Siener, which is Afrikaans for "seer" or "soothsayer". His seemingly accurate predictions of future events were typically wrapped in a patriotic, religious format. During the Boer War he soon acquired a reputation which made him a trusted companion, if not advisor to General de la Rey and President Steyn. The true extent of his influence with these figures is disputed,though the very religious de la Rey seemed to have considered him a prophet of God He was born on the farm Palmietfontein in the Potchefstroom district as son of Willem Jacobus Janse van Rensburg and Anna Catharina Janse van Rensburg. He only received 20 days of formal school training at the Rooipoort farm school, and spent much of his youth as a cattle herder. He could never write, but assisted by his mother learnt to read from the Bible. He never read anything else. At age 16 he participated in a government expedition against the rebellious tribal leader Mapog. He survived malaria acquired on the expedition and settled near Wolmaranstad in the then western ZAR. He was elected as elder for the Hervormde Kerk at age 21, possibly due to his scriptural knowledge. He married Anna Sophia Kruger in 1884. Van Rensburg and his brother were commandeered to participate in the second Anglo-Boer War under General du Toit. He was however unarmed and never fired a shot, but delivered a stream of prophesies that continued throughout the war. As the seer would later explain, a nightly visitor would have woken him only a day before the outbreak of war, with a message that his work was dedicated to God. Following the encounter he was beset with a fear that wouldn't dissipate. When his disturbed state continued to their sojourn in Kimberley, his superiors sent him home. Experiencing no relief, he returned to the Siege of Kimberley, where a vision revealed to him the defeat and loss of life that the war would bring about.Shortly afterwards, possibly at Graspan, his disturbed state lifted permanently when a soldier was wounded on his side, as a vision revealed to him shortly before. Van Rensburg then travelled with general Piet Cronjé but escaped the encirclement by British forces at Paardeberg. Subsequently he travelled with different commandos, where a number of apparently accurate predictions established his reputation. A report of his visions attracted the attention of General de la Rey, who recruited Van Rensburg for his commando. On December 7, 1900, General de Wet found himself cornered against the Caledon River which was in flood, while British forces were assailing his position. When his surrender appeared imminent, a message of De la Rey was delivered by a Boer scout. Van Rensburg had foreseen the situation and the message outlined an escape route, which was duly followed, leaving the pursuers to succumb in the torrent De Wet had just traversed.De la Rey, also hard pressed by his enemy, dispatched Van Rensburg to accompany President Steyn to Roodewal, De Wet's safe retreat in the northern Free State. Here Van Rensburg advised them to wait upon two horsemen which he described, who arrived the next day with a message from acting President Schalk Burger. On September 13, 1901, Van Rensburg found himself in the camp of Commandant Roux at Rietkuil near Vredefort. Sensing imminent danger, he advised those present, who had just retired for the day, to depart from the camp at once. Roux was slow to take heed, and his men more so, as scouts had not observed any enemy units. Van Rensburg, his wife and children escaped on a cart, shortly before the greater part of the camp was captured in a surprise attack Van Rensburg was present when Commandant Van Aardt's company returned from the action at Yzerspruit on February 25, 1902. Van Aardt was despondent as his brother was missing in action but Van Rensburg assured him that he was neither dead nor captured, but alive though in great pain. The wounded soldier was returned to camp the same evening, carried on the horse of a burgher who found him. Before the Battle of Tweebosch, Van Rensburg gave a number of predictions indicating how the enemy would approach along the Harts River, and when he deemed them most vulnerable. He also envisaged how the victory would enhance De la Rey's reputation. Methuen's force collapsed in the face of De la Rey's sudden attack on March 7, 1902, and Methuen was captured. On March 17, 1902, President Steyn, in the company of De Wet and Hertzog, arrived at Zendelingsfontein, De la Rey's headquarters near Klerksdorp, to consult De la Rey's physician about an eye ailment. Van Rensburg was once again dispatched to guard the president. Around the 23rd he had a vision of English troops arriving, but the president was unwilling to heed his warning, until De la Rey intervened urgently on Van Rensburg's behalf. The president departed for the safety of the Molopo River on the evening of the 24th. British troops arrived at Zendelingsfontein during the early hours of the 25th and captured two of De la Rey's adjutants. Gaining entry to General Kemp's war council in the bushveld region, he soon warned them against attacking a retreating enemy, which would leave them vulnerable to encirclement. At the subsequent Battle of Harts River on March 31, 1902, some British units did fall back, though some Canadians stood their ground until overpowered by burgher forces. Kemp, though partially or grudgingly heeding the seer's visions, was generally reluctant to give him credit. In January 1901 Van Rensburg had a vision indicating the flight of three Boer women, who were soon found and rescued by his host Willem Bosman. Days after rejoining De la Rey's commando he had visions of members of his own family being captured, and asked for leave to assist them. The Van Rensburg family fled from their farmhouse as English forces approached, but the wagon train carrying the elderly, women and neighbours was surprised and captured by traitors the following morning. Van Rensburg's parents, eldest daughter Hester and four younger children were subsequently interned at the Mafeking concentration camp. Van Rensburg, his wife, eldest son Willem and two daughters travelled with a group which managed to evade their pursuers, and Van Rensburg once again joined De la Rey's commando. Upon meeting his wife again in mid October 1901, they found their farmhouse destroyed. Van Rensburg's ominous premonition concerning their daughters, Anna and Maria, was confirmed when news arrived that they and two relatives had died during an outbreak of measles in the concentration camp. When the Union of South Africa came out in support of the Allied Powers in World War I, Van Rensburg allied with the rebels. The rebellion received a fatal blow even before it started, when the influential general Koos de la Rey was accidentally killed on September 15, 1914. De la Rey, when killed, was en route to General J.G.C. Kemp, who subsequently organised the rebellion in western Transvaal. On November 2, Kemp addressed a public meeting at Vleeskraal, near Schweizer-Reneke, with the locally influential Van Rensburg at his side. Van Rensburg also addressed the assembly, and assured them that his visions indicated they had little to fear. 610 men then joined the rebel cause, and with conscription imminent, the number of rebel volunteers grew to 1,800. General Kemp decided on a company of 720 men, mostly farmers, which included Van Rensburg and his son. They departed immediately on a journey to join Manie Maritz in German South-West Africa. After a desert trek and much hardship they linked up with Maritz's company on November 29. Rebels under De Wet and Beyers were rounded up by South African forces in the days that followed. Returning to South Africa, Maritz and Kemp engaged government forces at Nous, Lutzputs and finally at Upington, on February 3, 1915. Van Rensburg's son Willem was mortally wounded in the Upington clash, and the whole rebel force captured, with the exception of Maritz who fled via German South-West Africa, to Angola and from thence to Portugal,Van Rensburg, like his comrades, received a prison sentence. He however served about a year, first in Boksburg, then in the Old Fort, Johannesburg After his release Nicolaas van Rensburg returned to his farm Rietkuil, near Wolmaranstad. Some of his visions were then recorded by reverend Dr. Rossouw. Van Rensburg's daughter Anna Badenhorst also recorded a set of visions up to his death at age 61. The latter set is considered to be difficult to interpret and not very coherent. With the outbreak of World War II, the collections of visions were considered inflammatory. Distribution was prohibited and some copies seized on orders of prime minister Jan Smuts. Upon Anna's death her hand written documents were transferred to Lichtenburg museum's archives, where they were rediscovered in 1991. The farm and van Rensburg family cemetery are located 11 km from Ottosdal, in the North West Province. Gen.De La Rey His mother perceived his visions even as a toddler, and noticed that these seemed to disturb him. General Hertzog described him as someone continuously distracted by a maze of imagery and symbolism. In all, some 700 visions have been recorded. The nature of his visions invariably concerned the welfare of the Boere, the Netherlands and Germany, and were experienced by him as visual imagery to be interpreted afterwards. When the image of the sisal plant occurred in his visions, he for instance interpreted this as a portend of an important meeting, assembly or parliament. He is believed by some to have made many accurate predictions of local events, including foretelling the death of general Koos de la Reyand the political transition of South Africa after his own death. At times his visions also concerned international events, among which the start of World War Iand the rise of Communism.He was unable to interpret some of his own visions. These, written down, are still open to interpretation, and believed by some to pertain to future events. Boer soldier Deneys Reitz's account of the Boer War contains a colourful objective account of one of the seer's predictions (shortened): ... a prophet, a strange character, with long flowing beard and wild fanatical eyes, who dreamed dreams and pretended to possess occult powers. I personally witnessed one of the lucky hits while we were congregated around the General's cart. Van Rensburg was expounding his latest vision to a hushed audience. It ran of a black bull and a red bull fighting, until at length the red bull sank defeated to its knees, referring to the British. Arms outstretched and eyes ablaze, he suddenly called out: See, who comes?; and, looking up, we made out a distant horseman spurring towards us. When he came up, he produced a letter from General Botha, hundreds of miles away. General de la Rey opened it and said: Men, believe me, the proud enemy is humbled. The letter contained news that the English had proposed a peace conference. Coming immediately upon the prophecy, it was a dramatic moment and I was impressed, even though I suspected that van Rensburg had stage-managed the scene. Of the general's sincerity there could be no doubt as he firmly believed in the seer's predictions. Second Anglo-Boer War - 1899 - 1902 'South African War ( a.k.a. the Anglo-Boer War) remains the most terrible and destructive modern armed conflict in South Africa’s history. It was an event that in many ways shaped the history of 20th Century South Africa. The end of the war marked the end of the long process of British conquest of South African societies, both Black and White'. - Gilliomee and Mbenga (2007). The Causes A number of interrelated factors led to the Second Anglo-Boer War. These include the conflicting political ideologies of imperialism and republicanism, the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, tension between political leaders, the Jameson Raid and the Uitlander franchise. Conflicting political ideology After the First Anglo-Boer War the British government did not give up its ambition for unifying South Africa under Imperial British rule. The two Boer republics of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic or Transvaal still maintained their desire for independence. The Boer republics were a stumbling block for the British Empire. The discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand Gold had been mined since the early 1870s but was discovered on the Witwatersrand, in the Transvaal, in 1886. Thousands of white and black South Africans were employed on the mines by 1890. South Africa became the single biggest gold producer in the world and this meant great growth for the independent Boer governments. The Transvaal now also became more prominent in international finance because the importance of gold as an international monetary system. Britain was the centre of industry and trade in the world at the time and needed a steady supply of gold to maintain this position. Neighbouring independent states like the Orange Free State and British colonies like Natal could also gain from the riches and investment brought to the country. The Cape Colony wasn’t the leading economic state in the country anymore and a Boer republic took its place. Even though the Transvaal gold mines were the richest in the world they were also the most difficult to mine because the reefs lay so deep under the ground. The gold had to be mined by shafts as opposed to open mines, like diamonds. Mining as an individual was not as efficient as using groups of miners with special skills. Large companies were created with local and international investment and individual miners were soon squeezed out. Prospectors streamed to South Africa from all over the world, and especially from Europe. The Transvalers saw these foreigners, or Uitlanders, as a threat to their independence. In order to maintain its control of gold mining and the growth of the as they called them immigrant population, the Transvaal government restricted the voting rights of Uitlanders.Only foreigners who had been in the country for 14 years or more could vote. It was called the Uitlander franchise and didn’t really bother most Uitlanders, who had come to South Africa to make their fortunes, but it did cause strain between the Transvaal and British governments. Tension between political leaders Paul Kruger. Source: wikipedia.org There were various political leaders with opposing views in power in different parts of South Africa during the 1890s. Paul Kruger was president of the Transvaal or South African Republic (SAR) and Cecil John Rhodes became the premier of the Cape Colony in 1890. Rhodes was from Britain and had made his fortune in South Africa by mining diamonds. He was also a supporter of the British imperial plan to unite South Africa under British rule. Kruger was a supporter of Boer independence and the two leaders were in direct conflict with each other. Rhodes believed that if the SAR was left to grow financially it would eventually grow in size and topple Britain from its position of power in South Africa. He specifically did not want the SAR to gain access to a route to the sea, as this would seriously affect the economies of the British colonies. Rhodes and Britain were determined to stop the SAR’s expansion. The Jameson Raid By 1895 Britain was getting more confident about taking action in South Africa. Joseph Chamberlain was appointed Colonial Secretary. He joined forces with Rhodes to try to develop and promote the British Empire in South Africa. In September and October 1895 the Drift Crisis between the Cape Colony and the Transvaal or SAR developed. The Cape had finished building a railway line to Johannesburg and tried to get as much of the Transvaal’s railway traffic by reducing its rates.It was aware that the Transvaal's Delagoa Bay line was al most complete.The Transvaal government increased the rates on the part of the railway that ran through the Transvaal once it had crossed the Vaal River. In answer to this goods, were taken to the Vaal River by train, and then taken further by wagon to avoid paying the higher prices in the Transvaal. Kruger reacted by blocking access to the Transvaal, closing the drifts on the Transvaal side. The British government demanded that Kruger open the drifts and used the situation to involve itself directly in Transvaal affairs. Rhodes planned an uprising of Uitlanders in Johannesburg. The uprising was timed to coincide with an invasion of the Transvaal from Bechuanaland (present day Botswana), by Dr Leander Starr Jameson . Rhodes wanted to take over the government of the Transvaal and turn it into a British colony that would join all the other colonies in a federation. Chamberlain helped plan the Jameson Raid. The Jameson Raid which began on on 29th December 1895, was a total failure. Jameson waited on the border, but the Uitlander leaders in Johannesburg argued among themselves about the kind of government to be put into place after the invasion. Many of the Uitlanders had no interest in violent uprising, but preferred to celebrate the New Year. Rhodes decided to stop the raid, but it was too late because Jameson and his party had already crossed into the Transvaal. Jameson’s troops tried to cut communication lines to Pretoria, but cut the wrong lines. This meant that the Transvaal government knew the raiders were on their way before they reached Johannesburg. On 2 January 1896 Jameson had to surrender at Doornkop near Krugersdorp. The prisoners were handed over to their own government and the Uitlander leaders who had been part of the plot were put to trial in Johannesburg. Some of them were condemned to death, but the sentences were later reduced to large fines. Rhodes was forced to resign as the premier of the Cape Colony and the political problems between Afrikaans and English-speaking people became worse than ever in the colony. The Orange Free State co-operated more closely with the Transvaal. Transvaal residents felt that they were being threatened and Uitlanders were treated with more suspicion than ever before. Read a more detailed feature on the Jameson raid The Uitlander Franchise The Uitlanders were not only from Britain, but came from all over the world to make money on the goldfields in the Transvaal. Some of them were not interested in the political situation in the republic and were not concerned about the fact that they couldn’t vote. Some Uitlanders felt that they contributed to the exploitation of the riches in the republic and had the right to a say in the way the country was being run. The Transvaal government realised that this could be a threat to the republic’s independence, but also knew that it couldn’t ignore the Uitlanders’ demands. The foreigners could apply for citizenship or naturalisation after 5 years of living in the Transvaal. A Second Volksraad was created in 1890 and new laws were made. Uitlanders who had been naturalised for two years could now vote. The Second Volksraad only had say in local matters in Johannesburg and on the mines; any bills it put forward could only become laws if the First Volksraad agreed. Only Uitlanders who had been in the country for a full 14 years or longer could vote for the first Volksraad. Now Uitlanders had a say in political matters, but the First Volksraad still ran the country. Very few Uitlanders used their right to vote, but the Second Volksraad took its responsibilities seriously.After the Jameson Raid Chamberlain wanted to win back some of the respect he had lost because of the raid’s failure. He was more determined to make the South African union a reality and decided to use diplomatic power to do so. He invited Kruger to London for talks about the Uitlander Franchise, but the president would not discuss his country’s internal affairs. He felt that this would create the impression that the SAR could not take care of its own politics independently. Next Chamberlain called a meeting in London to try to involve Britain directly in Transvaal affairs. His interference caused even more tension between the two countries. He also sent Sir Alfred Milner , another loyal supporter of British expansion, to South Africa as British High Commissioner.Milner hoped that Kruger would not be re-elected, but in 1898 he was. Milner was afraid that the Boer republics wanted to take over the whole country and told Chamberlain that war was the only way to prevent that from happening. In December 1898 Transvaal police shot an Uitlander called Tom Edgar. The officer responsible said that it was in self-defence, but the Uitlander community reacted as if it was a political incident. This made the franchise issue an important factor in the outbreak of the war because political tension between Boers and British subjects in the Transvaal became worse. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANGLO BOER WAR - 1 &2 First Anglo Boer War Causes of the War The First Anglo-Boer is also known as the First Transvaal War of Independence because the conflict arose between the British colonizers and the Boers from the Transvaal Republic or Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR). The Boers had some help from their neighbours in the Orange Free State. There were several causes of the First Anglo-Boer War. The expansion of the British Empire. Problems within the Transvaal government. The British annexation of the Transvaal. The Boer opposition to British rule in the Transvaal. Henry Herbert, the 4th Earl of Carnarvon was the British Secretary of State for the Colonies (referred to as Lord Carnarvon) under Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who was premier from 1868 to 1880. At the time the British government wanted to expand the British Empire. Lord Carnarvon wanted to form a confederation of all the British colonies, independent Boer republics and independent African groups in South Africa under British control. By 1876 he realised that he would not be able to achieve his goal peacefully. He told Disraeli that: "By acting at once, we may ... acquire ... the whole Transvaal Republic after which the Orange Free State will follow." He was prepared to use force to make the confederation a reality, a fact that was proved by the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. Problems within the Transvaal Government T. F. Burgers was the president of the Transvaal Republic from 1872 until its annexation in 1877. The Republic was in serious financial trouble, especially as a war had just started between the Boers and the Pedi under their leader, Sekhukhune , in the North Eastern Transvaal, and because the Boer people not paid their taxes. The Transvaal public was disappointed with their leadership and although Sekhukhune agreed to peace in February 1877, and was willing to pay a fine to the Republic, it was too late. Herbert sent Sir Theophilus Shepstone , the former Secretary for Native Affairs in Natal, to the Transvaal as special commissioner. Shepstone arrived in the Transvaal on 22 January 1877 with 25 men as support. Initially, he was vague about his real purpose. He used the weakness in the Transvaal government by making the Boers aware of the dangers of a bankrupt state and focusing on the government’s lack of control over black people like the Pedi and the Zulu. This demoralised the Boers. Burgers did very little tried to stop Britain from taking over the Transvaal. Shepstone had told Burgers what his intentions were by the end of January 1877 and Burgers tried to convince the Transvaal government to take the situation seriously, but they refused to see the urgency of the matter. The British annexation of the Transvaal Lord Carnarvon thought that annexing the Transvaal would be the first step to confederation. English speaking people in the republic were positive towards the idea and the Boers were disappointed in their own government, which the thought would make it easier to convince them that they could not avoid annexation. Shepstone said that he had more than 3 000 signatures from people who wanted to be part of the British Empire.What he did not tell Carnarvon was that within the Boer population, there were many against the idea and wanted to retain their independence. On 12 April 1877 a proclamation of annexation was read out in Church Square in Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal Republic. There was no resistance and the Union Jack replaced the Vierkleur. The Transvaal Republic or Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) did not exist anymore, but was now the British Colony of the Transvaal Colony. The Volksraad decided in May 1877 to send a delegation to England to make sure that the British government knew that most of the residents of the Transvaal Republic did not agree with the annexation but this delegation failed.. They also asked citizens not to resort to violence because this would create a negative impression in Britain. The Boer opposition to British rule in the Transvaal Former President T. F. Burgers and other people loyal to the former Transvaal Republic objected to the annexation and Paul Kruger and E. J. P. Jorissen went to London, England, in 1877 to present their case to Carnarvon. They failed and in 1878 they took a petition with more than 6 500 signatures from Boers to London, but the British government insisted that the Transvaal remain a British possession. Sir Theophilus Shepstone was now the administrator of the Transvaal Colony and he realised that running it was going to be much more difficult than annexing it. The British government had made promises to the Boers to allow them some self-government, but Shepstone was slow to initiate this process. The colony remained nearly bankrupt and British plans to build a railroad to Delagoa Bay had to be put on hold. Shepstone became increasingly unpopular with the Colonial Office in London. British Native commissioners were trying to control the black people in the area, but they could not get Sekhukhune and the Pedi to pay the fine he owed to the Transvaal Republic because they did not have enough soldiers to force him to do so. Shepstone also failed to control the Zulus on the southeastern border of the colony and many farmers had to leave their farms. Sir Owen Lanyon replaced Shepstone as administrator in 1879. In September of the same year Sir Garnet Wolseley was appointed High Commissioner of South East Africa and governor of Natal and Transvaal. The Anglo-Zulu War in 1879 was supposed to increase British standing in South Africa, but had the opposite effect. The Zulu and Pedi were both defeated by the British in 1879, but non-violent Boer opposition had grown. In January 1878 a large group of Boers gathered in Pretoria to protest against the annexation. Another Boer delegation had gone to London in 1877, but they also returned unsuccessful in 1879, even though they spoke to Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Carnarvon's successor, who was far less committed to confederation. The Boers had hoped that the election of the Liberal Party in Britain in April 1880 would mean independence for the Transvaal, but the new Prime Minister, W. E. Gladstone, insisted on maintain British control in Pretoria. The Volksraad of the Orange Free State, south of the Vaal River backed the Transvaal Boers in their call for the independence of the Transvaal in May 1879. Even Boers in the Cape Colony gave moral support to their comrades in the north. In October 1880 a newspaper from Paarl in the Cape Colony took the view that: "Passive resistance is now becoming futile." The War The first open conflict between the British and Boers began in November 1880 in Potchefstroom. P. L. Bezuidenhout refused to pay extra fees on his wagon saying he already paid his taxes. The British authorities then confiscated the wagon. On 11 November 1880 a commando of 100 men under P. A. Cronje took back the wagon from the British bailiff and returned it to Bezuidenhout. Following this, between 8 000 and 10 000 Boers gathered at Paardekraal, near Krugersdorp on 8 December 1880. As a result a triumvirate of leaders; Paul Kruger , Piet Joubert and M. W. Pretorius were appointed. On 13 December 1880 the leaders proclaimed the restoration of the Transvaal Republic and three days later raised their Vierkleur flag at Heidelberg, thus rejecting British authority. The events of the 13 December 1880 thus in effect started the war and ended passive resistance. British Soldiers and their artillery. © Museum Africa The first shots were fired in Potchefstroom. The Boers had about 7 000 soldiers, and some Free Staters joined their fellow Boers against the British enemy. There were only about 1 800 British soldiers stationed in towns across the Transvaal so British were outnumbered. Sieges and battles during the First Anglo-Boer War There were 4 main battles and several sieges during the First Anglo-Boer War. The Battles were at Bronkhorstspruit, Laingsnek, Schuinshoogte (Ingogo) and Majuba. The sieges were at Potchefstroom, Pretoria, Marabastad, Lydenburg, Rustenburg, Standerton and Wakkerstroom. Early in the war it became clear that the colonisers had underestimated their opponents. They had assumed that the Boers were no match for the superior might of the British military force. The Boers had the advantage of knowing the local terrain. They were skilled with firearms because they hunted often. The red British uniforms made soldiers easy targets while the Boers who simply wore their civilian clothing, had good enemy cover. At the battles of Laingsnek and Schuinshoogte the British forces suffered heavy losses and had to retreat. Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley had to wait for more reinforcements. Sir Evelyn Wood was appointed as his second-in-command, and Colley wanted him to lead in the extra soldiers from Newcastle. On 16 February 1881 Colley agreed to stop fighting on condition that the Boers gave up their hopes of requiring independence of the Transvaal. Negotiations came to nothing. On 26 February 1881 Colley decided to march on Majuba with 554 men, where the Boers had an outpost. On the same day, General Piet Joubert and the Boer forces took up a position at Laing's Nek to check on the arrival of British reinforcements. Colley’s men reached the top of the mountain in the early hours of the morning and were very tired. From the hill Colley could see the Boer laager of tents and covered wagons, but as he could not bring his heavy guns up the steep slopes, he was unable to fire on their encampment. Joubert, however, immediately ordered his men to climb the steep hill, take cover and shoot down on the British. At 7 a.m., a force of 150 Boers in three divisions under veld-cornets S J Roos, J Ferreira and D J Malan began to climb from ledge to ledge up the mountain, firing steadily and effectively on the British as they climbed. Untrained in guerrilla warfare, the exposed British soldiers made easy marks, and when Colley himself was killed and the Boers were almost at the summit, the British fled. The magnitude of their defencelessness may be appraised from the fact that they had over 200 casualties killed and wounded, whereas the Boers lost only one man killed and one who died later of his wounds. There are two simple monuments on the battlefield: an obelisk erected by the Boers, and a rectangular column commemorating the British fatalities. The humiliating British defeat at Majuba brought about the end of the First Anglo-Boer War and introduced a short-lived peace. Gladstone's Liberal government abandoned the previous government's federation policy, and, by the signing of the Pretoria Convention in August 1881, the Transvaal was granted 'complete self-government, subject to the suzerainty of Her Majesty Queen Victoria'. Many British, however, assured of the innate power of their imperial status, continued to regard the Boer commandos as inferior adversaries. Looking on the Majuba Hill disaster as a 'freak' victory, they vowed retribution. The Transvaal War (also known as the First Boer War or the First War of Independence) was a 'curtain-raiser' to the far more ruthless Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. "Remember Majuba!" became a rallying cry of the British during Second Anglo-Boer War. During the first Anglo-Boer War there were several sieges. Lydenburg, Potchefstroom, Pretoria, Marabastad, Rustenburg, Standerton and Wakkerstroom were all surrounded in by the Boers in order to stop the British forces stationed there from taking part in the fighting. Prior to the war the British had been building a fort in Potchefstroom. Progress was very slow. On 15 December 1880 a large group of Boers on horses rode up to Potchefstroom. Major Thornhill, who saw them, raced back to the fort to warn his comrades. When a small group of Boers approached the fort shots were fired. Soon afterwards the Boers started firing on the fort from three directions. The fort’s low walls didn’t provide much protection.On 16 December 1880 the Boers replaced the Union Jack at the Landdrost’s office with a white flag. The thatched roof building was also set alight. The Boers demanded the British surrender of the fort but Colonel Winsloe refused. The siege continued and after 95 days the British force inside the fort surrendered as a result of hunger. The siege of Lydenburg lasted from 6 January 1881 to 30 March 1881. After 5 December 1880 less than a hundred soldiers under 24 year-old Lieutenant Walter Long were left in Lydenburg. Although Long improved the fort's defences the water supply ran low by 23 January 1881. Long rejected a peace offering from the Boers and the siege only came to an end after 84 days. Marabastad was a military station with about 50 000 British soldiers put in place to control the black population in the area. It was about 165 miles or 265 km north of Pretoria.Two companies of the 94th regiment that had been positioned in Lydenburg arrived at Marabastad in February 1880 and on 29 November 1880 they were ordered to march into Pretoria. This left only 60 men at the fort. On the same day the news of the British defeat at Bronkhorstspruit arrived and Brook was told to protect the fort against any attack. This siege began on 29 December 1880. The local residents supported the British fort and provided food. Captain Brook was told about the armistice on 22 March 1881, but decided to keep on defending the fort. The siege ended on 2 April 1881. There were very few British soldiers at Rustenburg when the war broke out. When Boers demanded the surrender of the fort on 27 December 1880 the British force refused. The small mud fort provided little protection and the people inside suffered from the lack of food and water and diseases. The Boers issued terms of a truce on 14 March 1881 and on 30 March they received confirmation that it had been accepted. When the news of the British loss at Bronkhorstspruit reached Pretoria, Colonel W. Bellairs, commander of the soldiers in the Transvaal, declared martial law and moved the whole civil population of Pretoria into 2 military camps. All food was taken and stored within the camps and 5 000 people waited for relief from Natal. There were about 1 340 fighting men and 2 forts were built south of the town. Boer General Piet Joubert was happy with the effective containment of the British soldiers in Pretoria. This allowed him free movement elsewhere so he did not attack Pretoria. There were very few Boers stationed in the area and the British force tried to attack them on 29 December 1880, but gave up after several efforts.The siege dragged on because the British garrison was not aware of the events in Natal. On 28 March 1880 news of the peace terms reached Pretoria and by 8 August the Boer government took office in Pretoria once again. The aftermath of the War In the aftermath of the war the South African Republic (Tranvaal) regained its independence. The Pretoria Convention (1881) and the London Convention (1884) laid down the terms of the peace agreement. We must now look at these terms in more detail. Peace President Brand of the Orange Free State had been trying to get both the Transvaal Boers and the British to the negotiation table from the beginning of the conflict. Several peace offerings had been made from both sides with the most important ones being in January 1881, when Paul Kruger offered peace on the condition that the Transvaal independence was guaranteed. Another was made on 21 February 1881, when the British government offered peace if the Boers laid down their weapons. Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley didn’t forward the message from the British government fast enough and because Paul Kruger was not in Natal, the battle of Majuba took place before peace negotiations could begin. On 5 March 1881 Sir Evelyn Wood and Piet Joubert agreed on an armistice in order to start peace negotiations at O’Neill’s cottage, which lay between the British and Boer lines. Negotiations were successful and the war ended on 23 March 1881. The Pretoria Convention and the Independence of the Transvaal After peace had been negotiated a British royal commission was appointed to draw up the Transvaal’s status and new borders. These decisions were confirmed and formalised at the Pretoria Convention that took place on 3 August 1881. The new republic was named the Transvaal and was to be bean independent Republic, but it still had to have its foreign relations and policies regarding black people approved by the British government. The new state was also not allowed to expand towards the West. All these policies meant that the Transvaal was still under British suzerainty or influence. The Boer Triumvirate was worried about some of the requirements, but they took over the rule of the Transvaal on 10 August. The conditions put forward by the British government were unacceptable from the Transvalers’ point of view and in 1883 a delegation including Paul Kruger, the new President of the Transvaal, left for London to review the agreement. The London Convention In 1884 the London Convention was signed. The Transvaal was given a new Western border and adopted the name of the South African Republic (SAR). Although the word suzerainty did not appear in the London Convention, the SAR still had to get permission from the British government for any treaty entered into with any other country other than the Orange Free State. The Boers saw this as a way for the British government to interfere in Transvaal affairs and this led to tension between Britain and SAR. This increased steadily until the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Boer War in 1899. Second Anglo-Boer War - 1899 - 1902 'South African War ( a.k.a. the Anglo-Boer War) remains the most terrible and destructive modern armed conflict in South Africa’s history. It was an event that in many ways shaped the history of 20th Century South Africa. The end of the war marked the end of the long process of British conquest of South African societies, both Black and White'. - Gilliomee and Mbenga (2007). The Causes A number of interrelated factors led to the Second Anglo-Boer War. These include the conflicting political ideologies of imperialism and republicanism, the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, tension between political leaders, the Jameson Raid and the Uitlander franchise. Conflicting political ideology After the First Anglo-Boer War the British government did not give up its ambition for unifying South Africa under Imperial British rule. The two Boer republics of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic or Transvaal still maintained their desire for independence. The Boer republics were a stumbling block for the British Empire. The discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand Gold had been mined since the early 1870s but was discovered on the Witwatersrand, in the Transvaal, in 1886. Thousands of white and black South Africans were employed on the mines by 1890. South Africa became the single biggest gold producer in the world and this meant great growth for the independent Boer governments. The Transvaal now also became more prominent in international finance because the importance of gold as an international monetary system. Britain was the centre of industry and trade in the world at the time and needed a steady supply of gold to maintain this position. Neighbouring independent states like the Orange Free State and British colonies like Natal could also gain from the riches and investment brought to the country. The Cape Colony wasn’t the leading economic state in the country anymore and a Boer republic took its place. Even though the Transvaal gold mines were the richest in the world they were also the most difficult to mine because the reefs lay so deep under the ground. The gold had to be mined by shafts as opposed to open mines, like diamonds. Mining as an individual was not as efficient as using groups of miners with special skills. Large companies were created with local and international investment and individual miners were soon squeezed out. Prospectors streamed to South Africa from all over the world, and especially from Europe. The Transvalers saw these foreigners, or Uitlanders, as a threat to their independence. In order to maintain its control of gold mining and the growth of the as they called them immigrant population, the Transvaal government restricted the voting rights of Uitlanders.Only foreigners who had been in the country for 14 years or more could vote. It was called the Uitlander franchise and didn’t really bother most Uitlanders, who had come to South Africa to make their fortunes, but it did cause strain between the Transvaal and British governments. Tension between political leaders Paul Kruger. Source: wikipedia.org There were various political leaders with opposing views in power in different parts of South Africa during the 1890s. Paul Kruger was president of the Transvaal or South African Republic (SAR) and Cecil John Rhodes became the premier of the Cape Colony in 1890. Rhodes was from Britain and had made his fortune in South Africa by mining diamonds. He was also a supporter of the British imperial plan to unite South Africa under British rule. Kruger was a supporter of Boer independence and the two leaders were in direct conflict with each other. Rhodes believed that if the SAR was left to grow financially it would eventually grow in size and topple Britain from its position of power in South Africa. He specifically did not want the SAR to gain access to a route to the sea, as this would seriously affect the economies of the British colonies. Rhodes and Britain were determined to stop the SAR’s expansion. The Jameson Raid By 1895 Britain was getting more confident about taking action in South Africa. Joseph Chamberlain was appointed Colonial Secretary. He joined forces with Rhodes to try to develop and promote the British Empire in South Africa. In September and October 1895 the Drift Crisis between the Cape Colony and the Transvaal or SAR developed. The Cape had finished building a railway line to Johannesburg and tried to get as much of the Transvaal’s railway traffic by reducing its rates.It was aware that the Transvaal's Delagoa Bay line was al most complete.The Transvaal government increased the rates on the part of the railway that ran through the Transvaal once it had crossed the Vaal River. In answer to this goods, were taken to the Vaal River by train, and then taken further by wagon to avoid paying the higher prices in the Transvaal. Kruger reacted by blocking access to the Transvaal, closing the drifts on the Transvaal side. The British government demanded that Kruger open the drifts and used the situation to involve itself directly in Transvaal affairs. Rhodes planned an uprising of Uitlanders in Johannesburg. The uprising was timed to coincide with an invasion of the Transvaal from Bechuanaland (present day Botswana), by Dr Leander Starr Jameson . Rhodes wanted to take over the government of the Transvaal and turn it into a British colony that would join all the other colonies in a federation. Chamberlain helped plan the Jameson Raid. The Jameson Raid which began on on 29th December 1895, was a total failure. Jameson waited on the border, but the Uitlander leaders in Johannesburg argued among themselves about the kind of government to be put into place after the invasion. Many of the Uitlanders had no interest in violent uprising, but preferred to celebrate the New Year. Rhodes decided to stop the raid, but it was too late because Jameson and his party had already crossed into the Transvaal. Jameson’s troops tried to cut communication lines to Pretoria, but cut the wrong lines. This meant that the Transvaal government knew the raiders were on their way before they reached Johannesburg. On 2 January 1896 Jameson had to surrender at Doornkop near Krugersdorp. The prisoners were handed over to their own government and the Uitlander leaders who had been part of the plot were put to trial in Johannesburg. Some of them were condemned to death, but the sentences were later reduced to large fines. Rhodes was forced to resign as the premier of the Cape Colony and the political problems between Afrikaans and English-speaking people became worse than ever in the colony. The Orange Free State co-operated more closely with the Transvaal. Transvaal residents felt that they were being threatened and Uitlanders were treated with more suspicion than ever before. Read a more detailed feature on the Jameson raid The Uitlander Franchise The Uitlanders were not only from Britain, but came from all over the world to make money on the goldfields in the Transvaal. Some of them were not interested in the political situation in the republic and were not concerned about the fact that they couldn’t vote. Some Uitlanders felt that they contributed to the exploitation of the riches in the republic and had the right to a say in the way the country was being run. The Transvaal government realised that this could be a threat to the republic’s independence, but also knew that it couldn’t ignore the Uitlanders’ demands. The foreigners could apply for citizenship or naturalisation after 5 years of living in the Transvaal. A Second Volksraad was created in 1890 and new laws were made. Uitlanders who had been naturalised for two years could now vote. The Second Volksraad only had say in local matters in Johannesburg and on the mines; any bills it put forward could only become laws if the First Volksraad agreed. Only Uitlanders who had been in the country for a full 14 years or longer could vote for the first Volksraad. Now Uitlanders had a say in political matters, but the First Volksraad still ran the country. Very few Uitlanders used their right to vote, but the Second Volksraad took its responsibilities seriously.After the Jameson Raid Chamberlain wanted to win back some of the respect he had lost because of the raid’s failure. He was more determined to make the South African union a reality and decided to use diplomatic power to do so. He invited Kruger to London for talks about the Uitlander Franchise, but the president would not discuss his country’s internal affairs. He felt that this would create the impression that the SAR could not take care of its own politics independently. Next Chamberlain called a meeting in London to try to involve Britain directly in Transvaal affairs. His interference caused even more tension between the two countries. He also sent Sir Alfred Milner , another loyal supporter of British expansion, to South Africa as British High Commissioner.Milner hoped that Kruger would not be re-elected, but in 1898 he was. Milner was afraid that the Boer republics wanted to take over the whole country and told Chamberlain that war was the only way to prevent that from happening. In December 1898 Transvaal police shot an Uitlander called Tom Edgar. The officer responsible said that it was in self-defence, but the Uitlander community reacted as if it was a political incident. This made the franchise issue an important factor in the outbreak of the war because political tension between Boers and British subjects in the Transvaal became worse. Black Concentration Camps during the Anglo-Boer War 2, 1900-1902 While the two main forces in the Anglo-Boer War 2 were White, it was not an exclusively White war. At least 15 000 Blacks were used as combatants by the British, especially as scouts to track down Boer commandoes and armed block house guards, but also in non-combatant roles by both British and Boer forces as wagon drivers, etc. They suffered severely as result of the British "scorched earth policy" during which those who lived on White farms were removed to concentration camps, as were the women and children of their White employers. The rural economy was destroyed as crops were ravaged and livestock butchered. Displaced and captured civilians were forced into 'refugee camps', a total misnomer, because more often they did not seek refuge in the camps, but were rounded up by the British forces and forced into the camps, which soon became known as 'concentration camps'. Field-Marshal Lord Roberts had an ulterior motive in putting Blacks into camps, namely to make them work, either to grow crops for the troops or to dig trenches, be wagon drivers or work as miners once the gold mines became partly operational again. They did not receive rations, hardly any medical support or shelter and were expected to grow their own crops. The able-bodied who could work, could exchange labour for food or buy mealie meal at a cheaper price. The British along racial lines separated the White and Black camps. The inmates of the Black camps, situated along railway lines and on the border, became the eyes and ears of the British army. They formed an early warning system against Boer attacks on the British military's primary logistic artery - the railway lines and acted as scouts for British forces. This strategy alienated Whites and Blacks from each other by furthering distrust between the two population groups and was detrimental to racial harmony in South Africa after the war. Concentration Camps for Blacks. Transvaal Colony: Balmoral; Belfast; Heidelberg; Irene; Klerksdorp; Krugersdorp; Middelburg; Standerton; Vereeniging; Volksrust; Bantjes; Bezuidenhout's Valley; Boksburg; Brakpan; Bronkhorstspruit; Brugspruit; Elandshoek; Elandsrivier; Frederikstad; Greylingstad; Groot Olifants River; Koekemoer; Klipriviersberg; Klip River; Meyerton; Natalspruit; Nelspruit; Nigel; Olifantsfontein; Paardekop; Platrand; Rietfontein West; Springs; Van der Merwe Station; Witkop; Wilgerivier. Free State: Allemans Siding; America Siding; Boschrand; Eensgevonden; Geneva; Harrismith; Heilbron; Holfontein; Honingspruit; Houtenbek; Koppies; Rooiwal; Rietspruit; Smaldeel; Serfontein; Thaba 'Nchu; Taaibosch; Vet River; Virginia; Ventersburg Road; Vredefort Road; Welgelegen; Winburg; Wolwehoek. Cape Colony and British Bechuanaland.(Administered by the O.R.C): Kimberley; Orange River; Taungs; Dryharts. 1900 21 December, The inaugural meeting of the Burgher Peace Committee is held in Pretoria. Lord Kitchener discusses his concentration camp policies with this group, mentioning that stock and Blacks would also be brought in. 1901 22 January, At the Boschhoek concentration camp for Blacks, about 1 700 inmates, mostly Basuto, hold a protest meeting. They state that when they have been brought into the camps they have been promised that they will be paid for all their stock taken by the British, for all grain destroyed and that they will be fed and looked after. They are also unhappy because "... they receive no rations while the Boers who are the cause of the war are fed in the refugee camps free of charge ... they who are the 'Children of the Government' are made to pay'. 23 January, Two inmates of the Heuningspruit concentration camp for Blacks, Daniel Marome and G.J. Oliphant, complain to Goold-Adams: "We have to work hard all day long but the only food we can get is mealies and mealie meal, and this is not supplied to us free, but we have to purchase same with our own money. "We humbly request Your Honour to do something for us otherwise we will all perish of hunger for we have no money to keep on buying food." 30 January, The population for the Black camps is 85 114 and 2 312 deaths are recorded for the month. 31 January, The population of Blacks in camps is 75 950 and 1 327 deaths are recorded for the month. 4 May, The first gold mine on the Rand re-opens, after all mines have been closed in October 1899, a few days before war was declared. The Minister for Native Affairs permits the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association to recruit mining labour from the concentration camps. Simultaneous to the resumption of economic activity is the establishment of the Department of Native Refugees (DNR) under direct British military command. 15 June, The British authority establishes the Department of Native Refugees in the 'Transvaal Colony'. The Transvaal camps are brought under the control of the newly formed department. 30 June, The official camp population of the Black camps is 32 360 and the deaths are not shown in official returns. 31 July, The camp population in Black camps is 37 472 and 256 have died in the Free State camps during the month, while in Transvaal deaths are not yet recorded. 31 August, The Free State camps are also brought under the control of the Department of Native Refugees 31 August, The camp population in Black camps is 53 154 and 575 deaths are recorded for August. 30 September, The camp population in Black camps is 65 589 and 728 deaths are recorded. 31 December, The population in Black camps is 89 407, while the deaths peak during December at 2 831. 1902 18 January, Major De Lorbiniere, in charge of the Native Refugee Department, writes that supplying workers to the army 'formed the basis on which our system was founded'. The department's mobilisation of Black labour is very successful - not really surprising, considering the incentives offered: those in service and their families can buy mealies at a halfpence per lb, or 7/6 a bag, while those who do not accept employment have to pay double, or 1d per lb and 18/- or more per bag. By the end of 1901, when the death rate peaks, more than 6 000 accept employment in the British army. This figure grows to more than 13 000 in April 1902. The labourers are largely housed in Black concentration camps, situated close to military garrisons and towns, mines and railways sidings. 31 January, The population of Black camps is 97 986 and 2 534 deaths are recorded. 28 February, The population in Black camps is 101 344 and 1466 deaths are recorded. 24 March, Mr H.R. Fox, Secretary of the Aborigines Protection Society, after being made aware by Emily Hobhouse of the fact that the Ladies Commission (Fawcett Commission) ignored the plight of Blacks in the concentration camps, writes to Joseph Chamberlain, Colonial Secretary. He requests that such inquiries should be instituted by the British government "as should secure for the natives who are detained no less care and humanity than are now prescribed for the Boer refugees". On this request Sir Montagu Ommaney, the permanent under-secretary at the Colonial Office, is later to record that it seems undesirable "to trouble Lord Milner ... merely to satisfy this busybody". 31 March, The population of the Black camps is 101 299 and 972 deaths are recorded. 30 April, The population of the Black camps is 108 386 and 630 deaths are recorded. 31 May, Black concentration camp population in the 66 Black camps (some sources give the number as 80) reach 115 700, of which 60 000 are in the Free State camps and 55 969 in the ZAR (South African Republic/Transvaal). 523 deaths are recorded for the month. 31 May, The final peace conditions, The Treaty of Vereeniging, is signed by both the Burghers and the British at 23:05 at Melrose House, Pretoria. The total Black deaths in camps are officially calculated at a minimum of 14 154 (more than 1 in 10), though G. Benneyworth estimates it as at least 20 000, after examining actual graveyards. According to him incomplete and in many cases non-existent British records and the fact that many civilians died outside of the camps, caused the final death toll to be higher . The average official death rate, caused by medical neglect, exposure, infectious diseases and malnutrition inside the camps was 350 per thousand per annum, peaking at 436 per thousand per annum in certain Free State camps. Eighty-one percent of the fatalities were children. Anglo Boer War Museum, Bloemfontein One of the most significant events in the history of South Africa was the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. Although the protagonists were Britain and the two Boer Republics, the population of South Africa as a whole became embroiled in the war either directly or indirectly. The War Museum in Bloemfontein does not only give the visitor insight into the Boer War through it`s unique art collection, dioramas and exhibits but also brings the visitor closer to understanding the background against which the war took place. The outcome was bitterness, hatred, dispossession and division for many decades to come. More than a Century later South Africans can look back at this event as a shared tragedy that shaped the social, political, economic and historical landscape of South Africa as we know it today. The museum not only provides the visitor with an insight into the course and development of the Anglo-Boer War through its unique collection and exhibitions, but it also brings the visitor closer to understanding the background against which the war took place and the universal suffering it caused. A visit to the War Museum is an absolute necessity for anyone who wants to understand the History of South Africa. References https://www.places.co.za/html/warmuseum.html https://www.wmbr.org.za/ https://shongololo.com/activity/anglo-boer-war-museum/ Further Reading https://www.sa-venues.com/things-to-do/freestate/anglo-boer-war-museum-and-battlefields/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/History-Museum/Official-Anglo-Boer-War-Museum-247267542136112/ https://shongololo.com/ Anglo-Boer War 2 - Kitchener proposes establishment of concentration camps Giliomee, H and Mbenga, B (2007) A New History of South Africa. Cape Town|SAHO Lord A. Kitchener [online] Available at: www.sahistory.org.za [Accessed on 3 December 2013] The arrival of Lord Kitchener and Lord Roberts, with the latter taking up the role of Supreme Commander of British forces in 1900 helped turn the tide in the Anglo-Boer War. In the early stages of the war, the Boer Commandos were scoring important victories over British forces. Several British garrisons in the Cape, Mafikeng and Natal had come under siege and subsequent attempts to relieve them ended disastrously for the British forces. The Colonial Office sent Roberts and Kitchener along with reinforcements of up to 180 00 troops. The impact of these reinforcements was immediate. Roberts managed to relieve all the garrisons, and in June 1900 entered and took control of Pretoria. This, the British had hoped, would bring the Boer Republics to their knees. So confident were they that Roberts was allowed to return to Britain, handing over the command of British forces to Lord Kitchener. To their chagrin, the Boers embarked on a campaign of guerrilla warfare, attacking key military installations in territories held by the British. And clearly, the Anglo-Boer war was far from over. Kitchener realised that the success of the Boers depended heavily on the support they received from the civilian populations, mainly women and children. He proposed the establishment of concentration camps around the country where Afrikaaner children and women were to be confined. At the end of the war, 27 000 Afrikaaner women and children had perished. Most historians observe that this is the one single incident that inspired the rise and growth of Afrikaaner Nationalism, whose ultimate triumph was realised with the Nationalist Party (NP) seizing power in the elections of 1948. Anglo-Boer War 2: The Battle of Bothaville or Doornkraal is fought with Gen. De Wet surrendering Cloete, P.G. (2000). The Anglo-Boer War: a chronology, Pretoria: Lapa | Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau Anglo-Boer War 2: The Battle of Bothaville or Doornkraal is fought with Gen. De Wet surrendering, after heavy losses on both sides. SA National Museum of Military History. (1999). Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, Johannesburg: The Museum.) Emily Hobhouse reports on her findings regarding concentration camps during the Second Anglo Boer War Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.| Cloete, P.G. (2000). The Anglo-Boer War: a chronology, Pretoria: Lapa.| spartacus ,'Emily Hobhouse ', [Online]Available at:www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk , [Accessed on 17 December 2013] Emily Hobhouse , an English philanthropist and social worker who visited the Transvaal and Orange Free State Republics during the Second Anglo Boer War , reported to the British government that she found 2 000 women and children in shocking circumstances in the British concentration camp at Bloemfontein. The British government was unsympathetic to the plight of the prisoners and the dire circumstances continued. It was estimated that more than 27 000 people in White camps and more than 18 000 inhabitants of Black camps had died in captivity during the war. 523 people die in the Black concentration camps of the Second Anglo Boer War On 11 October 1899 war was officially declared between Britain and the Boers. In March 1901 Lord Kitchener, the commander of the British forces, decided to cut off the Boers supply of food. The Boers were being supported by farmers so he initiated the "scorched earth" policy. About 30 000 Boer farmhouses and more than 40 towns were destroyed and livestock was killed. Boer women and children and Black African people were put into separate concentration camps. Towards the end of the war approximately 116 000 Boer women and children were housed in concentration camps, with camps housing approximately 115 000 Black African people. These camps were overcrowded, the captives underfed and the conditions poor. There were limited medical supplies and staff. Diseases like measles, whooping cough, typhoid fever, diphtheria and dysentery resulted in the death of 1 in every 5 people. 26 370 Boer women and children died in the concentration camps and it is estimated that more than 15 000 Black African people died in segregated concentration camps. 81% of the total fatalities in the camps were children Click here for more information on Black Concentration Camps during the Anglo-Boer War 2, 1900-1902 References 1. Pieter G. Cloete (2000). The Anglo-Boer War: A chronology. ABC Press, Cape Town, p.331. Benneyworth, G.,August 2006, The department of native refugee camps,[online],Available at www.sahistory.org.za ,[Accessed:28 May 2013] The Anglo-Boer War 1 (Transvaal War of Independence) begins 13 December 1880 References Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.|Swart, M.J., et al. (eds) (1980). Afrikaanse Kultuuralmanak, Aucklandpark: Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge.|Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds) (1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 1, p. 381. Three years prior to this date, the British had annexed the Transvaal under Shepstone. Following this was a period of passive resistance and repeated attempts by Boer leaders to have the annexation of the Transvaal revoked. These attempts did not work. So on 8 December 1880 between 8 000 and 10 000 Boers gathered at Paardekraal, near Krugersdorp. A triumvirate of leaders were elected (Paul Kruger, Piet Joubert and M. W. Pretorius) and on 13 December 1880 the leaders resolved to restore the Transvaal Republic and three days later raised their Vierkleur flag at Heidelberg, thus rejecting British authority. The events of the 13 December 1880 thus in effect started the war and ended passive resistance. The war became known as the Anglo-Boer War 1 or the Transvaal War of Independence. Armistice negotiations are concluded during the First Anglo-Boer War 6 March 1881 References Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds)(1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 1, p. 383 & v. 10, p. 611."/> Paving the way for the end of Anglo-Boer War 1 (Transvaal War of Independence or First Transvaal War), a provisional armistice was agreed upon by General Evelyn Wood of the British forces and Republican General J.P. Joubert. This led to the commencement of peace negotiations, which were concluded on 23 March 1881. The end of the war was finally reached with the signing of the Convention of Pretoria on 3 August 1881, recognising limited independence of the Transvaal Republic. The Volksraad accepted the provisions of the Convention with reluctance, as it differed considerably from those agreed upon in March. Winston Churchill, is captured by Boer forces during the Anglo-Boer War Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000. Kaapstad:Human& Rousseau.| War Correspondent. The Winston Churchill Centre [online] Available at: winstonchurchill.org [Accessed 10 November 2009] Winston Churchill joined the British army in 1893 and developed a keen interest in war correspondence. Some of his early literary works were reports on various military campaigns. This led Churchill to work as a war correspondent for The Morning Post, in which he was to cover the occurrences of the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa. Soon after his arrival in South Africa, he accompanied a scouting expedition on an armored train. The train was ambushed by the Boers and on 15 November 1899, Churchill was captured and imprisoned in a Prisoner of War (POW) camp. He managed to escape, and with the assistance of an English mine manager, made his way to Delagoa Bay. Hailed as a hero in England, Churchill then joined the army that marched on Mafikeng. On his return to England, he published a volume on his experiences during the war in South Africa. Later, Churchill turned his attention to politics, winning a seat in Parliament in the 1906 general election. He became the Chancellor of Exchequer (Cabinet Minister) in 1924 upon rejoining the Conservative Party. Churchill was outspoken on a number of issues, such as the danger of Germans re-armament after World War One. His warnings against Hitler were largely ignored, but at the outbreak of the Second World War, his foresight was acknowledged and he became the war-time Prime Minister. His speeches and military strategy were a great encouragement to the British. Churchill was said to have a very close relationship with South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts, who offered him great support during the Second World War. The Anglo Boer War Britain sends 30 000 additional troops to South Africa in the Anglo-Boer War (now called the South African War). Initially, the British government thought that the war would last only weeks. This was largely because they underestimated the resilience of the Boers to defend their autonomy from being usurped by the British government. Instead of lasting for a few weeks the war dragged on for four years. 30 000 Blacks fight for Britain in Anglo-Boer War BBC News, "Race and apartheid ", from BBC News, [online], Available at www.bbc.co.uk [Accessed: 14 March 2014]|Cloete, P.G. (2000). The Anglo-Boer War: a chronology, Pretoria: Lapa. David Lloyd George stated in the British House of Commons that as many as 30 000 armed Blacks were at that stage employed in the British army during the Second Anglo Boer War. Although theoretically both the Boer and the British sides were opposed to using armed Blacks in the war, realities gradually started to influence their approach. Since the 1980s, the perception that the war was a 'White man's war' was considerably weakened. Anglo-Boer War 2: President Steyn takes General Snyman to task for a cattle raid against Chief Montshiwain Cloete, P.G. (2000). The Anglo-Boer War: a chronology, Pretoria: Lapa. Anglo-Boer War 2: President Steyn takes General Snyman to task for a cattle raid against Chief Montshiwa in which 203 head of cattle and 1 570 sheep and goats have been taken, admonishing him that it was not advisable to alienate the local people for the sake of a small herd of livestock. Anglo-Boer War 2. The British Colonial Office appoints a Ladies Commission to investigate the concentration camps in South Africa. HistoryWiz, ‘The Concentration Camp ’, [online] Available at www.historywiz.com [Accessed: 15 July 2014]|South African History Online, 'Women & Children in White Concentration Camps during the Anglo-Boer War, 1900-1902 ', [online] Available at www.sahistory.org.za [Accessed: 15 July 2014]| Anglo Boer, 'Concentration camps ', [online] Available at www.anglo-boer.co.za [Accessed: 15 July 2014] On 16 July 1901, the Ladies commission was appointed. The members who were considered impartial were, Mrs. Millicent G. Fawcett, Emily Hobhouse and Dr. Jane Waterson. They were appointed by the British Office to investigate the concentration camps in South Africa during the Second Anglo Boer War. The camps were found to have been inadequately built and maintained, unclean, and overcrowded. These factors contributed to the spread of disease. There was a shortage of both medical supplies and medical staff. At least 25 000 children and women died from epidemics of dysentery, measles, and enteric fever. Emily Hobhouse visited the camps to try and improve the life of the prisoners living on the concentration camps. Hobhouse was an English philanthropist and social worker who tried her best to make the British authorities aware of the plight of women and children in these inhumane conditions. Due to the publicising of what was occurring in the concentration camps international opinion turned against the British, and critics were outspoken about their disdain and disgust over the situation. This led to the British General Kitchener changing and ceasing the practice of imprisoning women and children in the camps. Anglo-Boer War 2: The British evacuate Rustenburg to occupy Commando Nek and Silkaatsnek After the fall of Pretoria on 5 June 1900, the British maintained a favourable command of several strategic points in the Transvaal area. Western Transvaal burghers, or farmers, who had begun to think the war was at an end, had surrendered Rustenburg to Col. Robert Baden-Powell. At this stage of the Second Anglo Boer War, set-piece battles had become futile, and the Boers, under leaders like General De la Rey, had realized that war would now have to be conducted by unconventional means- guerrilla warfare. The surrounding areas of Pretoria were places of strategic importance due to seven passes or neks [necks]. As wheeled-traffic could only cross these passes at certain points, Commando Nek and Silkaatsnek were of tactical importance, and so Col. Baden-Powell was ordered to occupy this area. The British occupation of Silkaatsnek led to the Battle of Silkaatsnek on 11 July 1900, when De la Rey was informed that the nek was lightly held and that the British had ignored the "shoulders" of the pass. He decided to attack, and the battle began in the early hours of 11 July 1900. The British surrendered the next morning. Baden-Powell is an important figure in the military history of South Africa, as he is also credited with founding the international Boy Scouts and Girl Guides movement, which began partly as a result of his observations of children during the siege of Mafikeng and throughout the British Empire. References: Cloete, P.G. (2000) The Anglo-Boer War: a chronology. Pretoria: Lapa. Copley, I.B. "The Battle of Silkaatsnek- 11 July 1900". Military History Journal - Vol. 9 No 3 [online] Available at: samilitaryhistory.org [Accessed 23 June 2009] KÁ¶hler, K. "Some Aspects of Lord Baden-Powell and the Scouts at Modderfontein". Military History Journal - Vol. 12 No 1 [online] Available at: samilitaryhistory.org [Accessed 23 June 2009] Anglo-Boer War 2: The Battle of Silkaatsnek begins Cloete, P G (2000). The Anglo-Boer War: a chronology. ABC Press, Cape Town, pg 169.| Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau).| Kormorant, (2009), ‘The Battle of Silkaatsnek 11 July 1990 - ARMAGEDDON OF THE MOUNTAIN ’, from Kormorant, 18 February [Online], Available at www.kormorant.co.za [Accessed: 10 July 2013] There is a pass in the Magaliesberg known as Silkaatsnek It was here that the two 12-pounder guns of 'O' Battery, Royal Horse Artillery (RHA), were placed and ultimately captured in the first battle of Silkaatsnek on 11 July 1900. After the fall of Pretoria on 5 June 1900, the British forces found themselves in command of most strategic points, but with enormously extended lines of communication. In the then 'Western Transvaal', communications were maintained through huge tracts of inhospitable country, which were difficult to fight in; rough hills, tenacious bushes and hard stony ground with infrequent sources of water, especially in the southern winter. Conditions were ideal for guerrilla warfare conducted by tough, unsophisticated fighters who were brought up as horsemen and marksmen, who knew the country intimately and who could adapt themselves to harsh conditions using the topography to their advantage. 11 July 1900 marked the beginning of this type of war with four Boer actions, of which the action of Silkaatsnek was but one of three successes, with resultant timely encouragement to Boer morale in the Western Transvaal, and dismay amongst English garrisons and outposts. General De la Rey had commanded the northern sector of the Boer forces at Diamond Hill. After this battle, De la Rey, who also commanded the Western Transvalers, fell back to the Bronkhorstspruit-Balmoral area. On lO July, De la Rey was travelling north of Silkaatsnek towards Rustenburg with some 200 men, when his scouts brought information that the Nek was lightly held and that the commanding shoulders of the Nek had been ignored. He decided to attack. De la Rey launched a three-pronged attack on the small British force commanded by Colonel HR Roberts. De la Rey personally lead the frontal assault from the north and sent two groups of 200 men to scale both shoulders of the pass, where the British had placed small pickÂets. The burghers surrounded and captured two British field-guns, but the British put up a gallant fight that lasted the entire day. Colonel Roberts surrendered the next morning. 23 British troops were killed, Colonel Roberts and 44 others were wounded and 189 (including the wounded) were captured. The Boers casualties are unknown, but De la Rey's nephew and his adjutant were both killed, and a known 8 men were wounded. The Boers captured two field-guns, a machine gun, a numÂber of rifles ammunition. De la Rey used these weapons to rearm several burghers who returned to duty. Read SAHO's Anglo-Boer war feature. Anglo-Boer War 2: Lord Methuen, British general, destroys the village of Schweizer-Reneke Black Concentration camps time line : website: www.sahistory.org.za | Paul Sanford Methuen,theThird Baron Methuen . Website: www.scottsboro.org | Anglo-Boer War Museum . Website: www.anglo-boer.co.za Paul Sanford Methuen (b. 1845 d.1932) was the 3rd Baron Methuen and a soldier all his life. Before arriving in South Africa in 1899, he had served in the Ango-Ashante campaigns in present day Ghana as well as Egypt, and Bechuanaland (Botswana). At the outbreak of war in South Africa, he was given command of the British 1st Division. In December 1899 he commanded the British forces at the Battle of Magersfontein where the British suffered a humiliating defeat with heavy losses, one of three that week which became known in England as Black Week (the others were at Stormberg and Colenson). Methuen was effectively sidelined for the remainder of the war and his command replaced by Lord Roberts. Methuen's destruction of Schweizer-Reneke took place towards the end of the war, when the British were pursuing a devastating scorched earth policy towards the Boers to deprive Boer guerilla forces of local support in the form of food, water and shelter. During the course of the war, some 30 000 Boer farmhouses were destroyed and tens of thousands of head of cattle slaughtered. Inevitably, those most heavily affected were boer women and children and the elderly who were left destitute and starving. The British solution was to intern them in concentration camps, the first time the term was used. It was also the first time that razor wire was used in battle. Extremely poor shelter in tents, poor diets and chronic shortage of medical supplies meant that the camps were overrun with diseases, among them whooping cough, measles, typhoid fever, diphtheria, diarrhoea and dysentery, especially amongst the children. Eventually 26 370 Boer women and children (81% were children) died in the concentration camps. The British scorched earth policy also displaced thousand of African farmworkers and the British established 66 concentration camps for them, accommodating 11 500 people at the height of their existence. Mortality rates in Black camps were as high as in Boer camps. Half of the recorded Black deaths occurred in the three months between November and January 1901 (2831 deaths were recorded in December 1901). Officially 14 154 deaths were recorded but as the records of the camps are unsatisfactory the number could be as high as 20000. Click to read our feature on the Ango-Boer War 2 BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE

THE GREAT TREK SOUTH AFRICA The Great Trek was a significant event in South African history that took place in the 1830s. It involved the migration of thousands of Boers, or Afrikaans-speaking farmers, from the British-controlled Cape Colony to the interior of the country. The reasons for the trek were complex, but included dissatisfaction with British rule, a desire for greater independence, and a search for new land to farm. The Great Trek had a profound impact on South African history, shaping the country's politics, culture, and society in important ways. Intro Great Trek 1835-1846 … TheGreatTrek was a movement of Dutch-speaking colonists up into the interior of southern Africa in search of land where they could establish their own homeland, independent of British rule. … December 16 and the Construction of Afrikaner Nationalism … The date, December 16, holds a special significance in South African history. On this day in 1838, the Voortrekkers fought a … abolition of slavery that sparked a unique event that would transform the former Dutch colonists into a new ‘volk’ – theGreatTrek ). The British outlawed slavery in 1834. Without slaves, the burghers could not survive as farmers, and the Dutch Cape … Louis Botha … Louis Botha was born near Greytown in Natal in 1862. He was the son of Voortrekker parents and was brought up on a farm in the Free State, and was educated at the local German mission … included both British and Dutch. Botha was a leading figure in the Paris Peace Conference at the end of World War I. A great man of action, he was renowned for his simplicity, humanity, quick wit and good nature. He was endowed with natural … of his descendants signed themselves as 'Both' and 'Boota'. His paternal grandfather Philip Rudolf took part in theGreatTrek. Louis, the ninth among thirteen children, was born near Greytown in the Colony of Natal on 27 September 1862. The … Deployment of Racism in South Africa by Rooha Variava … Contents Chapter 1: Theoretical Debates and Methodological Controversies Chapter 2: Questions Method Chapter 3: The Constitution of Black as ‘Other’ Chapter 4: The Black as Uncivilized Chapter 5: The Management of Blacks Chapter 6: The … or 'total' history situates events into grand explanatory systems and linear processes, celebrating individuals and great movements, seeking to record a specific point of origin for a particular historical process, whereas genealogical … I should wish that the Hottentots be given no rights, because otherwise we shall be obliged to leave our property and to trek as well. 83 The Afrikaner wanted to retain control over blacks without let or hindrance from outside. The Great Trek in South Africa between 1835 and 1840 The Great Trek in South Africa started in 1835 when over a time span of three years more then 12,000 Boers (farmers) left the Cape Colony. They trekked (moved) into the interior by ox wagon, in search of land where they would be free and beyond British control. In time, after facing many hardships, these farmers started to build a unique identity and started calling themselves "Afrikaners". They also developed a hybrid language, Afrikaans, which stemmed from high Dutch but incorporated strong French, Malay, German and Black influences. The Afrikaans-speaking descendants of these people would later simply be called "Boere" (Farmers) Causes of The Great Trek,... One of the most important causes of the Great Trek in South Africa was the unrest on the eastern border. The government was unable to segregate the Xhosas from the whites and the two groups kept on clashing. The Xhosas stole the white farmers’ cattle and the farmers occupied territory that had traditionally belonged to the Xhosa. Not even the establishment of neutral territory could keep the parties from becoming involved in battles with each other. Some governors did more than others to protect the frontier farmers but there was nevertheless a significant number of wars on the eastern frontier. During the sixth eastern frontier war, farmers lost livestock to the value of R600 000. Vagrant Hottentots also plundered the farms. Conditions deteriorated badly after the institution of Ordinance 50 of 1828, which cancelled the pass laws. In 1834, when the slaves were freed, the situation worsened even further, as many of them had no option but to steal to make a living. The freeing of the slaves also meant financial loss for the farmers and this added to their dissatisfaction. Sketch of a 17th century farm house in the cape colony The Great Trek in South Africa The Dutch-speaking people also felt that their identity was being threatened. A series of laws proclaimed between 1823 and 1828 enabled the government to substitute the official use of Dutch with English. When the magistrates and councils were also abolished, the colonists no longer had any say in the government and their desire for self-government increased. Leaders of The Great Trek,... Trichardt and Van Rensburg Andries Hendrik Potgieter Gerrit Maritz Piet Retief Piet Uys Trichardt and Van Rensburg,... The Great Trek in South Africa started with Louis Trichardt and Hans van Rensburg leading the first groups to leave the Colony. There were 53 people in Trichardt’s group and they crossed the Orange River in 1835 on their way to the Soutpansberg. Hans van Rensburg also left the colony at the same time with his group of followers but his aim was to move to Mozambique. The Van Rensburg party was subsequently massacred near the Limpopo River. Louis Trichardt moved on to the area where the town of Louis Trichardt is situated today. He waited for some time for Potgieter’s trek to meet up with them but eventually became impatient and moved on to Lourenco Marques (present day Maputo). By the time Trichardt reached Maputo, on 13 April 1838, many of his cattle had been killed by tsetse flies and nearly half of his group had died of malaria. Sketch of a Voortrekker with his wagon encampment in the background The Great Trek in South Africa Andries Hendrik Potgieter,... Potgieter left the Cape Colony towards the end of 1835 with 200 people. They also wanted to go to Lourenco Marques for trading purposes, but they did not get that far. They were attacked by an army of 1 000 men sent by Mzilikazi. A few of the Voortrekkers were killed and Potgieter left his trek temporarily to meet up with Louis Trichardt. On his return, he instructed his people to form a laager (circle of ox wagons) as a defence strategy against the black armies. Two months later, all their cattle were stolen during another attack at Vegkop. Moroka (chief of the Barolong) and Gerrit Maritz helped Potgieter’s group to get back to Thaba Nchu. Gerrit Maritz,... Gerrit Maritz, also joining the Great Trek in South Africa, left for Thaba Nchu with 700 people. When they arrived in November 1836, they held a mass meeting with the Voortrekkers who had already arrived. Maritz was elected as the president of a council of 7 members who were to look after the interests of the Voortrekkers. Potgieter was elected the military leader. One of the first decisions of the council was to send an expedition out to recapture their cattle from Mzilikazi. Encampment of a Voortrekker family The Great Trek in South Africa Piet Retief,.. . Piet Retief was the commandant of the Winterberg ward in the district of Albany. He was also a farmer, building contractor and speculator and had sufficient money to finance a venture into the interior. Before he left, he published a manifesto in the Grahamstown Journal in which he explained his reasons to join the Great Trek in South Africa. He left the Cape in March 1837, together with 400 people. When he joined the Voortrekkers in the Free State, they numbered more or less 5 000. Retief was elected governor and military leader at a convention held at Winburg. At the same convention Maritz was elected chairman of the Political Council. Piet Uys,... Piet Uys and his followers were the last to leave the Cape as part of a big organised trek. These 100 odd men, women and children departed from the district of Uitenhage in April 1837. They arrived in the Free State in August of the same year. The Voortrekkers in Zululand and Natal,... 1938 photograph of a column of ox wagons in commemoration of the Great Trek in South Africa The Voortrekkers had opposing views about the direction the trek should take. Potgieter felt it best to remain in Transvaal, since Britain might annex Natal, which would mean that the Voortrekkers would once again be under British rule. Maritz, Cilliers and Retief did not share his fears and decided to move to Natal. Piet Uys was not quite sure where his trek should be heading. When the Voortrekkers arrived in Natal, one of the favourite destinations during the Great trek in South Africa, the greater part of Natal was under the control of Dingane. Retief attempted to buy land from Dingane who promised to sell it if the Voortrekkers agreed to recover the cattle which had been stolen by Sikonyela. When Retief and his people brought back the stolen cattle, they signed a contract with Dingane. Later that day, however, Dingane’s people killed 67 of the Voortrekkers, including Retief. Dingane’s soldiers then went to the laagers (camps) of the Voortrekkers and killed many more, including women and children. The Zulus also drove off the bulk of the Voortrekkers' cattle. Portrait of Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius The Great Trek in South Africa In April 1838, Uys and Potgieter retaliated by launching a counterattack against the Zulus. They were defeated by the Zulus at Italeni. The Zulus attacked again on 13 August and in December 1838, the last remaining Voortrekker leader, Maritz, died. As the Voortrekkers needed a new leader, they sent for Andries Pretorius. Pretorius acted as their leader in the Battle of Blood River on 16 December 1838 when they defeated the Dingane’s Zulu army. Dingane fled, after setting fire to his kraal. At Kwa Maritane, the skeletons of Retief and his men were found, together with a satchel containing the treaty between Dingane and the Voortrekkers. The Voortrekkers were now the owners of the land between the Drakensberg Mountains, from the Tugela River to the Umzimvubu River and the sea. Dingane was finally defeated by Mpande who became the new paramount chief of the Zulus. The Voortrekkers now felt safer and on 14 February 1840, Andries Pretorius proclaimed Natal a Voortrekker Republic, the Republic of Natal. They formed a government and Pietermaritzburg was chosen as the new capital. The Republic of Natal existed for only 5 years until the governor of the Cape, Sir George Napier, sent Sir Harry Smith and his men to annex Natal. A struggle followed, during which the British suffered a number of casualties and lost two of their cannon. Dick King (a legend in the history of the Great Trek in South Africa) escaped on horseback, and astonishingly, it took him only six days to reach Grahamstown. The British sent reinforcements and the Voortrekkers were forced to retreat to Pietermaritzburg. On 12 May 1843, Natal became a British colony and most of the Voortrekkers chose to return to the Free State and the Transvaal. The Voortrekkers in the Transvaal,... Voortrekker family settling down on their new land The Great Trek in South Africa After being attacked by Chief Mzilikazi and his Matabele army, the Voortrekkers in the Transvaal moved back to Thaba Nchu under the leadership of Andries Potgieter. In two attacks against Mzilikazi, one a counter-attack and the second a precautionary attack, the Matabele were defeated and Potgieter and his followers thought it safe to remain in Transvaal. Soon after, Potgieter gave in to pressure and moved to Natal, but soon returned to the Transvaal where he founded the town of Potchefstroom. He proclaimed the district as the Republic of Winburg-Potchefstroom. From here, the Voortrekkers moved to Marico and Rustenburg. Potgieter and his people wanted to move as far away from the Cape as possible and in the process, other towns such as Ohrigstad and Lydenburg were founded. Conflict arose between Potgieter and another group and Potgieter moved even further north and founded the town of Schoemansdal. Some of the Voortrekkers who had fled to northern Natal after the British occupation, asked to be incorporated into the ZAR (the South African Republic) as the Transvaal had been named. In order to do this, the land on which the town of Utrecht was founded, had to be bought from Zulu king Mpande. Britain did not recognise the independence of Transvaal, but made no attempt at annexation. The reason for its inactivity was the hostile attitude of certain black tribes towards Britain and also the fact that war was looming in Europe. On 17 January 1852, the Sand River Convention was signed between Britain and the Transvaal Republic. It was the first time that Britain had acknowledged the independence of a Voortrekker Republic. The Voortrekkers in the Orange Free State,... The Voortrekker monument in Pretoria in commemoration of the Voortrekkers The Great Trek in South Africa Long before the Great Trek in South Africa started, the "Trek Boers" had already moved into the area that would come to be known as the Free State, as early as the 17th and 18th centuries. At the start of the 19th century there were already different groups present in the area. Some of these groups were the Basotho (under leadership of Moshweshwe, the Griqua (under Adam Kok), the Batlokwa, the Bataung and the Barolong. The area that became known as Trans Orangia was situated between the Orange and the Vet Rivers. Many of the Trek boers settled in the Phillippolis area, where Adam Kok rented land to them. The Trek boers considered themselves British subjects but, when the Voortrekkers passed through the area, some Trek boers joined them while others chose to remain. When the Potgieter trek arrived at Thaba Nchu in 1836, Potgieter made an arrangement with Makwana, chief of the Bataung, that, in exchange for cattle and protection against Mzilikazi, Potgieter would be given land in an area between the Vet and Vaal Rivers. This area became known as Winburg. When Retief arrived, it was decided that the Trekkers should move to Natal. Potgieter eventually agreed, but he moved back to Winburg after his defeat at Italeni by Dingane. He later also founded Potchefstroom, a town next to the Mooi River. Potgieter linked the towns of Winburg and Potchefstroom by declaring the Winburg Potchefstroom Republic. The Vet River divided the area between the Vaal River and the Orange River. The southern part became known as Trans-Orangia and the Northern area formed part of the Winburg - Potchefstroom Republic. The Voortrekkers had to travel across wild country, negotiating rivers, mountains and gorges The Great Trek in South Africa The Vet River divided the area between the Vaal River and the Orange River. The southern part became known as Trans-Orangia and the Northern area formed part of the Winburg - Potchefstroom Republic. Jan Mocke and Jan Kok were the leaders of the Voortrekkers who lived in the vicinity of the Vet River. After the annexation of Natal, their numbers increased because many people who were not prepared to submit to British rule moved back to the area. In Trans-Orangia, however, the Trek boers, under the leadership of Machiel Oberholzer, wished to remain under British authority. Oberholzer therefore informed the judge at Colesberg of the plans of the upper region to establish a republic. Without consulting the British government, the judge immediately annexed the area but the British government would not ratify the annexation. When Sir Harry Smith became governor of the Cape Colony in 1847 long after the Great Trek in South Africa had fizzled out, he wanted to annex the territory as far as the Vaal River. He informed the British government that the majority of the people living in the area strongly supported such an annexation, which was not true. Typical Voortrekker wagon on display at the Voortrekker monument museum The Great Trek in South Africa However, Smith went ahead and annexed the area up to the Vaal River and called it the Orange River Sovereignty. The citizens of Winburg revolted but were defeated at Boomplaats by Smith’s soldiers. Potgieter was outlawed and magistrates were appointed in the districts of Bloemfontein, Winburg and the Vaal River. The Battle of Boomplaats disturbed the British government because it cost a lot of money and proved that many of the inhabitants were opposed to the annexation. The Basotho under Moshweshwe were one of the dissatisfied groups and in 1854 they defeated a British armed force sent to punish them for their raids. The British government was of the opinion that since the independence of Transvaal had been recognised in 1852, there was no reason why the same could not be done for the Orange Free State. When the Basotho defeated another British force in the area of Berea, Britain decided to officially recognise the Republic of the Orange Free State. On 23 February 1854, the Bloemfontein Convention was signed and the area between the Vaal and Orange Rivers officially became the Republic of the Orange Free State. With the Independence of the republics Transvaal and Free State, the Voortrekkers saw their dreams come true. Dreams of freedom, independence and self-government that had moved them to embark upon the Great trek in south Africa. SHORT INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE GREAT TREK Introduction The Great Trek was a very important event in the history of South Africa. It came about because of disagreements between British and Afrikaner settlers in the colony known as the Cape Colony. As a result of the disagreements, many Afrikaner farmers moved away from the Cape Colony and established their own colonies. This was a first step in establishing their independence from Britain and forming their own country. The farmers would later be called Voortrekkers, or “early migrants.” Background In the 1830s, Afrikaner farmers in the eastern part of the Cape Colony (now Eastern Cape) were unhappy. They were descendants of Dutch settlers who had first landed in the area in 1652. The British had taken over the colony in the early 1800s, and the Afrikaners did not like the change. They were also unhappy about cattle theft by the Xhosa, a group of people who lived nearby. Journey to Independence The Great Trek began in 1835. More than 10,000 farmers left the Cape Colony. They took about 10,000 black workers and large herds of cattle with them. The farmers mostly traveled by horse and ox wagon. They were armed with muzzle-loading guns. The most well-known leaders were Piet Retief, Gerrit Maritz, and Andries Pretorius. There were many battles between the Voortrekkers and black tribes during the Great Trek. The main tribes were the Ndebele (beyond the Vaal River) and the Zulu tribes in Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal). The Zulu king Dingane had Piet Retief and his men killed. Later, other Voortrekkers were also killed by the Zulus. The Voortrekkers recovered from those setbacks. The most famous battle between the Voortrekkers and the Zulu took place on December 16, 1838. In what became known as the Battle of Blood River, more than 3,000 Zulu warriors were killed. The Voortrekkers eventually defeated the Ndebele and the Zulus. Then they were able to set up their own republics, or places where they could live and make their own laws. But their republics were taken over by Britain. Their battles ended only when the Voortrekker republics in the Orange Free State and Transvaal were recognized as independent states by Britain in the 1850s. That meant that the Voortrekkers were free to establish their own governments in those places. Andries Pretorius was a leader of the Boers of southern Africa. Pretorius helped to gain independence for the Transvaal, a Boer republic. The city of Pretoria, South Africa,... Piet Retief was one of the leaders of the Boers during the Great Trek in the 1830s. The Boers were mostly descendants of early Dutch settlers. They undertook the Great Trek... A long journey to a new home is called a migration. Migrating animals generally go back and forth between summer and winter homes. When people migrate, however, they often... Voortrekkers were a group of European settlers in what is now South Africa. The word Voortrekkers means “those who trek ahead.” They were called Voortrekkers because they... South Africa is the southernmost country on the continent of Africa. It has three capital cities: Pretoria (Tshwane), Cape Town, and Bloemfontein. They each are home to a... Dingane was one of the most famous kings of the Zulu people of South Africa. He was king of the Zulus from 1828 to 1840. Dingane was born in about 1795. He was the son of... World War II started in 1939. By the time it ended in 1945, the war involved nearly every part of the world. The two sides that fought the war were called the Axis powers and... The Cape Frontier Wars were a series of wars between European colonists and the Xhosa people of southern Africa. Nine wars took place between 1779 and 1878. They were fought... The Battle of Blood River took place on December 16, 1838, in what is now South Africa. On that day a group of European settlers called Voortrekkers defeated an army of Zulu... The countries that won World War I (1914–18) set up an organization called the League of Nations. They wanted the League to be a place where countries could settle... Jacob Zuma is a politician who served as the president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He also served as president of his party, the African National Congress (ANC). Early... In the South African War (also called the Boer War or the Second Boer War), British and Boer forces fought for control of what is now South Africa. The war lasted from 1899... Nelson Mandela spent almost 30 years in prison for fighting against apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was a government policy that separated people of different races.... About one third of the world’s population lives in the member countries of the Commonwealth, or Commonwealth of Nations. The organization was formerly known as the British... The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was created in South Africa in 1995, after the end of apartheid. It was established by the country’s parliament. The main task... Jan Smuts was a South African soldier, politician, and prime minister. He was also a scholar and naturalist. During the Anglo-Boer War he fought against the British forces in... The Soweto Uprising of 1976 was a major protest against apartheid in South Africa. It began as a march by black schoolchildren. The students were unhappy because schools in... The metal gold has been considered valuable for centuries. At times people have discovered places where gold can be dug out of the ground. This has created a gold rush, when... Desmond Tutu was a religious leader in South Africa. His protests helped to bring an end to South Africa’s apartheid laws. Apartheid was a system that kept blacks separate... Thabo Mbeki is a South African politician. He served as president of South Africa from 1999 to 2008. He was also president of the African National Congress (ANC) for two... Mangosuthu Buthelezi Mangosuthu Buthelezi was a South African politician. He was the leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). He was also a Zulu chief and a prince in the Zulu royal family.... The Anglo-Zulu War, or Zulu War, was fought between Great Britain and the Zulu people of southern Africa in 1879. The British won the war. Their victory allowed them to take... F.W. de Klerk was the president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994. He helped to end apartheid and to make South Africa a democratic country in which people of all races are... Steve Biko was a founder of the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa. The movement encouraged black South Africans to be proud of their culture and to stand up for... Kgalema Motlanthe is a South African politician. He served as president of South Africa during 2008–09. He was named deputy president of South Africa in 2009. Motlanthe was... Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd H.F. Verwoerd was a South African professor and politician. He served as prime minister of South Africa from 1958 to 1966. He also helped create the policy of apartheid.... BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE

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Seaside sanctuaries must adhere to a strict no-breeding policy, must not train their animals to perform in any shows or performances for public display, and must prohibit all forms of physical interaction between guests and the animals, including any in-water guest experiences. Other facilities Subject to any other relevant policy stipulations, guest experiences at the following types of facilities may also be eligible for sale: Any accredited* facility that has made an official and public commitment to implement all of the following practices: Cease and prevent the breeding of cetaceans in its care Cease the importation of captive cetaceans from other facilities for public display Cease the capture and importation of wild cetaceans for public display *Accreditation must be provided by a member association of World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Bloodsports South African Tours will not sell tickets to any attraction that is found to be in breach of the South African Tours listing policy as it relates to the harming or killing of animals. This policy stipulates that South African Tours does not list attractions where the primary purpose of the business includes: The harming or killing of endangered species in the wild (such as the hunting of endangered animals); and/or The harming or killing of any captive animal (such as bloodsport attractions) Feeding demonstrations that involve live animals being fed to other animals for entertainment (e.g. feeding live cows to lions). Must have an official name and published phone number or email Must be a tour company, not an individual tour Must operate for at least 12 consecutive weeks of the year Must have an official website which includes: duration of tour description of what is included in the tour name of the city where the tour departs For vacation rentals properties to be listed on South African Tours , there are no specific listing criteria. Hotels, restaurants and airlines are listed free of charge and once listed on the website, businesses are not delisted so long as they remain open.. Landmarks, places of interest and tour operators are listed free of charge, irrespective of commercial relationships. Tours and activities will be bookable on South African Tours only if the suppliers of such tours and activities contract with one of South African Tours affiliate companies to have their products available for bookings or reservations, or otherwise if the listing is displayed as part of a commercial licensing arrangement with a third party business. Bookable vacation rental properties are listed only if the listing is displayed as a part of a commercial licensing arrangement with a third party business. The results displayed are not necessarily exhaustive of all offers that may be available, whether on the Internet or otherwise. 2. What are our policies and criteria for ranking? Hotels are currently ranked in the following ways: “Traveler Ranking” or “Highest Rating”: ranks the top rated hotels, as the case may be, based on user input on South African Tours . Results are ranked on the basis of the 'Popularity Index' , which is based on the quality, recency and quantity of reviews an establishment receives from users. “Best Value” is the default sort order for hotels and ranks these establishments using exclusive South African Tours data, including confirmed availability from our partners, booking popularity as reported to us by our partners, traveler ratings, prices, location, personal user preferences and hotel browsing history. “Price (low to high)”: ranks the establishments according to the lowest prices offered through our partners for your selected dates at the time of your search. “Distance to city center”: ranks first the establishments closest to the applicable city center with confirmed availability for your dates from our partners. “Featured”: ranks accommodations taking into account the compensation paid to us by those accommodations and/or booking sites. It also incorporates exclusive South African Tours data, including traveler ratings, confirmed availability from our partners, prices, booking popularity, location and personal user preferences. Pages featuring Hotels may also feature horizontal selections of other points of interest, suppliers or their products. A range of different factors inform these selections, and the title is usually indicative of this. Revenue paid to companies in the South African Tours group can also be a factor. The ingredients that feed these selections are summarized below. Those selections that are influenced by revenue are highlighted. “Popular Nearby” Proximity to the hotel featured at the top of the page, availability with our partners, user reviews “Similar Sponsored Properties” Payments to South African Tours from the properties listed, along with user review scores, location, availability, price data, booking popularity with our partners “Most booked properties” User review scores, location, availability, price data, booking popularity with our partners “Compare more popular hotels” Location, availability, price data, booking popularity with our partners and reviews “Nearby” Location, availability, price data, booking popularity with our partners and reviews “Vacation Rentals” Vacation rental properties advertised on the South African Tours website ranked by review data, price and availability for the user’s selected dates. Things to Do are currently ranked in the following ways: “Traveller Favorites”: Things to do ranked using South African Tours data including reviews, ratings, number of page views, and user location. “Featured”: The ranking of tours, activities, and experiences available on South African Tours is determined by several factors including the revenue generated by South African Tours from these bookings, the frequency of user clicks, the user’s recent browsing history on South African Tours , and the volume and quality of customer reviews. Occasionally, newly listed offerings may be prioritized and appear higher in the list. The specific placement of these new listings may vary. “Traveller Ranking”: ranks places of interest and/or tour operators on South African Tours based on traveler reviews in accordance with the Popularity Index, using the same method as stated above under Hotels. “ Price”: ranks tours, activities and experiences bookable on South African Tours , based on the prices offered by our partners. “Duration”: ranks tours, activities and experiences bookable on South African Tours , based on their duration. Pages featuring Things to Do may also feature horizontal selections of other points of interest, suppliers or their products. A range of different factors inform these selections, and the title is usually indicative of this. Revenue to companies in the South African Tours group can also be a factor. The ingredients that feed these selections are summarized below. Those selections that are influenced by revenue are highlighted. “Other Top Attractions around {Geo}” Geographic distance from the location, overall ratings, ratings in the past year, total number of reviews, reviews in the past year, distinct number of travelers who viewed the attraction’s detail page in the past year, attraction creation date “Explore popular experiences” bookings, page views, clicks, number of products or attractions per category Bookings, page views, ratings, clicks “Ways to tour” / “Must-do experiences” Bookings, ratings, review count, category, linked points of interest “Tours in and around [location]” Bookings, ratings, review count, category, linked points of interest, distance of experience from geographic location “Tours near [location]” Bookings, ratings, review count, category, linked points of interest, distance of experience from geographic location “Recommended for you” User browsing history (previously viewed products and points of interest) Category-based selections Same as Traveller Favourites sort, described above “Experiences you don’t want to miss” Traveler Favorites sort, but filtered further using availability and pricing data “Recommended experiences” Availability, bookings, page views “Similar experiences” Bookings, ratings, review count, category, linked points of interest “Recommended” Revenue, bookings, pageviews, point of interestname, Product name, review counts, ratings, Product/points of interest mappings “Top ways to experience” Ratings, review count, bookings, geographic distance, Revenue, relevant point of interest data, title, description “Ways to experience” Revenue, ratings, review count “Shop tickets and tours” Bookings, page views, ratings, clicks “More to explore in [location]” Bookings, page views, ratings, clicks “Buy it with” Bookings, category, geo location, price, review count, ratings, duration, points of interest mappings “Similar experiences” Product locations, bookings, page views, product title and description, availability “Top rated” Ratings, review count, revenue, product locations, bookings, product tags, product title and description “You may also like” Bookings, ratings, review count, category, linked points of interest “Travelers also viewed” Page views “Buy it with” Bookings, category, location, price, review count, ratings, duration, point of interest data “Recently viewed” User behavior (recent views) “Top attractions in [location]” Revenue, ratings, review count, pageviews, user country “Buy it with” Bookings, category, location, price, review count, ratings, duration, relevant points of interest “Attraction tickets” Revenue, ratings, review count, location “Half day tours” Revenue, ratings, review count, location “Shop tickets and tours” Bookings, page views, ratings, clicks, location “City tours” Revenue, ratings, numbers of reviews, location “Cultural tours” Revenue, ratings, numbers of reviews, location "[Location] is great for" Attraction bookings, page views, reviews, place of interest data, user's answers to questions "Essential [Location]" - Do Hand curated by Tripadvisor staff "Essential [Location]" - Stay Hand curated by Tripadvisor staff "Essential [Location]" - Eat Hand curated by Tripadvisor staff “Top experiences in [Geo]” Bookings, ratings, review count, category, linked points of interest “Top experiences in and around [Geo]” Bookings, ratings, review count, category, linked points of interest, distance of experience from geographic location “Top experiences near [Geo]” Bookings, ratings, review count, category, linked points of interest, distance of experience from geographic location “Top attractions in [Geo]” Review count, ratings, pageviews, user country “Top global destinations” Pageviews, revenue “Top experiences worldwide” Bookings, frequency of user clicks, ratings, review count “Top global attractions” Review count, ratings, pageviews “Family adventures await” Bookings with children, views, reviews and ratings, reviews and ratings by families, minimum age requirement, duration, product title and description, category, availability Restaurants are currently ranked in the following ways: “Highest Rating”: ranks the top rated restaurants based on user input on South African Tours, Results are ranked on the basis of the 'Popularity Index' , which is based on the quality, recency and quantity of reviews an establishment receives from users. “Relevance”: ranks restaurants based on themed ‘tags’, relating to things like cuisine type and amenities. “Best Nearby”: ranks restaurants based on how close other properties are to the featured property, coupled with quality, quantity and recency of user reviews. Hotels may be displayed based on their room availability. “Commerce”: displays restaurants based on partnerships with service providers that enable services like table reservations, food delivery, and dining with a chef, from which South African Tours generates revenue. When restaurants are filtered by sub-category (for instance: type of cuisine, dinner, local cuisine, etc), then within this sub-category they are ranked according to the “Relevance” logic. Sub-categories displaying restaurants that have table reservations and chef experiences are only featured through our partners. The sub-category for delivery is a combination of both “Relevance” and partnerships through our delivery partners. The “special offer” sub-category is displayed based on “Highest Rating.” There are various different types of pages on the South African Tours site that offer lists of restaurants, presented either horizontally or vertically. The restaurants in those lists are sorted and ranked according to different rules and systems, in response to different types of data pertaining to those restaurants. The logic behind these lists is summarized below. Page Description of Logic(s) Restaurants List Horizontal Rows (Shelves): Our relevance logic is based on themed ‘tags’, relating to things like cuisine type and amenities. ‘Community Picks’ is based on public trips rated by the South African Tours community. Our partnerships with service providers enable services like table reservations, food delivery, and dining with a chef, from which Tripadvisor generates revenue. Vertical Rows (List): Our ‘highest rating’ logic is based on quality, quantity, and recency of user reviews. Pages Dedicated to Individual Restaurants Our relevance logic is based on themed ‘tags’, relating to things like cuisine type and amenities, coupled with quality, quantity and recency of user reviews. Best Nearby logic is based on how close other properties are to the featured property, coupled with quality, quantity and recency of user reviews. Hotels may be displayed based on their room availability. “Explore” Page South African Tours editorial staff select properties to be displayed in shelves across the platform. Other properties are displayed from relevance logic based on themed ‘tags’, relating to things like cuisine type and amenities, coupled with quality, quantity and recency of user reviews for properties in proximity to the center of the featured geography. Vacation rental properties are currently ranked in the following ways: "South African Tours Sort" is the default sort order and ranks vacation rental property listings based on a number of criteria (in order of importance from least to most) such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, location, amenities, minimum stay requirements, number of photographs, length of time the property has been advertised by Vrbo on South African Tours website, number of times the listing has been viewed, number of bookings, cancellation rates and advertising revenue made by South African Tours when the property is booked. For all other sort orders, the South African Tours Sort also works as a “tie-breaker” to determine ordering where there are two or more properties with the same attributes. “Price (Low to high/ High to low)”: ranks properties based on price on the dates searched. “Bedrooms (Most to least/ Least to most)”: ranks properties based on the number of bedrooms, in the order selected. “# of reviews”: ranks properties based on the total number of reviews of the property, including both reviews submitted to South African Tours and those submitted on Vrbo. Flights are currently ranked in the following ways: “Price”: ranks the results according to the prices currently offered by our partners. “Duration”: ranks based on total estimated flight time from departure to arrival. “Best Value”: ranks the best combination of price, flight duration, and sometimes factors such as additional fees. Earliest/Latest Outbound/Return Arrival/Departure: these options list by various aspects of available flight times. Search: South African Tours internal search function presents results relevant to your text query. To give you the most useful information, search algorithms look at many factors and signals, including the words of your query, reviews, bubble rating, number of page views, and your location. Different result types can have different factors relevant to them, but the text query is applied to rank all the results on the search page. Apart from the query, the following factors are used to order the search results, depending on the type of South African Tours content discovered by the search: Followers/followees count, verified member flag - for Member Profiles Reviews, bubble rating, number of page views, distance from you, open/closed state - for Hotels, Restaurants, Things to Do, Vacation Rental properties. Number of page views - for Geographic Locations Date (freshness of the content) - for Forum Posts AI-powered Trips South African Tours AI-powered trip itinerary builder creates lists of suggestions for a potential trip. The tool suggests destinations based on similar searches by users from the user’s home location. The suggested interests, from which travelers can select, are a mix of generic topics and topics selected by AI as being particularly relevant for the destination. Then, taking the user’s selected destination, dates and interests, the trip tool suggests accommodations, things to do and restaurants to visit. Where options for bookable Things to Do products are shown, they may also be selected partially due to the revenue they are likely to generate for South African Tours . Options for accommodations will be shown according to the Best Value sort, which is described above under Hotels. The itinerary produced by the tool then lists restaurants, places of interest and things to do based on review scores in our Popularity Index and proximity to other recommendations in the list. Bookable Things to do may also appear partly due to the revenue they are likely to generate for South African Tours . The descriptions are generated by AI, drawing on content from user reviews. AI is not perfect and the Trip planner’s suggestions are only intended as a starting point for a user’s booking journey. Travelers should continue their own research and keep reading user reviews and other available information before booking. Trips pages For you – South African Tours users, when logged in, can create Trips and save them to their South African Tours account via the Trips page. Our Trips section also features a “For you” page bearing further suggestions. Where suggestions are described as being “top ranked”, this is a reference to the following sort logics, all of which are explained above: Hotels - Best Value Things to Do – Traveller Favourites Restaurants - Highest Rating Traveler's Choice South African Tours awards fall into two levels: Best of the Best and Travelers’ Choice. Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best is our highest honor. The award takes into account the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and ratings, and ranks the very best accommodations, destinations, beaches, restaurants, and things to do in specific categories and geographic areas, as rated and reviewed by travelers. Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best award winners are among the top 1% of listings on South African Tours . Travelers’ Choice, formerly Certificate of Excellence, recognizes businesses that earn consistently great reviews. Travelers’ Choice award-winners are among the top 10% of listings on South African Tours . South African Tours Travelers’ Choice honors select accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently demonstrate a commitment to hospitality excellence. On destination pages, these winners are ranked using South African Tours data including reviews, ratings and number of page views. 3. No ownership of any listed businesses South African Tours does not own any of the businesses listed on its site. See here the list of websites managed and operated by South African Tours and/or its affiliate companies . 4. Compensation Except where described above, travel and hospitality businesses are listed on South African Tours for free. Where price offers are provided for hotels, the ranking of price offers may depend in part on the price paid by affiliates who participate in our "cost-per-click" auction system. Suppliers of tours, activities and experiences can be listed on South African Tours for free. If they wish to make a tour, activity or experience bookable through South African Tours or its affiliate companies, they must enter into an agreement with one of Tripadvisor’s affiliate companies, pursuant to which the suppliers are paid for bookings made through our platforms. Vacation rental properties are listed for free, a commission is paid on completion of a stayed booking. Airlines are listed on South African Tours for free. South African Tours does not accept any compensation that could influence the rankings of flight for a given user search, as described above. 5. Commercial Relations Partners can enter into a number of different kinds of direct commercial relationship with South African Tours if they wish, especially in order to be bookable online. Commercial relationships that partners may have with South African Tours may influence certain ranking methods as described above. However, they have no influence on South African Tours . 'Popularity Index'. How the Popularity Ranking works The Popularity Ranking is based on the quality, recency and quantity of reviews that a business receives from users — and the consistency of those reviews over time Quality The bubble ratings that users provide as part of their reviews are used to rank the quality of the experience at each business. All other things being equal, a business with more 5-bubble ratings will rank higher than a business with lower bubble ratings. Recency Recent reviews are more valuable than older reviews. They give a more accurate representation of the current experience at the business. This means reviews — good or bad — that are older will not count as much towards a business's ranking as a review written more recently. Although older reviews do not have as much weight in the ranking, they are still visible in the Overview section of each listing and in the business’s review history. Quantity The number of reviews is a critical indicator to Tripadvisor users about a business. South African Tours users typically read multiple reviews to help form a balanced opinion on a business and have more confidence in their decisions when they see agreement across a large set of fellow users’ reviews. When we talk about review quantity, it’s important to note that a business just needs to have enough reviews to provide statistical significance and allow for a confident comparison to other businesses. Just having more reviews doesn’t mean that a business will be ranked higher than its competitors. For example, a business with 1,000 reviews isn’t necessarily going to be rated higher than one with 500 reviews that were received in roughly the same period of time. This is because they both have enough reviews to make us confident in the potential travel experience they can deliver. The Popularity Ranking algorithm is designed to provide a statistical measure of confidence about the current experience at a business. As we accumulate more reviews on a business over time, we have more insight into the potential experience consumers can expect. Once we've reached a critical mass of reviews, we're able to more accurately predict that business's ranking. Consistency: putting it all together In summary: Good reviews are better than poor reviews Recent reviews are given more weight than older reviews More reviews help build confidence faster These factors interact over time to determine a business’s Popularity Ranking. For example, the quality and quantity of reviews over time provide us with a view of each business's consistency. A business that has consistently good reviews will rank higher than one with a similar number of good and poor reviews. Similarly, recency and quantity are closely linked — a large number of recent reviews will be valued higher than ones that are several years old. How has the Popularity Ranking evolved? Over time, we continue to optimize and enhance the Popularity Ranking to improve our site experience for users and businesses alike. We know how important ranking on South African Tours is to businesses. Any changes we make are not undertaken lightly. They are carefully designed and tested to improve our rankings algorithm in very specific ways, while maintaining the accurate standings of existing businesses on South African Tours . Recent changes, in 2016 and 2018, have focused on promoting more consistency in the rankings. The goal with each change has been to more accurately reflect a business’s performance relative to others in its location over time, regardless of its size or the rate at which it collects reviews. How can you improve your business’s Popularity Ranking Because the Popularity Ranking is based on user feedback, consistently collecting new, high-quality reviews — that reflect levels of service and value that meet expectations — is the best way for businesses to improve their position over time. It is important to note that the Popularity Ranking takes into account a business's performance, in relation to the performance of other businesses in the area. As one business moves up in the ranking, it impacts others directly around it. Movements in the Popularity Ranking may be a result of reviews on one particular business — or reviews that have come in for other businesses in the area. To help with review collection, South African Tours offers a variety of tools and businesses who use review collection tools can consistently measure their performance and make improvements based on the feedback they receive. Some questions and answers Why is Business A above Business B? In most cases, this is because A has a statistically better set of reviews (based on quality, quantity, and recency) than B. I received a bad review. Is my Popularity Ranking going to be badly impacted? Positions in the ranking are not necessarily influenced by a single review — positive or negative. Businesses may notice changes in their positions depending on their own performance, or based on how other businesses around them perform. Since our algorithm takes into account the overall quality of the reviews you receive over time, regularly collecting feedback from users is the best way to maintain or improve your business’s position over time, relative to the performance of other businesses in the area. Do Management Responses factor into the Popularity Ranking? Management Responses are not factored into Popularity Ranking. However, research shows that when an owner responds promptly and professionally to a review, addressing any specific complaints as well as the positive comments, it can make a big impact on prospective customers. A Phocuswright1 study shows that 85% of users say that a thoughtful response to a review improves their impression of a hotel and 65% are more likely to book a hotel that responds to reviews versus a comparable hotel that doesn’t. Does having a commercial relationship with South African Tours impact my Popularity Ranking? No. A business’s commercial relationship with South African Tours has absolutely no impact on the Popularity Ranking. While it's helpful to be able show users whether you have availability for their search dates and help them book, or provide a website link or phone number, these have never been part of the Popularity Ranking algorithm. How often is the Popularity Ranking calculated? The ranking is re-calculated daily based on all published reviews, including those new reviews received that day. Do the sub-ratings (cleanliness, service, etc.) impact my ranking? Sub-ratings do not factor into the ranking calculation. However, they do provide users with valuable information on your business. How do fraud penalties impact the Popularity Ranking? Fraud penalties exist on South African Tours to protect the integrity of the content on the site. We employ a number of penalization methods for companies that try to manipulate our system which may impact a business’s position in the Popularity Rankings, and ultimately could lead to the publication of a red alert warning to users. Although Sponsored Placements may appear in and around a list of results, partners cannot buy their way to a particular place in any of the ranking methods described above. The advertising nature of these placements referenced for a fee is indicated by the label "Ad" or “Sponsored”. 6. Our Comparison and Booking Services Hotels and Vacation Rentals South African Tours gives you the ability to search for and compare hotels, as well as availability and pricing offered by professional third-party providers. The results displayed are not exhaustive of all the offers available on the Internet. South African Tours LLC displays results from data provided by its partners and is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the information provided by these third-party providers and that it displays on its sites or applications, or content on other websites. The ranking of price offers for a particular property will depend in part on the price paid by our advertising partners participating in our "cost-per-click" auction system. If you make a reservation with a third-party provider, you will need to read and comply with the terms and conditions of purchase and use of the provider's site, their Privacy Policy and any other rules or policies, including the policy relating to the site or the goods of the supplier. You are responsible for your interactions with third-party providers. The price results that consumers see on South African Tours are provided by our business partners, such as online travel agencies, hotel chains and independent hoteliers. When a user enters their dates into our search function for that particular home (assuming that this business works with us or one of our business partners), our systems make an electronic "call" on the programming interface of application (API) provided by this trading partner. The partner then automatically gives us the relevant price information in real time, if there is availability. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions. Flights For flights, the total prices include taxes and fees for one traveler as provided by our partners. For every travel flight listed, South African Tours does not guarantee any specific prices or rates. We recommend checking on the booking site for the exact amount requested as well as the currency. Consult our partners to find out more about the elements of the price included baggage fees, fare attributes and optional fees as well. The price results that consumers see on South African Tours are provided by our business partners in real time for each search done by a user. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions. Things to Do For any attractions listed on our site, the price listed is the total price, inclusive of taxes and fees. Prices are provided in real time for each search conducted by a user. 7. Commercial guarantees and dispute resolution None of the South African Tours company offers any commercial guarantees. If you book a hotel, restaurant or flight, you should consult our partners to find out more about any commercial guarantees and dispute resolution methods they may offer. If you book a tour, activity or experience via the intermediary services of one of our group companies, the applicable South African Tours group company that facilitated your booking will provide you with customer service in the event of a dispute, and will work with the supplier of the tour, activity or experience to help the parties try to reach a resolution. Where you make a booking facilitated by a third-party company outside of our group, that company will provide you with customer service. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions. 8. Main features of review moderation Before being posted to our site, each review goes through our automated processing system, which collects for each review a certain amount of information answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects an element in clear contradiction to our Content & Community Guidelines, the review will not be posted to the site. The user may be informed as well as the reason for this and may be offered the opportunity to write another review in accordance with our Guidelines, depending on eligibility. When the system detects a potential problem with a review, it is sent to our team of content specialists, who work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to maintain the quality of content posted to our site. In some cases, we will also send an e-mail asking users to validate their review before it is posted. In certain circumstances (for example, if an owner/manager disputes a review), we might ask the reviewer of a vacation rental property to provide us with proof of their stay, to ensure that the review is attached to the correct property listing. Our team checks every review that is reported to us by our community (both businesses and users) as potentially not meeting our Guidelines. For more information on our anti-fraud policy please refer to our Trust & Safety information center . 9. Our criteria for hosting traveler reviews We want to ensure that South African Tours remains a reliable and secure source for our global community. For this purpose, and to ensure that your review is posted as quickly as possible, make sure that it meets our Content & Community Guidelines. For reviews of vacation rental properties, there are additional criteria listed . In summary, vacation rental reviews must also be: based on short-term stays, written after check-in, verifiable by the name on the rental contract, and written in relation to stays that can be evidenced by the reviewer. Any review that does not meet these criteria will not appear on the site. If you have a question about a review that has not been posted, you can contact us directly by clicking on the link here . 10. When will my review appear on the site? It usually takes less than 24 hours to see reviews on our site. The process can be longer if the review needs to be examined in more detail by our team of moderators. See here for more info. After submitting, the title of your review appears in your profile, on the Review page. If we are unable to host your review, you may be notified of the refusal and the reason for this. Please note that in some cases, we will also send you an e-mail asking you to validate your review before it can appear. You just have to click on the link provided in the e-mail. 11. How long will my review appear? Once posted, your review will appear indefinitely on our site. Your review will only be removed if: 1) You choose to remove it 2) our team of moderators has determined that this review did not meet our Guidelines. 3) You fail to click on the link contained with an email asking you to validate your review, as outlined above 4) an establishment is removed from our site, in which case all reviews are removed. 5) An establishment goes through an ownership change or major renovation and reviews prior to a certain date that are no longer relevant are removed 12. Can I be rewarded for a review? No. Reviews written in exchange for personal benefits, such as gifts, services or money, will be removed. Establishments are free to encourage their clients to post their reviews when they return home. However, no representative of the establishment can offer premium, discount, upgrade or special treatment for current or future stays in exchange for advice. Properties making such offers may have their rankings penalized. If someone has offered you a reward for a review, please let us know by emailing us and including any available evidence (screenshots, photos, etc) at a.dezius@gmail.com 13. Is it possible to modify a review? No, Once submitted, your review can not be edited. You can remove your review and resubmit as long as it complies with our posting guidelines . 14. Will my review appear on other websites or publications? After being posted, all or part of the reviews written by our members may be used on some of our partner sites or in promotional materials generally. For more information, read our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy . 15. If I write a review about an establishment, can I be contacted about it? Sharing a contributor's e-mail address to an owner, manager, or other person is against our privacy policy. Contributors remain anonymous unless they choose to publish their email address or contact information in a contribution, such as a review or message in a forum. However, property owners or managers may contact you through South African Tours private messaging system, which allows South African Tours members to be in contact without providing an email address. Owners can use the messaging system to thank contributors, ask for other comments, legitimately attempt to resolve customer service issues, or (in the case of vacation rental property owners or managers) discuss a booking with a user, but they are not allowed to ask contributors to retract a review via the mailing system. It is also strictly forbidden to harass contributors. For more information, see our rules for using private messaging. 16. AI-Powered review summaries South African Tours facilitates easier and more informative hotel, restaurant, and experience searches by presenting AI-powered Review Summaries. These summaries, generated through state-of-the-art generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), offer concise, impartial highlights of traveler reviews on South African Tours from the previous 12 months, focusing on key attributes like cleanliness, location, and value. The summaries are derived solely from user-generated content, with supporting quotes added for transparency. Advanced machine learning techniques including Retrieval-Augmented Generation and BART are employed to preserve the authenticity of the original reviews while providing a clear, practical overview. This technology enables users to quickly understand the essence of traveler opinions, assisting in informed decision-making. Travellers should read the summaries in the context of the original user reviews on which they are based. Tripadvisor provides this feature for convenience and does not endorse or assume responsibility for the content of the summaries. To learn more about how these AI-powered summaries are generated, please visit our detailed blog post (available only in English). 17. Translation of reviews To assist our global community of travelers, South African Tours uses the services of Google and Phrase, both third-party vendors, to provide automated translations of user reviews. This helps ensure that all travelers, regardless of their language preferences, can access and benefit from the insights shared by others. Phrase and Google employ advanced translation technologies to convert user-generated content into multiple languages accurately and efficiently, enhancing the accessibility of our platform. Please note that while our vendors strive for accurate translations, some variations might occur due to linguistic differences. Tripadvisor plays no role in these translations, does not guarantee their accuracy and does not endorse the content of any individual user review or its translation. RULES South African Tours Collective Program South African Tours Collective is our contributor program that recognises you each time you add to South African Tours ! Think of it as your travel community’s way of saying thanks for helping us collectively travel better. For more information, visit the South African Tours Collective main page or the South African Tours Collective FAQs. Contribute experiences to earn points Earn points and reach new levels Collect badges and show your expertise At this time, this program is for entertainment purposes only and the points are not redeemable. Was this helpful? Contact us South African Tours Travel Map Our travel map is an interactive way to share the places you have been, want to go to, or love with your friends and family. You can pin cities, towns, some national parks and islands. However, you cannot pin larger regions such as countries, states, and island groups. There are three ways to add pins to your map: Search for city names in the search box on the right side of the map. Check off cities from the list of popular cities next to the map. Double-click to zoom in on the map and then click in an area near the city you wish to add. Our travel map can only display up to 2,000 pins at a time. If you try to add more than 2,000 pins, be aware that they may not be displayed in the map but are still counted in your statistics: percent of the world traveled and the total distance traveled. These statistics are for entertainment value only, and are based on the number of cities that you have pinned and the distance from your home location. If you have trouble with your travel map, including: You cannot find a place on the map that you would like to pin, even after searching for it in the search bar above the map; You find a pin in the wrong location; Contact us providing the location of the place you are trying to pin. Our editors will revise the information provided and make the appropriate changes when needed. Was this helpful? Contact us Combine my two South African Tours accounts Please use the information and instructions on this page if you have two South African Tours accounts you would like to merge. Take Note: The South African Tours account you are logged into when making the merge request is considered the primary account and will be maintained while the duplicate account will be closed If merging a traveler and owner account, the owner account must be the account maintained for the merge to go through If merging a traveler and a South African Tours Plus subscribed account, the South African Tours Plus subscribed account must be the account maintained for the merge to go through As you can only submit merge account requests for two accounts at a time, you will need to submit multiple requests if you have more than 2 accounts and would like to merge them all into one. After you receive an email confirmation that the first merge is completed, you can submit further merge requests for the remaining accounts. Once you merge accounts the process cannot be reversed Merge account requests cannot be processed from the Tripadvisor App at this time. What Merging Your Account Means: Eligible contributions from the duplicate account will be transferred to your primary account The duplicate account will be closed once the merge is completed Below is a table that shows all eligible merge contributions Contributions eligible for transfer * Contributions not transferable Reviews Photos Videos Trips Badges Points Travel Map Pins Forum Posts Q&A’s Private Messages Links Followers/following *Contributions must meet our Content Guidelines to be transferred. To request a merge of your accounts please select the option that applies to your current situation: I know the email addresses associated with both South African Tours accounts I want to merge AND I am able to access emails sent to the address associated with the account I want closed. Great! You have everything you need, you can request a merge of your two accounts here . I forgot my password to one or both of the South African Tours accounts I want to merge. To reset the password associated with your South African Tours account(s) please click here. I can log in to my South African Tours account, but I do not know the email address associated with the account. Visit this page in your account settings to locate your email address. I am not able to receive emails at the address associated with the South African Tours account I would like to merge and close. Unfortunately, we are unable to merge your South African Tours accounts. You must be able to access emails sent to the email address associated with the South African Tours account you wish to close. Was this helpful? Contact us Become a South African Tours member To become a member, click the Sign In link at the top of most South African Tours pages. You have the option to continue signing in with Google or with your email address and each process varies. Membership is free and lets you post reviews and photos, ask and answer questions in the forums, and create your own trip-planning folders. There are two ways to create your free account: If you have a Google account, you can quickly create a South African Tours account using your Google login credentials. To join via Google, select the Continue with Google button. If you are not already logged into Google, you will need to log in during the registration process. If you do not have a Google account, you can create a South African Tours account by providing your email address and choosing a password. To join with your email address, click Continue with email. Below the email address and password fields, you will need to click the Join link to fill out your name, email address and set a password. Once you've created an account, add some information to your profile so that other members will know a bit about you. Don't forget to fill out your travel map with the places you've traveled, your favorite destinations, and where you want to go. We also recommend that you subscribe to our personalized weekly newsletters. If you own or manage a business, register as an owner to claim your South African Tours page. Was this helpful? Contact us South African Tours profile privacy and personal security Your privacy and personal security are our top priorities at South African Tours . Any contributions you make will be associated with your display name, not your full name. We will never expose your email address, full name, mailing address, or other private information to any other member of South African Tours , unless you include it in a review or forum post. However, your full name will be shown to your friends if you connect via Facebook. Any pages in your Profile that can be viewed by other members are clearly marked, "Information on this page is public.” For more information on our Privacy Policy, click here . Was this helpful? Contact us Change my account email address To change your email address: Go to your Account Info page . Click + Add an email address. Insert the new email and click Make primary. For security purposes, enter your account password and click Save. Was this helpful? Contact us Update my home airport Your home airport is the airport that you prefer to depart from when you book air travel. We use this information to improve our flight recommendations for you. To update your home airport: Go to your Account Info page . For security purposes, log into your South African Tours account via Google, Facebook or email. Update the information displayed under Home airport. Click Save at the bottom of the page. Was this helpful? Contact us Update my username Your username is the unique South African Tours name that only belongs to you and will allow others to find your profile. This name will appear next to your contributions. To update your username: Go to your profile Click Edit profile. Amend the username field and click Save. Please note that usernames which infringe on any copyright, trademark, or other legal property rights are prohibited, as are those created for the purposes of impersonation. If someone has your trademarked name in their username, you can report their profile . TIP: If your username has already been claimed, you will be asked to select a different one. Adding underscores or numbers before or after your desired username will help make it unique. For example, if you would like the username @Andreas but it has already been claimed, consider selecting a name like @_Andreas or @Andreas60. Was this helpful? Contact us Update my profile information Your profile is a place for other South African Tours members to learn about you and your travel style. Information on this page is public and other South African Tours members can read it. To update information in your profile: Go to your profile. Click Edit profile. Add your information and Save. Here, you can add a bio, a profile photo, and your current city. Was this helpful? Contact us Close my member account We work hard to provide our members with great service, so please contact us if you have specific issues with our site, policies, or other members. We would be glad to work with you to improve your experience. There are a few things to keep in mind when you close your account: We will remove your reviews and other content from our site. This process cannot be reversed. Any forum messages you’ve posted will remain on the site attributed to your display name. We do not remove forum posts in bulk, as this would disrupt the flow of conversation. If you wish to remove your forum posts before closing your account, you can do so following these instructions . If you manage a listing, you will lose access to the Management Center. If you have a Plus subscription, all Plus bookings you have made will stay active. If you still wish to close your account: Visit your Account Settings page. Click the blue Close Your Account link at the bottom of the page. Was this helpful? Contact us Maintaining Anonymity There are many reasons to prefer to create an anonymous account and, whatever your reason, at South African Tours we want to make it easy. It is best to use your personal email address - not connect via Facebook or Google. Your email address is never shared with our travel community; however, if you connect via Facebook or Google you are giving permission for anyone connected to you on that platform to see certain updates. If you prefer to ensure your account is absolutely anonymous, use an email address only associated with your South African Tours account. Be sure to regularly check this email address in case we need to verify information about your account or the content associated with it. Do not use your real name but instead select an anonymous username and an anonymous social handle. More information about username/social handle selection can be found here . When selecting your profile picture, allow South African Tours to select a stock photo for you or upload a photo that will not give away your identity. The photo must abide by our photo guidelines . Do not discuss your occupation, location, or general timelines about upcoming travel plans in public facing content. If you would prefer not to see messages from others in the travel community, including from property owners, you can turn off your private message feature. Instructions can be found here . If you decide to keep your messages on but are being harassed, please report the sender to South African Tours . We take these reports seriously and will ban any members of our community who participate in harassment behavior on our platform. Property owners or employees who harass members of our community will be penalized. If you do not want specific profiles to be able to follow you or re-post your content, you can block that profile. For more information on how to block a member of our community follow this link . Was this helpful? Contact us Update my current city Your current city is the location that you want to display in your public profile. It also appears under your screen name next to your contributions on the site. To update your current city: Go to your profile . Click the Edit profile on the right. Edit the Current City field by searching for the name of your location and click Save. We list cities, towns, individual islands, and national parks in some cases. If your specific location is not yet in our database, please contact us providing some information about your location. We will be glad to review and add it to our database as long as it fits our criteria. TIP: Your current city lets other members know where you live, which helps them know more about you as they read your contributions. However, if you are uncomfortable showing your exact location, you may pick a location that represents your region. Was this helpful? Contact u Disconnect my South African Tours account from Google or Facebook To disconnect your South African Tours account from Google or Facebook: Go to the Account Settings page in your South African Tours profile. Click Disconnect under Facebook Settings or Google Settings. The accounts will be immediately disconnected. Was this helpful? Contact us Update my profile cover photo A cover photo is the larger photo above your profile picture. Like your profile picture, cover photos are public, which means anyone who is visiting your profile will be able to see them. To add or change your cover photo: Go to your profile . Click on the symbol next to the Edit profile button. Click on Edit cover photo. Select an existing photo or upload a new photo in one of the following file types .jpg .jpeg .gif .png. Click Save. TIP: For best quality, we suggest a photo size of 2560 x 500 Pixels. Was this helpful? Contact us Facebook name and photo on South African Tours If you have connected your Facebook and South African Tours accounts, we show your Facebook name and picture to you and your friends. Anyone who is not friends with you on Facebook will see your South African Tours display name and avatar. However, if you have not selected a South African Tours photo, we will use your Facebook photo as your South African Tours avatar. You can change this by adding a South African Tours photo, or disconnecting your Facebook and South African Tours accounts. To test how South African Tours members see your name and avatar, find one of your reviews or other contributions , take a look at how your name and photo display, and then log out of your South African Tours account. You should see your name and avatar change. Was this helpful? Contact us Update my profile photo A profile photo is the photo that appears next to your username in your profile page. This photo is public, which means that anyone visiting your profile will be able to see it. To add a profile picture or change your current profile picture: Go to your profile page . Click Edit profile. Click on your profile photo. Select one photo or upload a new one. Click Save. TIP: For best quality, we suggest a photo size of 150 x 150 Pixels or larger. Photos will be scaled to fit the standard display boxes on our site. We support the following file types: .jpg .jpeg .gif .png. Was this helpful? Contact us Manage my email subscriptions To subscribe / unsubscribe from a notification email: Visit the Subscriptions page of your profile. Once you have made your selections, a Changes saved confirmation box will briefly appear and your preferences will be updated. If you are a business representative, you will also see a tab called Emails for Owners. Here you can find a list of the notification emails you are eligible to receive as an owner. We recommend that you subscribe for notifications of new reviews and questions on your listing. If you are not receiving the emails you signed up for: Check your email’s spam folder and make sure to mark South African Tours emails as "not spam." Check your Subscriptions page. If there is a red alert box at the top of the page letting you know that your emails are not being delivered, follow the instructions. If you already followed the instructions and did not receive any South African Tours emails within a week, please contact us . Peruse the page to make sure that you are subscribed to the emails you want to receive, and also check that we have your email address right. Was this helpful? Contact us Manage my Trips Trips make it easy to save, organize and map out all of your ideas for places to stay, things to do and where to eat – and bring them with you, wherever you go. There are two ways to create a Trip: Click the Trips icon at the top of the South African Tours homepage and select Create a Trip. Click on the heart icon appearing on a hotel, attraction or restaurant you find on South African Tours and want to save. You’ll then be asked if you want to add the item to a new Trip or an existing one. When creating a new Trip, you’ll be prompted to give it a title (you can change the title later if you’d like). Once you’ve titled your Trip, you can either view your new Trip or keep browsing South African Tours for other places to save. To edit a Trip: Click the Trips icon at the top of the South African Tours homepage Select a Trip to edit Click the ellipses (...) button towards the top of your Trip’s itinerary. In the drop-down, you can edit the Trip name and description, organize items, change the privacy settings, add collaborators, or delete the Trip. Your saved Trips can always be viewed by visiting https://adezius.wixsite.com/south-african-tours ! Was this helpful? Contact us Content & Community Guidelines At South African Tours , our mission is to help you to find the good out there, wherever it is in the world. We are proud to host contributions from millions of travelers, giving people a platform to guide and inspire others every day. We also recognize how important it is that our platform provides a safe environment for everyone in the travel community, and that the contributions on our site provide useful and relevant guidance that helps travelers plan their trips. That’s why we developed and spent more than 20 years refining our Community Guidelines. In addition to our general community guidelines, different types of content on our site have additional guidelines specific to that content type. Sexually explicit content: We will not post content that contains sexually explicit material, except in the following instances: Lifestyle resort experiences: South African Tours understands that some of our users travel to specific lifestyle resorts to engage in adult activity and, for such locations, we may allow an innuendo that alludes to a sexual experience, but we don't allow graphic or explicit description of such experiences even if directly relevant to understanding the travel experience at those resorts. Eye-witness accounts: If you witness explicit sexual activity and recounting it is relevant to your experience and the experience other travelers may have in the future, we may post the content as long as the commentary is not excessively graphic. Reports of non-consensual sex activity: In this scenario, we reserve the right to host content that some may consider graphic or extreme in order to ensure travelers are informed about an event(s) that may compromise traveler safety. Violence: We are an inclusive community and want our users to feel welcome and safe when visiting our app or website. Please do not include language that expresses intent or inclination to harm specific person(s) or property(s), encourages others to do the same, or conveys a desire for such actions to occur. Content that specifically mentions that people should be shot, killed, strangled, assaulted, or harmed in any way - even if used as sarcasm or stated in an exaggerated manner - will be removed. Content that glorifies structural harm to a property, such as threats of bombing or fires, will be removed. Content containing the above types of threats may be reported to law enforcement. We will not publish content that promotes or describes personal participation in criminal activity that is illegal in the country of the property, establishment or location being written about . We reserve the right to report to the authorities any instances brought to our attention of child endangerment, human trafficking or imminent threats to a person or property. In addition, we will remove any content that mentions: A user’s or travel companion’s participation in prostitution, even if legal in the city or country where activity takes place Participation in non-prescription drug use, including requests to purchase, obtain or smuggle drugs, with the exception of content that describes the personal use of alcohol or marijuana. South African Tours does not condone the use of illegal substances. Participation in the illegal distribution of weapons or firearms. Contributors can include eye-witness accounts of criminal activity, including, but not limited to, staff participation in drugs, violence, robberies, and sexual assaults. Such context should not glorify violent or illegal activity but is included to be helpful to future travelers. South African Tours does not actively monitor content that discusses circumventing property rules or guidelines such as trespassing or refusing to pay an entrance fee and will allow these to remain on the site. Keep it clean! We request that contributors refrain from using vulgar or profane terms. Of course, we don’t allow the “super profane” words and our general rule of thumb is, if you wouldn’t shout it in public, don’t say it here. In some cultures terms may not be seen as problematic while in another culture that same term could be seen as extremely offensive. We are a global platform, so if a term is found generally held to be extremely offensive in the context used in any geography, we may remove that content for the sake of our global community. We ask our community to use the medical or anatomically correct term when referencing body parts or bodily functions. We may choose to publish slang or more colloquial terms on a case-by-case basis. We allow emojis, acronyms and veiled profanities as long as they are not offensive, particularly when aimed at an individual. We reserve the right to allow language that might otherwise be considered offensive when we believe it's necessary to convey important information to our travel community. This could include recounting an experience with a property representative or other guests that may be relevant and informative to other travelers We do not allow contributions that promote any service or product offered by the contributor. With the exception of certain management functions provided to listed businesses, we do not host content that is included primarily for commercial reasons. If you post content to promote your own business, such as a tour provider or packaged goods company, the review will be removed. We reserve the right to reject any website link or content that is deemed promotional or irrelevant such as blogs, news articles, social media references and contact information. Website links may be allowed when relevant and helpful to the travel experience and not promotional in nature. For example, the site used to book a tour reservation at a specific museum could be helpful to travelers. We do not allow advertisements or solicitations, including website links, with referrer tags or affiliate codes. Content posted to South African Tours is available publicly and may be visible in general internet search results. As such, we strongly discourage you from sharing your own private information in any content you submit. This includes passwords, email addresses, loyalty and frequent flyer numbers, your full name, your home address, other personally identifying information, or anything else you do not want shared publicly. That said, we will not remove content because a contributor has chosen to include such information, but can remove it upon a direct request from that contributor. We will remove content that contains information posted by businesses or other travelers that is private or confidential information such as wifi passcodes, door codes, email addresses that are not publicly available, social media contact information, loyalty/frequent flyer numbers, and credit card numbers. We do not allow users to post content containing the full names (including last or surnames) of other individuals. Exceptions to this may be: Employees of the business you are writing about that are commonly referred to at the business with their last/surname or have electively participated in social media platforms with their full name and place of employment; The name of the business is inclusive of the surname of the employee named; Executive-level employees; Property owners/managers; Celebrities; Any employees of a property who respond to reviews on Tripadvisor using their last/surname; or The full names of public professionals such as doctors, lawyers, etc. Property Owners: we will remove management responses if they contain any information that personally identifies the author and/or other guests if such information is not readily available in the content you are responding to. For example, a guest’s full name, medical information or travel itinerary. Special note on Escape Room-type experiences or similar experiences that have an element of surprise: Don’t ruin it for future travelers by giving away secret information about the experience! If you do without explicitly letting travelers know about a spoiler alert, we may remove your post and ask you to submit an updated one without that information. We want you to share your best, most accurate travel advice and tips with our community— just make sure any content you submit is yours! There should be no extensive quoted material from other sources. Any content plagiarized or copied from other websites, reviewers/travelers, property owners, emails, or printed materials that was not written by you will be removed. Review content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) is not permitted and a violation of South African Tours guidelines. Users found to be submitting AI-generated text and/or images to the site may be banned, in addition to having their content removed. South African Tours will not host any content that promotes intolerance for, contains offensive stereotypes of, or incites hatred/bias towards people based on their ethnic or social origin, race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religious/spiritual beliefs, socioeconomic class, physical or mental ability, immigration status, or nationality. If the text is not explicit, we will lean towards removing any such content that could be perceived as expressing bias or hatred even if not necessarily intended that way. Certain terms may not be considered problematic, while in another culture that same term could be seen as extremely offensive. We are a global platform leveraged across geographies and if a term is found offensive in any geography, when used to convey the same meaning, we will remove it for the sake of our global community. We recognize that, in some places, local laws and regulations may require businesses to alter or adjust the service they provide to individuals based on a person’s race, gender identity or orientation, religion, sexual preference, or nationality. We encourage travelers who experience such a scenario to post honest, first-hand accounts of their experience, and we respect their right to criticize or condemn any discriminatory practices they may encounter at a business, even where those practices may fall in line with local laws or regulations. Be nice! No personal insults or other unnecessary and derogatory commentary about other individuals. South African Tours is not the place to promote your favorite political candidate or cause you support. We appreciate your passion, but unlike other websites that allow users to post about anything they want, the South African Tours platform is focused on travel experiences. Any substantial comments on political or religious preferences, ethics, or wider social issues that are not relevant to travel or incite non-travel related discussions on our platform will be removed. Given that we are a global travel platform and help people around the world, we understand at times you might want to write in a language that is not your native language. We advise you not to use a machine to translate because often the text can be garbled and the original intent is missing. If a machine was used to translate and the content is difficult to understand, we may remove it. Please make sure your posting is using the correct alphabet for languages we support as when not used, it can make content hard to read. Do not use HTML tags or type in ALL CAPS. Our Approach to Content Integrity Every day, travelers from all over the world visit South African Tours for guidance in planning and taking trips. The platform is powered by the generosity of travelers who have memorable experiences — and then take the time to share them with others.Over the years, millions of travelers have shared their first-hand experiences on South African Tours in the form of traveler reviews. These reviews offer guidance about destinations and businesses all over the world, and so it is incredibly important that travelers feel confident about the information they provide. That is why every review has to follow a strict set of posting guidelines. These guidelines determine which reviews can be posted to South African Tours and which cannot.But how does South African Tours decide what these guidelines should be? And how does it enforce the rules to ensure reviewers abide by them? Here we detail the principles that shape our posting guidelines, and the steps we take to ensure they are enforced... We believe the best travel advice comes from other travelers. At South African Tours , our members can submit reviews of their experiences at hotels, restaurants, and attractions all over the world. Over the past 20+ years we have received hundreds of millions of reviews and opinions of nearly 8 million businesses from our members, covering virtually every country in the world. We believe in "the right to write." The South African Tours community has a wealth of valuable travel experience, and every one of our hundreds of millions of monthly users should feel confident sharing their opinions. When you stay in a hotel, eat in a restaurant, or visit an attraction, you have a fundamental right to talk about that experience with others. We are immensely proud of the community we’ve built which helps travelers do just that. For that reason, we do not take lightly the decision to block or remove a review from our site. It might be easier to give in to censorship and remove reviews that a business owner disagrees with. But it goes against what we stand for, which is the right for genuine consumers to share their experiences. We believe every customer counts. Every customer has the right to share their experience, not just the ones who paid the bill. So while we do require reviewers to certify that they are reviewing their own experiences before they can submit their review to South African Tours , we don’t require reviewers to provide a receipt or a proof of purchase. We believe that everyone should play by the same rules. We have unique processes for moderating the reviews and content submitted to South African Tours , as well as proprietary algorithms that calculate a business' daily rank within our Traveler Ranking. Those processes and algorithms are applied in the same way to all content, complaints and properties. We never have and will never give our advertisers or anyone else preferential treatment when we moderate reviews. We believe that businesses who don't play by the rules should be penalized. Businesses know that travelers rely on reviews for travel guidance. Unfortunately, we know that there will always be a minority of unscrupulous businesses that will try to cheat in order to take advantage of that. We define “cheating” as any attempt to unfairly or dishonestly impact reviews or rankings for their own business or their competitors. These activities constitute review fraud. Attempting to post fake or dishonest reviews violates the South African Tours Terms of Use, as well as unfair competition and consumer protection laws in many countries. We invest massive amounts of time, effort and resources -both from an automated and human perspective - into identifying and stopping fraudulent activity from making it onto the Tripadvisor platform. How South African Tours identifies and blocks review fraud Unlike on other social platforms, when a review is submitted by a traveler on South African Tours it is not immediately posted to the site. Instead, it is assessed by our review analysis system. This system determines which reviews can be posted, which require further assessment by our team of moderators, and which can be blocked outright. This assessment of every review usually takes less than 24 hours. Our review analysis system captures thousands of data points associated with every review submission, and matches that information to the data points we already know about millions of other reviews, reviewers and businesses on South African Tours , Our system is able to filter, analyze and categorize massive amounts of data quickly and thoroughly. This is how we identify patterns of review behavior. We have over two decades of experience learning what normal review behavior tends to look like on our platform. We are experts at spotting patterns that don’t look normal, and which may indicate attempts at review fraud. We have hundreds of staff all over the world working to assess reviews and to identify, block and remove fraud. Once reviews are posted, we allow businesses and travelers to flag and report content if they believe it is fraudulent. All reports are assessed and analyzed by our advanced technology and team of experts, who can take action to remove any reviews that violate our posting guidelines. We also have a team of highly qualified and trained investigators focused on stopping fake reviews. Among other activities, they proactively engage and catch companies and individuals trying to ‘sell’ reviews, as well as those businesses trying to buy them. We are constantly learning. Fraudsters are always evolving the methods they use to submit reviews. But so are we. Every day, we are innovating, updating, and improving our system to stay one step ahead of anyone who would try to cheat the system. How South African Tours penalizes businesses engaged in review fraud We block or remove the fake reviews. Every fraudulent submission we identify has a negative impact on a business’s rank in our Traveler Ranking - whether the review was ever posted or not. We may disqualify offending properties from our recognition and awards programs, such as our Travelers' Choice Awards. We aggressively pursue companies or individuals that offer to boost a business' reputation by writing fake reviews on its behalf. When we catch them, we block or remove all of the fake reviews they've submitted, we penalize their clients, and in some cases we even help prosecutors send them to jail For businesses that repeatedly try to break the rules, we will post a warning notice on their South African Tours listing called a red penalty badge to warn travelers that they are not playing by the rules. We do not remove the listings of businesses that break the rules - because often that’s exactly what unscrupulous business owners want. They do not want travelers to benefit from the transparency that reviews provide. But we do. That is why we keep businesses listed on our platform if they are open and accepting customers. Finally, we believe it's important for our community to be informed. With over hundreds of millions of reviews and opinions on South African Tours , and millions of travelers using our site each month, we're confident that we're taking the right steps to keep our content fresh and useful. Review Guidelines In addition to our general community guidelines, we have specific posting guidelines for reviews. Reviews are posted to a property’s listing page and are associated with a bubble rating between 1 and 5. Ratings selected may have an impact on the property’s position in South African Tours popularity rankings and/or how a property appears on our platform. A review on South African Tours should be an honest account of a traveler’s personal experience at or with a property that is listed on our site. As reviews are associated with a bubble rating and impact a business’s position within South African Tours popularity ranking they should include relevant, helpful tips for other travelers and members of our community and must be based on a first-hand experience. In order to ensure each review reflects a first-hand experience, each user must have their own account and may not write on behalf of others or use another's account to submit, unless you're writing about the experience of someone in your travelling party at the same location as part of your experience. The author of the review should be the person who experienced the property directly - either via a trip there, a booking, or by experiencing the facilities or some other service interaction. We will not post reviews from customers who only relay a brief phone conversation with a property or property representative. If you did not experience the business as a guest or potential guest, we will not post your review. To ensure that travelers are aware of serious safety incidents at properties we do have a few exceptions to our policy requiring a review to be first-hand: As we want the experience you write about to be your own, we do not allow information attributed to a third-party to be posted as part of your review. Specifically we will remove reviews that contain the following (no matter how minor of a mention): Quotes or descriptions from the media, internet or another guest/person that is not part of your traveling party. This includes, among many others, excerpts of laws, quotes from government agencies, food ratings or a news story. Information that you receive from a third-party after your experience with the business. Exceptions to this guidance are (as long as they pertain to your experience): Anything communicated to you by a staff member of the business you are reviewing. Opinions or experiences of those in your traveling party. Minor references to recommendations received from other travelers, diners or locals - but not media - prior to experiencing the business. References to conversations and bookings with travel agents, booking companies and OTAs (Online Travel Agencies), as travelers often associate these companies as partners of the business being reviewed. Opinions, advice or diagnoses from your lawyer or doctor pertaining to your experience with the business. References to well-known (i) facts, (ii) news stories, (iii) public opinions, or (iv) world events (“well-known” is defined as those things that would be known by most international travelers traveling to that destination.) Incidental mentions of another guest’s experience, either (i) reported directly to you by that guest, but which you did not witness yourself, or (ii) reported directly to staff which you witnessed. It must relate directly to something you or your traveling party experienced.For example, we would not post a review that states, "Another guest at the bar told me that the owner doesn’t pay her employees on-time."We would post a review that states, "Another guest at the bar told me they also had the best pina colada at the swim-up bar."The guests must have experienced the property at the same time as you. Political, Ethical, Religious Views Reviews are not the place to discuss political preferences, ethical differences, religion or your perspective on wider social issues. We understand travel experiences can be deeply personal and may incite perspectives around politics and religion - and we will post such commentary as long as it is directly relevant to the location or business you are reviewing and meets our other content posting guidelines. Any such commentary that evolves into a rant may be removed. If the political, religious, ethical or social views of the owner or employees of the business listed on our site directly impact the experience you are reviewing, you may elaborate on this but not expand to include your personal, non-travel related perspective. We also will post comments and advice that relates to local customs which impact travel, as long as your personal travel experience with the business you are reviewing is detailed. For example, if a specific hotel is not LGBTQ friendly due to local laws or owner behavior, we encourage contributors to share this information with our traveler community. Due to the increased risk of violence and terrorist activity targeting refugees seeking asylum in Great Britain, we will not be posting any reviews in that region which provide information that could lead to the whereabouts of asylum seekers. This includes reviews that may not specifically identify asylum seekers but which make their location easily determinable. South African Tours has been and will continue to be a supporter of refugees seeking a safe haven and condemns any acts of violence towards such communities. Review Length and Ratings It is important that your review offers travel guidance to those planning future trips! For that reason, if your review does not contain enough substantial information about the business you are reviewing, we may ask you to provide additional information about your experience.We have a character limit for reviews we enforce as follows: Hotels - 200 characters Restaurants, Experiences, Airlines & Cruises - 100 characters We have a minimum character count to ensure review content is detailed, helpful and explains the reasoning behind the rating that was given. Reviews that contain very little context in them will be removed.Our bubble rating is from 1 to 5, with 1 being defined as “Terrible” and 5 being defined as “Excellent.” Depending on the type of property you are reviewing, we may ask you to rate specific aspects of your visit such as sleep quality for a hotel visit or food for a restaurant visit. These fields are not required. You should not rate an aspect of the business you did not experience. Irrelevant to Your Experience If your review contains excessive commentary on other reviews, business owners or South African Tours policies we will ask you to resubmit a review that primarily focuses on your experience with that property. If you believe a review has been written by the owner or competitor of a listing on South African Tours , please use the reporting function on our site to let us know. Reviews that allege other posted reviews are fraudulent will not be posted as that information does not relate to your travel experience. If you are concerned a particular business is engaged in multiple incidents of fraud please email us at a.dezius@gmail.com . You can also contact us with any other fraud-related questions you may have. Listed on our Site We list all businesses relevant to travelers, however we don't accept reviews for businesses that are not listed. Your review will be removed if it is submitted on a property that does not correlate with a listed business on South African Tours ,If you would like to submit a review for a business that is not listed, we ask that you submit a request for a new listing. Additionally, if a property is providing a function outside of the primary service you would typically receive at that property, we will not post the review. It is not helpful to the majority of travelers because it is not a regular part of the experience at that property. A review related to special event parking at a restaurant would be an example of a removal in this scenario. Recent Experience To ensure reviews are fresh and current, all reviews must be submitted within one year of your experience. You may write one review on any given business listed on South African Tours per experience or visit. This means one review per hotel stay, restaurant visit, tour taken, or car rental. If you would like to amend your original review you will need to remove that review and submit a new one. For flights, we will post one review per leg of your trip as we understand each experience can differ. If you prefer to write about your round trip experience in one review - we will post that too! To ensure enough time between visits, additional reviews of new experiences will be accepted after three months for an accommodation, attraction or tour, and after one month for restaurants/eateries. An exception is for airline reviews, where there is no limit on how many reviews that can be submitted within a given time frame. Unique Experience We will not post a review that describes the same experience to two listings; we will post it to the most relevant listing. For example, if you post a review to a hotel and the restaurant within that hotel that has exactly the same text and is not specific to one listing more than the other, we will post the review to the hotel. If you want to write a review about each experience you may, just do so independently so as not to confuse travelers. We will allow multiple travelers to write about the same experience. For example, if you and your partner each choose to write a review from your own individual perspectives, we will post both reviews. We also allow reviews from multiple members of a large traveling party. Please just make sure the content is written in your own words and from your own perspective. Contributors may only have one account on South African Tours , except in exceptional circumstances determined at Tripadvisor’s sole discretion. If you submit a review to the same listing from multiple accounts, we may remove duplicate submissions. South African Tours does not allow content on our site that is biased or submitted in an attempt to manipulate rankings or ratings on our site. Violations of these guidelines may result in penalties to your South African Tours listing page, including ranking penalties, red badges, and/or exclusion from awards. Furthermore, not abiding by these guidelines may violate local, national and/or international laws and can lead to legal action - including civil and criminal penalties. Biased Content South African Tours strives to ensure that all reviews are submitted from an authentic traveler’s perspective. This means any person affiliated with a property listed on our site, in any way, may not write a review of that property. Specifically we will not accept reviews from users who: Are currently employed or have been employed at a property at any point in time. This includes reviews from people who have volunteered at or for a business listed on our site. Are related to or are friends with a current employee or owner. Receive any goods or services or provide goods or services to a property. For example, if you are the food purveyor for a property, you may not submit a review to that property. If you provide entertainment at a property, you may not submit a review. Own or are employed at a property of the same business category and are located within the same municipality of such property. To be clear, if you own or are employed by a coffee shop in Dublin, Ireland you may not submit reviews for other eateries in Dublin such as an Italian restaurant. This also applies to similar properties that may not be in your city’s geographic borders but are within 10 miles/16 kilometers of the location of where your business address is listed on South African Tours . While we understand that you certainly may have experienced that business as a general traveler, this policy is in place to help to ensure property rankings remain unbiased. Own a share of a property, such as a timeshare, even if within a larger group of properties and ownership is with a variety of properties. Exceptions to people associated with a property include: Eco-Volunteers: travelers who pay to volunteer or work at a property and still use the general facilities of a property as a traveler may write a review. Attempts to Manipulate Property Ranking by Businesses South African Tours is staunchly opposed to any and all attempts at artificially manipulating a property’s ranking on our site. These include, but are not limited to, the following actions: Reviews submitted by property representatives. We reserve the right to remove content and/or penalize properties should we receive content submissions from anyone who owns, is employed by, or is affiliated with the reviewed property, or any umbrella or parent companies with which that property may be affiliated, in any way. This includes (but is not limited to) content from users who are upfront about their affiliation in addition to users who are impersonating travelers, competitors, or any other individuals or entities. It is also prohibited for representatives of a business to submit reviews on behalf of guests, regardless of whether the opinion is genuine or not. Paid Reviews/Review Exchanges. South African Tours is staunchly opposed to the selling, purchasing, or quid-pro-quo exchange of reviews. Any reviews submitted in this manner are considered inherently fraudulent and will be met with penalties for not only the property or properties involved, but the reviewers as well. If you have been contacted by anyone offering these services, or you know of anyone involved in this behavior, please let our team know at a.dezius@gmail.com Incentives for Reviews. It is against our guidelines to offer or promise anything in exchange for any reviews, irrespective of rating. Examples include offers for free drinks, discounts, entry into a contest, making donations to a cause in the name of a customer, etc. Incentives for Review Removals. Attempts by an individual representing a property to offer anything in exchange for the removal of a published review are against our guidelines and will be met with penalties. Pressuring Users to Remove Reviews. Attempts by anyone affiliated with a property to pressure, threaten, or otherwise coerce a user into removing their review for that property are a violation of our guidelines and will be met with penalties. Coercing Users to Submit Reviews. Any form of coercion by individuals associated with a property to compel users into submitting reviews is strictly forbidden. Such practices include, but are not limited to: (a) using threats, whether explicit or tacit, to pressure a user into submitting a review, (b) withholding any element of service until a user submits a review. Taking Action on Behalf of Users. Individuals affiliated with properties listed on our site should not be directly involved in the submission of reviews. Such practices include, but are not limited to: (a) creating user accounts on behalf of users, (b) writing reviews on behalf of users, (c) monitoring users while they write reviews, (d) suggesting specific terms, wording, or paraphrasing to be included in reviews. Employee Incentives. It is a violation of our guidelines for a property to offer incentives designed to reward employees for encouraging reviews, e.g., a bonus for being mentioned in a review, or a contest for the highest number of reviews achieved within a certain timeframe. Such programs are against our guidelines and may be met with penalties to a property’s ranking. If you are aware of such programs at any property, please let our team know by emailing content a.dezius@gmail.com Review Gating. We prohibit the practice of selectively soliciting positive content and/or rejecting moderate or negative content. If any survey or external website ultimately directs users to submit a review on South African Tours , the user interface and experience for submitting positive and negative reviews must be identical. For example, directing a guest to one review page if they indicate a positive experience but directing them to another path (such as an internal customer support channel) if they indicate a negative experience is against our review guidelines. Restrictions . We do not allow properties to contractually prohibit or discourage guests from posting negative or critical reviews of their experience. Any properties found to be engaging in these practices will have a warning badge posted on their business listing page on South African Tours until that policy has been discontinued. Vandalism. Any attempts, made by individuals affiliated with one property, to damage the reputation of a competing property are considered to be violations of our guidelines. This includes (but is not limited to) submitting negative reviews, attempting to falsely register as an owner of the competing listing, or similar behaviors. User Attempts to Manipulate a Property’s Ranking Any users who attempt to manipulate a property’s ranking, even if not affiliated with that property, may be banned from our site due to such actions. The actions may be, but are not limited to: Blackmail. South African Tours classifies any attempt made in bad faith by a traveler to obtain something of value from a property by threatening to post a negative review on South African Tours , or promising to remove a published negative review, as blackmail. It is not considered blackmail if a guest mentions they plan to write a review due to a negative experience but is not making a bad faith demand. Examples would include a guest trying to rectify a situation with a broken pipe in a room or an incorrect order at a restaurant. Review Bombing Events. Reviews must describe a first-hand experience; users who are submitting reviews to a property due to a personal or political agenda, or reviews submitted solely due to news or social media exposure of a property which do not describe first-hand experiences will not be published. If a significant amount of such content is detected on a listing, we reserve the right to temporarily suspend publishing all content for that listing. There are some scenarios where we do not allow a review to be posted even if there might have been some contact with the property. You are invited to share such comments in the Forums section of our site where members of our community discuss travel-related topics.Some examples of this may include: Comments solely on a property’s policy. While it may be helpful for a traveler to know that a restaurant reserves its bathrooms for patrons only or that a hotel does not allow dogs or that you can not receive a refund for your cancellation, it is unfair to a business to be rated negatively based solely on these types of policies that occur regularly in the travel industry. We will remove reviews that simply describe an interaction that is a disagreement on the stated policies. If you describe a more substantial customer service interaction with the business, beyond the stated policies, we will post the interaction because we believe that customer service experience may be helpful to travelers. Commenting on a property due to media coverage . If you wish to comment on a recent event at that property which attracted media attention but at which you were not present, we will not post your review. Comments solely on business hours or closures. While we recognize that it could be frustrating to arrive at a restaurant only to find out that it is closed, we will not post reviews commenting solely on business hours or closures unless the official information posted by the business created an expectation of service. Unsuccessful attempts to contact a business. We do not consider unanswered calls or emails to be a valid description of the service provided by the business. Experiencing a property from the "outside." If you visit a property with only the intent to view its architecture or decor, we will only post a review if a main component of the property is that visual element alone. For example, when reviewing a cathedral we understand that part of the traveler experience at that business is to view the exterior of the building and is acceptable in a review. We would not post a review of a hotel from someone who was not a guest of that hotel and is only speaking to the hotel’s architecture. Long term stays. We do accept reviews from users who have a prolonged stay at a given property provided the information in the review is relevant to other (more traditional) travelers. We will not post your review if it is written exclusively from a tenant or renter’s perspective. We love hearing about your travel experiences and value your contributions to our site! We also want to make sure that Vacation Rentals is a safe and trustworthy source for our global community. To help us with this goal, and to get your reviews published as quickly as possible, please ensure your reviews are: Recent To keep content fresh for our readers, we ask that you stick to writing about experiences that occurred within the current calendar year or up to two calendar years prior. Based on short-term stays We welcome you to share your thoughts on any stay that is 90 days or less. Relevant to travelers Keep in mind that our reviews are intended to help travelers with their vacation plans – as such, we kindly ask that you stick to writing about vacation rentals only. That means no reviews on corporate, interim, transitional or temporary housing. Written after check-in We kindly ask that you write about your experiences after you check in to your vacation rental. To help ensure authenticity in our reviews, we currently don’t accept submissions that occur during the reservation process or before arrival at the property. Verifiable by the name on the rental contract To help ensure authenticity in our reviews, you will be asked to enter the name of the person in your party who signed the lease agreement. (This required field appears at the top of the Write a Review form). NOTE: We do not share this name publicly on our site. Can be documented by rental owner If a vacation rental owner cannot confirm that a reviewer was a guest, we send the guest a request for documentation. This is simply to ensure that the correct owner and property is credited for your review. Privacy and Cookies Statement Last Updated: Jan 01, 2025 South African Tours owns and operates an online platform that provides users with information, recommendations and services related to travel and leisure, including tools for researching and/or booking hotels, rentals and other accommodations, attractions and experiences, restaurants, flights, and cruises, among other leisure-related services. In this Statement, we refer to these as our “Services”. The information that you and others entrust us with enhances our ability to provide more relevant, personalized and helpful Services. We know that sharing your information with us is based on trust. We take your trust in us seriously and are committed to providing you helpful information, products and services, curated based on the information you have shared with us. Equally, and perhaps more importantly, we are committed to respecting your privacy when you visit our website or use our Services and being transparent about how we use the information you have entrusted to us. This Statement describes how we obtain, use, and process your information. It informs you of the rights you have, how you can exercise them and how you can contact us. Please review this Statement carefully to learn about our practices with respect to information and privacy. By visiting our websites and related mobile applications, as well as other online platforms such as our affiliated partners’ websites, apps and social media, whether on a computer, phone, tablet, or similar device (each of these is referred to as a “Device”), you acknowledge and confirm that you have read this Statement. 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If you would like to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, you may do so by clicking on the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link on our homepage/app. You may also use a universal tool that automatically communicates your opt-out preferences, such as the Global Privacy Control (“GPC”). We will process the GPC signal as a request to opt out. 1. Information Collected and Processed When you access or use our Services, we collect and process information from and about you to provide the Services in a more personalized and relevant way. Some information we collect passively, for example, with our servers or with cookies or other similar tracking technologies. Some information we collect from different sources, including from you, affiliated entities, business partners, and other independent third-party sources. 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You can access, update, and even close your account by visiting the “Member Profile” section on our website or app. In addition, you can do the following: 5. Information on Children Our Services are not intended for children, which we consider to be: (i) individuals that are 13 years of age or under, or the age of privacy consent in your jurisdiction; or (ii) when processing data on the basis of a contract, the age of legal capacity to enter into the agreement. 6. Information Transfers We offer our Services to users located in many different jurisdictions. If we transfer your information to other countries, we will use and protect that information as described in this Statement and in accordance with applicable law. 7. Information Security We have implemented appropriate administrative, technical, and physical security procedures to help protect your information. We only authorize specific personnel to access personal information and they may do so only for permitted business functions. We use encryption when transmitting your information between your system and ours, and between our system and those of the parties with whom we share information. We also employ firewalls and intrusion detection systems to help prevent unauthorized access to your information. However, we cannot guarantee the security of information from unauthorized entry or use, hardware or software failure, or other circumstances outside of our control. 8. Information Deletion and Retention We will retain copies of your information for as long as you maintain your account or as necessary in connection with the purposes set out in this Statement, unless applicable law requires a longer retention period. In addition, we may retain your information for the duration of any period necessary to establish, exercise, or defend any legal rights. 9. 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When we store or transfer your personal information outside the EEA and the UK, we take the following precautions to ensure that your personal information is properly protected. Let's Get Social BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE

Safari Tours The Ultimate Family Getaway Family vacations are meant to be a time when loved ones connect and deepen their bond through shared experiences and memories – and there’s no better place than in one of Africa’s sought-after destinations. The continent offers a fantastic array of family accommodation with plenty of outdoor fun and age-appropriate activities for families travelling with kids, teens or even grandparents. South Africa is one of the world’s most varied holiday destinations. From the classic safari country of Kruger National Park to the stately ‘mother city’ of Cape Town; from the snow-sprinkled heights of the Drakensberg to the parched red dunescapes of the Kalahari; from the gorgeous Winelands around Stellenbosch to the idyllic beaches of the Garden Route – South Africa is a true all-rounder that attracts more than its fair share of repeat visitors. It is also the most affordable and well equipped of African safari destinations, particularly well suited to family holidays, to those seeking a malaria-free holiday, to dedicated foodies and wine-lovers, and for combining a foray into Big Five country with a beach holiday and/or city break. This whirlwind luxury South Africa safari tour sees you explore Kruger National Park and the Greater Kruger region, with time in Makalali Private Conservancy. As one of Africa’s largest and most popular wildlife-watching destinations, Kruger is as vast as it is diverse. Here, you'll have the chance to spot Africa's Big Five (leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino) as well as many other big game favorite species on morning and evening game drives, as well as on other safari activities. Join the 3-day Kruger National Park safari from Cape Town and get a chance to get close to the Big 5. With pick-up and drop-off from your Cape Town hotel and return domestic flights from Cape Town, this is the best Big 5 safari from Cape Town. The majestic Kruger National Park allows you to see wildlife in its fauna and flora and offers the best opportunity to come close to Africa's predators and other mammals. Click Here Wild Life Videos Wild Life Videos South Africa and Africa South Africa has a large variety of wildlife, including snakes, birds, plains animals, and predators. The country has 299 species of mammals and 858 species of birds. The Cape Buffalo The Cape Buffalo, also known as the African Buffalo,is a powerful animal that has few natural enemies. Their power and size means that they are very much able to defend themselves. They have been known to kill lions, hyena, humans, and other wild predators.Because of this they have taken their place in the African big five, elephants, lions, Cape Buffalo,rhinoceroses, and leopards.The big five are known to be some of the most dangerous and aggressive animals in Africa. Another African name for the Cape Buffalo is Black Death, because of their colour and their aggressive behavior. The African Oryx Gazella also known as Gemsbuck or Gemsbok are African plains animals that travel in groups of 10-45. The Gemsbuck's groups are set up with a dominant male and in most cases a few dominant females. Male's horns are straight and pointed at the tip. Because of this they have been known to impale attacking lions. Females horns can be the same but sometimes they are curved backward. *There are two different varieties of Gemsbok, the southern and the northern. The southern variety have longer horns and the northern have black fringed ears. The Northern Gemsbok are rarely seen in South Africa. A Greater Kudu Bull The Kudu are split into two different groups, Greater Kudu and Lesser Kudu. The Greater Kudu are regularly found in South Africa. Like the Gemsbok, Kudu are African antelope. They are fast and stealthy. They are a brown-grey color with white stripes that go down the center of their body. For those two facts their African name is Grey Ghost. The males have tall spiraling horns, females regularly have no horns. Kudu are peaceful and are normally not dangerous. Leopards Leopards are the most reclusive of the Big Cats.They are opportunistic hunters and will prey upon smaller mammals and rodents when other food sources are unavailable.The diet of leopards consists primarily of ungulates such as Thomson's Gazelles.Leopards have relatively small physical builds in comparison to lions and therefore choose to hunt nocturnally to prevent the possibility of confrontation. In order to protect themselves and preserve their kills,leopards have developed exceptional climbing skills, allowing them to scale trees quickly often with a carcass. Cheetahs have often been confused with leopards on sight and vice versa, but the cheetah's lean profile and eye markings make it easily distinguishable. Wildlife and South Africa Wildlife and South Africa Play Video Share Whole Channel This Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Search video... Now Playing Südafrika: Kapstadt, Safari und Garden Route mit Sarazar | ARD Reisen 29:32 Play Video Now Playing South Africa - Country of hope | Travelvideo 02:44 Play Video Now Playing Most Amazing Kruger National Park Wildlife Sightings of 2022 10:51 Play Video Wildlife Animal History Wildlife Animal History SPRINGBOK / SPRINGBUCK The springbok (Afrikaans and Dutch: spring = jump; bok = antelope or goat) (Antidorcas marsupialis) is a medium-sized brown and white gazelle that stands about 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in) high. Springbok males weigh between 33 and 50 kg (73 and 110 lb) and the females between 25 and 40 kg (55 and 88 lb). They can reach running speeds of up to 90 km/h (56 mph),to 96 km/h (60 mph) and can leap 4 m(13 feet) into the air and can long jump of up to 15 m (50 feet). Springbok inhabit the dry inland areas of south and southwestern Africa. Their range extends from the northwestern part of South Africa through the Kalahari desert into Namibia and Botswana. Springbok occur in numbers of up to 2,500,000 in South Africa;it is the most plentiful antelope. They used to be very common, forming some of the largest herds of mammals ever documented, but their numbers have diminished significantly since the 19th century due to hunting and fences from farms blocking their migratory routes. In South Africa springbok inhabit the vast grasslands of the Free State and the open shrublands of the greater and smaller Karoo. They inhabit most of Namibia ; the grasslands of the south, the Kalahari desert to the east,the dry riverbeds of the northern bushveld of the Windhoek region as well as the harsh Namib Desert on the West Coast. In Botswana they mostly live in the Kalahari Desert in the southwestern and central parts of the country. KUDU Greater kudus have a narrow body with long legs, and their coats can range from brown/bluish-grey to reddish-brown. They possess between 4–12 vertical white stripes along their torso. The head tends to be darker in colour than the rest of the body, and exhibits a small white chevron which runs between the eyes. Male greater kudus tend to be much larger than the females, and vocalize much more, utilizing low grunts, clucks, humming, and gasping. The males also have large manes running along their throats, and large horns with two and a half twists, which, were they to be straightened, would reach an average length of 120 cm (47 in), with the record being 187.64 cm (73.87 in). They diverge slightly as they slant back from the head. The horns do not begin to grow until the male is between the age of 6–12 months, twisting once at around 2 years of age, and not reaching the full two and a half twists until they are 6 years old; occasionally they may even have 3 full turns. Males weigh 190–270 kg (420–600 lb), with a maximum of 315 kg (690 lb), and stand about 180 cm (71 in) tall at the shoulder. The body length is 185–245 cm (6.07–8.04 ft). The tail is 30–55 cm (12–22 in) long. The ears of the greater kudu are large and round. Females weigh 120–210 kg (260–460 lb) and on average stand 120 cm (47 in) tall at the shoulder; they are hornless, without a beard or nose markings. ELAND Giant eland are typically between 220–290 cm (7.2–9.5 ft) in length, stand approximately 150 to 175 cm (4.9 to 5.74 ft) at the shoulder, and weigh 440–900 kg (970–2,000 lb). Despite its common name, it is of very similar size to the common eland. The smooth coat is reddish-brown to chestnut, usually darker in males than females, with several well-defined vertical white stripes on the torso. A crest of short black hair extends down the neck to the middle of the back, and is especially prominent on the shoulders. The slender legs are slightly lighter on their inner surfaces, with black and white markings just above the hooves. There are large black spots on the upper forelegs. The bridge of the nose is charcoal black, and there is a thin, indistinct tan-coloured chevron between the eyes. The lips are white, along with several dots along the jaw-line. A pendulous dewlap, larger in males then females, originates from between the jowls and hangs to the upper chest, with a fringe of hair on its edge. The tail is long, and ends with a dark tuft of hair. Both sexes have tightly spiralled horns, which are relatively straight. In males the horns form a wide "V" and can grow to 120 cm (3.9 ft) in length, slightly longer than on females. HYENAS Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora (consisting of four species), and one of the smallest in the mammalia. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components to most African and some Asian ecosystems. Although phylogenetically close to felines and viverrids, hyenas are behaviourally and morphologically similar to canines in several aspects (see Convergent evolution); both hyenas and canines are non-arboreal, cursorial hunters that catch prey with their teeth rather than claws. Both eat food quickly and may store it, and their calloused feet with large, blunt, non-retractable nails are adapted for running and making sharp turns. However, the hyenas' grooming, scent marking, defecating habits, mating and parental behaviour are consistent with the behaviour of other feliforms.Although long reputed to be cowardly scavengers, hyenas, especially spotted hyenas, kill as much as 95% of the food they eat, and have been known to drive off leopards or lionesses from their kills. Hyenas are primarily nocturnal animals, but may venture from their lairs in the early morning hours. With the exception of the highly social spotted hyena, hyenas are generally not gregarious animals, though they may live in family groups and congregate at kills. Hyenas first arose in Eurasia during the Miocene period from viverrid-like ancestors, and developed into two distinct branches; the lightly built dog-like hyenas and the robust bone-crushing hyenas. Although the dog-like hyenas thrived 15 million years ago (with one taxon having colonised North America), they died out after a change in climate along with the arrival of canids into Eurasia. Of the dog-like hyena lineage, only the insectivorous aardwolf survived, while the bone-crushing hyenas (whose extant members are the spotted, brown and striped hyena) became the undisputed top scavengers of Eurasia and Africa. Hyenas feature prominently in the folklore and mythology of human cultures with which they are sympatric. Hyenas are mostly viewed with fear and contempt, as well as being associated with witchcraft, as their body parts are used as ingredients in traditional medicine. Among the beliefs held by some cultures, hyenas are thought to influence people’s spirits, rob graves, and steal livestock and children BLUE WILDE BEEST The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), also called the common wildebeest or the white-bearded wildebeest, is a large antelope and one of two species of wildebeest. It grows to 115–145 cm shoulder height and attains a body mass of 168–274 kg. They range the open plains, bushveld, and dry woodlands of Southern and East Africa, living for more than twenty years. The male is highly territorial, using scent markings and other devices to protect his domain. The largest population is in the Serengeti, numbering over one million animals. They are a major prey item for lions, hyenas, and crocodiles. It has a beefy muscular front-heavy appearance with a distinctive robust muzzle, it strides with relatively slender legs and moves gracefully and quietly most of the time, belying the reputation for stampeding in herds; however the stampeding characteristic may sometimes be observed. Blue wildebeest are found in open and bush-covered savanna in south and east Africa, thriving in areas that are neither too wet nor too arid. They can be found in places that vary from overgrazed areas with dense bush to open woodland floodplains. Wildebeests prefer the bushveld and grasslands of the southern savanna.The terrestrial biome designations for these preferred habitats are savanna, grassland, open forest and scrub forest. PLAINS ZEBRA The plains zebra (Equus quagga, formerly Equus burchelli), also known as the common zebra or Burchell's zebra, is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra.It ranges from the south of Ethiopia through East Africa to as far south as Angola and eastern South Africa. The plains zebra remains common in game reserves, but is threatened by human activities such as hunting for its meat and hide, as well as competition with livestock and encroachment by farming on much of its habitat. The Plains zebra and perhaps the mountain zebra belong to the subgenus Hippotigris, but Grévy's zebra is the sole species of subgenus Dolichohippus. The latter resembles an ass, while the former two are more horse-like. All three belong to the genus Equus along with other living equids. Recent phylogenetic evidence suggests that Grévy's zebras (and perhaps also mountain zebras) are with asses and donkeys in a separate lineage from the Plains zebra. In areas where Plains zebras are sympatric with Grévy's zebras, it is not unusual to find them in the same herds and fertile hybrids occur. In captivity, Plains zebras have been crossed with mountain zebras. The hybrid foals lacked a dewlap and resembled the plains zebra apart from their larger ears and their hindquarters pattern. CHEETAH The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large-sized feline (family Felidae) inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. It is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx. The cheetah achieves by far the fastest land speed of any living animal—between 112 and 120 km/h (70 and 75 mph) in short bursts covering distances up to 500 m (1,600 ft), and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to over 100 km/h (62 mph) in three seconds. This cat is also notable for modifications in the species' paws. It is one of the only felids with semi-retractable claws, and with pads that, by their scope, disallow gripping.Thus, cheetahs cannot climb upright trees, although they are generally capable of reaching easily accessible branches. The cheetah has unusually low genetic variability. This is accompanied by a very low sperm count, motility, and deformed flagella.Skin grafts between unrelated cheetahs illustrate the former point in that there is no rejection of the donor skin. It is thought that the species went through a prolonged period of inbreeding following a genetic bottleneck during the last ice age. This suggests that genetic monomorphism did not prevent the cheetah from flourishing across two continents for thousands of years. The cheetah likely evolved in Africa during the Miocene epoch (26 million to 7.5 million years ago), before migrating to Asia. Recent research has placed the last common ancestor of all existing populations as living in Asia 11 million years ago, which may lead to revision and refinement of existing ideas about cheetah evolution. IMPALA Impala range between 75 and 95 cm (30 and 37 in) tall. Average mass for a male impala is 40 to 80 kg (88 to 180 lb), while females weigh about 30 to 50 kg (66 to 110 lb). They are normally reddish-brown in color (hence the Afrikaans name of "Rooibok"), have lighter flanks and white underbellies with a characteristic "M" marking on the rear. Males, referred to as rams, have lyre-shaped horns, which can reach up to 90 centimeters in length. Females, referred to as ewes, have no horns. The black impala, found in very few places in Africa, is an extremely rare type. A recessive gene causes the black colouration in these animals. Impalas are an ecotone species "living in light woodland with little undergrowth and grassland of low to medium height". They have an irregular distribution due to dependence relatively flat lands with good soil drainage and water.While they stay to water in the dry season, they can go weeks without drinking if there is enough green fodder. Impalas are adaptable foragers. They usually switch between grazing and browsing depending on the season. During wet seasons when grasses are freshthey graze. During dry seasons it browses foliage, shoots, forbs and seeds. It may switch between grazing and browsing depending on the habitat. Leopards, cheetahs, lions and wild dogs prey on impala. Impala, as well as other small- to medium-sized African antelopes, have a special dental arrangement on the front lower jaw similar to the toothcomb seen in strepsirrhine primates, which is used during grooming to comb the fur and remove ectoparasites. LIONS The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia with an endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in India, having disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a possibly irreversible population decline of thirty to fifty percent over the past two decades in its African range. Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Within Africa, the West African lion population is particularly endangered. Lions live for ten to fourteen years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than twenty years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than ten years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity. They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they may take to bush and forest. Lions are unusually social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. Lions are apex and keystone predators, although they scavenge as opportunity allows. While lions do not typically hunt humans, some have been known to do so. AFRICAN ELEPHANT The African elephant is the largest living terrestrial animal. Its thickset body rests on stocky legs and it has a concave back.Its large ears enable heat loss. Its upper lip and nose forms a trunk. The trunk acts as a fifth limb, a sound amplifier and an important method of touch. The African elephant's trunk ends in two opposing lips, whereas the Asian elephant trunk ends in a single lip. African elephants are bigger than Asian elephants. Males stand 3.2–4.0 m (10–13 ft) tall at the shoulder and weigh 4,700–6,048 kg (10,000–13,330 lb), while females stand 2.2–2.6 m (7.2–8.5 ft) tall and weigh 2,160–3,232 kg (4,800–7,130 lb). The largest individual recorded stood four metres to the shoulders and weighed ten tonnes Elephants have four molars; each weighs about 5 kg (11 lb) and measures about 30 cm (12 in) long. As the front pair wears down and drops out in pieces, the back pair shifts forward, and two new molars emerge in the back of the mouth. Elephants replace their teeth six times. At about 40 to 60 years of age, the elephant no longer has teeth and will likely die of starvation, a common cause of death. Their tusks are firm teeth; the second set of incisors become the tusks. They are used for digging for roots and stripping the bark off trees for food, for fighting each other during mating season, and for defending themselves against predators. The tusks weigh from 23–45 kg (51–99 lb) and can be from 1.5–2.4 m (5–8 ft) long. Unlike Asian elephants, both male and female African elephants have tusks. They are curved forward and continue to grow throughout the elephant's lifetime. The enamel plates of the molars are fewer in number than in Asian elephants. WHITE RHINOS There are two subspecies of white rhinos; as of 2005, South Africa has the most of the first subspecies, the southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum). The population of southern white rhinos is about 14,500, making them the most abundant subspecies of rhino in the world. However, the population of the second subspecies, the critically endangered northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), is down to as few as four individuals in the wild, with the possibility of complete extinction in the wild having been noted since June 2008.Six are known to be held in captivity, two of which reside in a zoo in San Diego. There are currently four born in a zoo in the Czech Republic which were transferred to a wildlife refuge in Kenya in December 2009, in an effort to have the animals reproduce and save the subspecies. The rhino receives its name not from its colour, but from the Dutch settlers that gave it the name "whyde", meaning wide referring to the animals square mouth. Confusion in translation then led to the to the name "white" being adopted The white rhino has an immense body and large head, a short neck and broad chest. This rhino can exceed 3,500 kg (7,700 lb), have a head-and-body length of 3.5–4.6 m (11–15 ft) and a shoulder height of 1.8–2 m (5.9–6.6 ft). The record-sized white rhinoceros was about 4,500 kg (10,000 lb). On its snout it has two horns. The front horn is larger than the other horn and averages 90 cm (35 in) in length and can reach 150 cm (59 in). The white rhinoceros also has a prominent muscular hump that supports its relatively large head. The colour of this animal can range from yellowish brown to slate grey. Most of its body hair is found on the ear fringes and tail bristles with the rest distributed rather sparsely over the rest of the body. White rhinos have the distinctive flat broad mouth which is used for grazing. BLACK RHINOS The name black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) was chosen to distinguish this species from the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). This can be confusing, as those two species are not really distinguishable by color. There are four subspecies of black rhino: South-central (Diceros bicornis minor), the most numerous, which once ranged from central Tanzania south through Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to northern and eastern South Africa; South-western (Diceros bicornis bicornis) which are better adapted to the arid and semi-arid savannas of Namibia, southern Angola, western Botswana and western South Africa; East African (Diceros bicornis michaeli), primarily in Tanzania; and West African (Diceros bicornis longipes) which was declared extinct in November 2011. The native Tswanan name Keitloa is used to describe a South African variation of the black rhino in which the posterior horn is equal to or longer than the anterior horn. An adult black rhinoceros stands 150–175 cm (59–69 in) high at the shoulder and is 3.5–3.9 m (11–13 ft) in length. An adult weighs from 850 to 1,600 kg (1,900 to 3,500 lb), exceptionally to 1,800 kg (4,000 lb), with the females being smaller than the males. Two horns on the skull are made of keratin with the larger front horn typically 50 cm long, exceptionally up to 140 cm. Sometimes, a third smaller horn may develop. The black rhino is much smaller than the white rhino, and has a pointed mouth, which they use to grasp leaves and twigs when feeding. During the latter half of the 20th century their numbers were severely reduced from an estimated 70,000 in the late 1960s to only 2,410 in 1995 BLACK BACKED JACKAL The black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas), also known as the silver-backed or red jackal,is a species of jackal which inhabits two areas of the African continent separated by roughly 900 km. One region includes the southern-most tip of the continent, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The other area is along the eastern coastline, including Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. It is listed by the IUCN as least concern, due to its widespread range and adaptability, although it is still persecuted as a livestock predator and rabies vector. The fossil record indicates the species is the oldest extant member of the genus Canis. Although the most lightly built of jackals, it is the most aggressive, having been observed to singly kill animals many times its own size, and its intrapack relationships are more quarrelsome. Black-backed jackals are small, foxlike canids which measure 38–48 cm in shoulder height and 68-74.5 cm in length. The tail measures 30–38 cm in length. Weight varies according to location; East African jackals weigh 7-13.8 kg (15-30 lb). Male jackals in Zimbabwe weigh 6.8-9.5 kg (15-21 lb), while females weigh 5.4–10 kg (12-22 lb). Their skulls are elongated, with pear-shaped braincases and narrow rostra.The black-backed jackal's skull is similar to that of the side-striped jackal, but is less flat, and has a shorter, broader rostrum. Its sagittal crest and zygomatic arches are also heavier in build. Its carnassials are also larger than those of its more omnivorous cousin. Black-backed jackals are taller and longer than golden jackals, but have smaller heads. HIPPOPOTAMAS The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" (ἱπποπόταμος), is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae (the other is the Pygmy Hippopotamus.) After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest extant artiodactyl. The hippopotamus is semi-aquatic, inhabiting rivers, lakes and mangrove swamps, where territorial bulls preside over a stretch of river and groups of 5 to 30 females and young. During the day they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and childbirth both occur in water. They emerge at dusk to graze on grass. While hippopotamuses rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos are not territorial on land. Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, their closest living relatives are cetaceans (whales, porpoises, etc.) from which they diverged about million years ago.The common ancestor of whales and hippos split from other even-toed ungulates around million years ago]The earliest known hippopotamus fossils, belonging to the genus Kenyapotamus in Africa, date to around million years ago. The hippopotamus is recognizable by its barrel-shaped torso, enormous mouth and teeth, nearly hairless body, stubby legs and tremendous size. It is the third largest land mammal by weight (between 1½ and 3 tonnes), behind the white rhinoceros (1½ to 3½ tonnes) and the three species of elephant (3 to 9 tonnes). The hippopotamus is one of the largest quadrupeds (four legged mammals) and despite its stocky shape and short legs, it can easily outrun a human. Hippos have been clocked at 30 km/h (19 mph) over short distances. The hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive creatures in the world and is often regarded as one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. There are an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 hippos throughout Sub-Saharan Africa; Zambia (40,000) and Tanzania (20,000–30,000) possess the largest populations CROCODILE A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the subfamily Crocodylinae). The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e. the true crocodiles, the alligators and caimans (family Alligatoridae) and the gharials (family Gavialidae), as well as the Crocodylomorpha, which include prehistoric crocodile relatives and ancestors. Member species of the family Crocodylidae are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Crocodiles tend to congregate in freshwater habitats such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in brackish water. They feed mostly on vertebrates - fish, reptiles, and mammals, and sometimes on invertebrates - molluscs and crustaceans, depending on species. They first appeared during the Eocene epoch, about 55 million years ago Size greatly varies between species, from the dwarf crocodile to the saltwater crocodile. Species of Palaeosuchus and Osteolaemus grow to an adult size of just 1 metre (3.3 ft) to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft). Larger species can reach over 4.85 metres (15.9 ft) long and weigh well over 1,200 kilograms (2,600 lb). Crocodilians show pronounced sexual dimorphism, with males growing much larger and more rapidly than females.Despite their large adult sizes, crocodiles start their lives at around 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long. The largest species of crocodile is the saltwater crocodile, found in eastern India, northern Australia, throughout South-east Asia, and in the surrounding waters. Two larger certifiable records are both of 6.2 metres (20 ft) crocodiles. The first was shot in the Mary River in the Northern Territory of Australia in 1974 by poachers, and measured by wildlife rangers. The second crocodile was killed in 1983 in the Fly River, Papua New Guinea. In the case of the second crocodile it was actually the skin that was measured by zoologist Jerome Montague, and as skins are known to underestimate the size of the actual animal, it is possible this crocodile was at least another 10 cm longer MEERKAT The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan". A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some super-families have 50 or more members. In captivity, meerkats have an average life span of 12–14 years, and about half this in the wild. The meerkat is a small diurnal herpestid (mongoose) weighing on average about 731 grams (1.61 lb) for males and 720 grams (1.6 lb) for females. Its long slender body and limbs give it a body length of 25 to 35 centimetres (9.8 to 14 in) and an added tail length of 17 to 25 centimetres (6.7 to 9.8 in). Its tail is not bushy like all other mongoose species, but is rather long and thin and tapers to a black or reddish colored pointed tip. The meerkat uses its tail to balance when standing upright, as well as for signaling. Its face tapers, coming to a point at the nose, which is brown. The eyes always have black patches around them and it has small black crescent-shaped ears that can close to exclude soil when digging. Like cats, meerkats have binocular vision, a large peripheral range, depth perception, and eyes on the front of their faces. LEOPARD The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat. It is now chiefly found in sub-Saharan Africa; there are also fragmented populations in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. Because of its declining range and population, it is listed as a "Near Threatened" species on the IUCN Red List. Compared to other members of the Felidae family, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar, but is smaller and more slightly built. Its fur is marked with rosettes similar to those of the jaguar, but the leopard's rosettes are smaller and more densely packed, and do not usually have central spots as the jaguars do. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic (completely black or very dark) are known as black panthers. The species' success in the wild is in part due to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at speeds approaching 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth. The leopard consumes virtually any animal that it can hunt down and catch. Its habitat ranges from rainforest to desert terrains. Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. The five species are some of the largest nonhominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger. Previously, the closely related gelada (genus Theropithecus) and the two species (mandrill and drill) of genus Mandrillus were grouped in the same genus, and these Old World monkeys are still often referred to as baboons in everyday speech. They range in size and weight depending on species. The Guinea baboon is 50 cm (20 in) and weighs only 14 kg (30 lb) while the largest chacma baboon can be 120 cm (47 in) and weigh 40 kg (90 lb). monkey is a apes . There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys usually have tails. Tailless monkeys may be called "apes", incorrectly according to modern usage; thus the tailless Barbary macaque is called the "Barbary ape". The New World monkeys are classified within the parvorder of Platyrrhini, whereas the Old World monkeys (superfamily Cercopithecoidea) form part of the parvorder Catarrhini, which also includes the hominoids (apes, including humans). Thus, as Old World monkeys are more closely related to hominoids than they are to New World monkeys, the monkeys are not a unitary (monophyletic) group. Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of apes in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitats of the two species: Common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes (West and Central Africa) Bonobo, Pan paniscus (forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) Chimpanzees are members of the Hominidae family, along with gorillas, humans, and orangutans. Chimpanzees split from the human branch of the family about four to six million years ago. The two chimpanzee species are the closest living relatives to humans, all being members of the Hominini tribe (along with extinct species of Hominina subtribe). Chimpanzees are the only known members of the Panina subtribe. The two Pan species split only about one million years ago. Lycaon pictus is a canid found only in Africa, especially in savannas and lightly wooded areas. It is variously called the African wild dog, African hunting dog, Cape hunting dog, painted dog, painted wolf, painted hunting dog, spotted dog, or ornate wolf.The African wild dog is an endangered species due to habitat loss and predator control killing. It uses very large territories (and so can persist only in large wildlife protected areas), and it is strongly affected by competition with larger carnivores that rely on the same prey base, particularly the lion and the Spotted Hyena. While the adult wild dogs can usually outrun the larger predators, lions often will kill as many wild dogs and cubs at the brooding site as they can but do not eat them. One on one the hyena is much more powerful than the wild dog but a large group of wild dogs can successfully chase off a small number of hyenas because of their teamwork The Warthog or Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P. aethiopicus, but today that scientific name is restricted to the Desert Warthog of northern Kenya, Somalia, and eastern Ethiopia. The common name comes from the four large, wart-like protrusions found on the head of the warthog, which serve as a fat reserve and are used for defense when males fight. Afrikaans-speaking people call the animal "vlakvark", meaning "pig of the plains". The Warthog is medium-sized as a wild suid species. The head-and-body length ranges in size from 0.9 to 1.5 m (3.0 to 4.9 ft) in length and shoulder height is from 63.5 to 85 cm (25.0 to 33 in). Females, at 45 to 75 kg (99 to 170 lb), are typically a bit smaller and lighter than males, at 60 to 150 kg (130 to 330 lb). A warthog is identifiable by the two pairs of tusks protruding from the mouth and curving upwards. The lower pair, which is far shorter than the upper pair, becomes razor sharp by rubbing against the upper pair every time the mouth is opened and closed. The upper canine teeth can grow to 25.5 cm (10.0 in) long, and are of a squashed circle shape in cross section, almost rectangular, being about 4.5 cm (1.8 in) deep and 2.5 cm (0.98 in) wide. A tusk will curve 90 degrees or more from the root, and will not lie flat on a table, as it curves somewhat backwards as it grows. The tusks are used for digging, for combat with other hogs, and in defense against predators the lower set can inflict severe wounds. The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, mbogo or Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear. Owing to its unpredictable nature, which makes it highly dangerous to humans, it has not been domesticated unlike its Asian counterpart the domestic Asian water buffalo. Contrary to popular belief, the African buffalo is not the ancestor of domestic cattle, and is only distantly related to other larger bovines. The African buffalo is a very robust species. Its shoulder height can range from 1 to 1.7 m (3.3 to 5.6 ft) and its head-and-body length can range from 1.7 to 3.4 m (5.6 to 11 ft). Compared with other large bovids, it has a long but stocky body (the body length can exceed the Wild water buffalo, which is rather heavier and taller) and short but thickset legs, resulting in a relatively short standing height. The tail can range from 70 to 110 cm (28 to 43 in) long. Savannah-type buffaloes weigh 500 to 910 kg (1,100 to 2,000 lb), with males normally larger than females, reaching the upper weight range. In comparison, forest-type buffaloes, at 250 to 455 kg (550 to 1,000 lb), are only half that size. Its head is carried low; its top is located below the backline. The front hooves of the buffalo are wider than the rear, which is associated with the need to support the weight of the front part of the body, which is heavier and more powerful than the back. The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant. Its species name refers to its camel-like appearance and the patches of color on its fur. Its chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones and its distinctive coat patterns. It stands 5–6 m (16–20 ft) tall and has an average weight of 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) for males and 830 kg (1,800 lb) for females. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. There are nine subspecies, which are distinguished by their coat patterns.Fully grown giraffes stand 5–6 m (16–20 ft) tall, with males taller than females.The average weight is 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) for an adult male and 830 kg (1,800 lb) for an adult female. Despite its long neck and legs, the giraffe's body is relatively short. Located at both sides of the head, the giraffe's large, bulging eyes give it good all round vision from its great height. Giraffes see in color and their senses of hearing and smell are also sharp.The animal can close its muscular nostrils to protect against sandstorms and ants.The giraffe's prehensile tongue is about 50 cm (20 in) long. It is purplish-black in color, perhaps to protect against sunburn, and is useful for grasping foliage as well as for grooming and cleaning the animal's nose. The upper lip of the giraffe is also prehensile and useful when foraging. 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< Back The African savanna elephant is the largest land mammal in the world and can reach up to 3 meters in height and can weigh up to 7 tons. The African forest elephant is 3 feet shorter. Elephants communicate across a large distance at a very low frequency through their feet and the soil that cannot be heard by humans. Elephants live in a herd that is led by the 'matriarch' female. The elephant is threatened by ivory poachers for their tusks. Previous Next BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE

THE BOEREVOLK Boers (/bʊərz/ BOORZ ; Afrikaans : Boere; [ˈbuːrə] ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans -speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch Cape Colony , which the United Kingdom incorporated into the British Empire in 1806. The name of the group is derived from Trekboer then later "boer", which means "farmer" in Dutch and Afrikaans. In addition, the term Boeren also applied to those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to colonise the Orange Free State , and the Transvaal (together known as the Boer Republics ), and to a lesser extent Natal . They emigrated from the Cape to live beyond the reach of the British colonial administration, with their reasons for doing so primarily being the new Anglophone common law system being introduced into the Cape and the British abolition of slavery in 1833. The term Afrikaners or Afrikaans people is generally used in modern-day South Africa for the white Afrikaans-speaking population of South Africa (the largest group of White South Africans ) encompassing the descendants of both the Boers, and the Cape Dutch who did not embark on the Great Trek . European colonists Flag of the Dutch East India Company The Dutch East India Company (Dutch : Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie; VOC) was formed in the Dutch Republic in 1602, and at this time the Dutch had entered the competition for the colonial and imperial trade of commerce in Southeast Asia. The end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648 saw European soldiers and refugees widely dispersed across Europe. Immigrants from Germany, Scandinavia, and Switzerland traveled to the Netherlands in the hope of finding employment with the VOC. During the same year, one of their ships was stranded in Table Bay near what would eventually become Cape Town , and the shipwrecked crew had to forage for themselves on shore for several months. They were so impressed with the natural resources of the country that on their return to the Dutch Republic, they represented to the VOC directors the advantages to be had for the Dutch Eastern trade from a properly provided and fortified station at the Cape. As a result, the VOC sent a Dutch expedition in 1652 led by Jan van Riebeek , who constructed a fort and laid out vegetable gardens at Table Bay and took control over Cape Town, which he governed for a decade. Free Burghers Main article: Free Burghers VOC favoured the idea of freemen at the Cape and many workers of VOC requested to be discharged in order to become free burghers (citizens). As a result, Jan van Riebeek approved the notion on favourable conditions and earmarked two areas near the Liesbeek River for farming purposes in 1657. The two areas which were allocated to the freemen, for agricultural purposes, were named Groeneveld and Dutch Garden. These areas were separated by the Amstel River (Liesbeek River). Nine of the best applicants were selected to use the land for agricultural purposes. The freemen or free burghers as they were afterwards termed, thus became subjects of VOC and were no longer its servants. In 1671, the Dutch first purchased land from the indigenous Khoikhoi beyond the limits of the fort built by Van Riebeek; this marked the development of the Colony proper . As the result of the investigations of a 1685 commissioner, the government worked to recruit a greater variety of immigrants to develop a stable community. They formed part of the class of vrijlieden, also known as vrijburgers ('free citizens'), former VOC employees who remained at the Cape after serving their contracts. A large number of vrijburgers became independent farmers and applied for grants of land, as well as loans of seed and tools, from VOC administration. Dutch free immigrants VOC authorities had been endeavouring to induce gardeners and small farmers to emigrate from Europe to South Africa, but with little success. They were only able to attract a few families through tales of wealth, but the Cape had little charm in comparison. In October 1670, however, the Chamber of Amsterdam announced that a few families were willing to leave for the Cape and Mauritius during the following December. Among the new names of burghers at this time are Jacob and Dirk van Niekerk, Johannes van As, Francois Villion, Jacob Brouwer, Jan van Eden, Hermanus Potgieter, Albertus Gildenhuis, and Jacobus van den Berg. French Huguenots During 1688–1689, the colony was greatly strengthened by the arrival of nearly two hundred French Huguenots , who were political refugees from the religious wars in France following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes . They joined colonies at Stellenbosch , Drakenstein , Franschhoek and Paarl .[12] The influence of the Huguenots on the character of the colonists was marked, leading to the VOC directing in 1701 that only Dutch should be taught in schools. This resulted in the Huguenots assimilating by the middle of the 18th century, with a loss in the use and knowledge of French . The colony gradually spread eastwards, and in 1754 land as far as Algoa Bay was included in the colony. At this time the European colonists numbered eight to ten thousand. They possessed numerous slaves, grew wheat in sufficient quantity to make it a commodity crop for export, and were famed for the good quality of their wines . But their chief wealth was in cattle. They enjoyed considerable prosperity. Through the latter half of the 17th and the whole of the 18th century, troubles arose between the colonists and the government as the VOC administration was despotic . Its policies were not directed at development of the colony, but to profit the VOC. The VOC closed the colony against free immigration, kept the whole of the trade in its own hands, combined the administrative, legislative and judicial powers in one body, prescribed to the farmers the nature of the crops they were to grow, demanded a large part of their produce as a kind of tax, and made other exactions. Trekboers Main article: Trekboers This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message ) From time to time, indentured VOC servants were endowed with the right of freeburghers but the VOC retained the power to compel them to return into its service whenever they deemed it necessary. This right to force into servitude those who might incur the displeasure of the governor or other high officers was not only exercised with reference to the individuals themselves; it was claimed by the government to be applicable to their children as well. The tyranny caused many to feel desperate and to flee from oppression, even before the 1700 trekking began. In 1780, Joachim van Plettenberg , the governor, proclaimed the Sneeuberge to be the northern boundary of the colony, expressing "the anxious hope that no more extension should take place, and with heavy penalties forbidding the rambling peasants to wander beyond". In 1789, so strong had feelings amongst the burghers become that delegates were sent from the Cape to interview the authorities at Amsterdam . After this deputation, some nominal reforms were granted. Descending from the Sneeuberge, a scene near Graaff-Reinet , by Burchell Passing Cradock Pass, Outeniqua Mountains , by Charles Collier Michell An aquatint by Samuel Daniell of Trekboers making camp Trekboers crossing the Karoo by Charles Davidson Bell It was largely to escape oppression that the farmers trekked farther and farther from the seat of government. VOC, to control the emigrants, established a magistracy at Swellendam in 1745 and another at Graaff Reinet in 1786. The Gamtoos River had been declared, c. 1740, the eastern frontier of the colony but it was soon passed. In 1780, however, the Dutch, to avoid collision with the Bantu peoples , agreed with them to make the Great Fish River the common boundary. In 1795 the heavily taxed burghers of the frontier districts, who were afforded no protection against the Bantus, expelled the VOC officials, and set up independent governments at Swellendam and Graaff Reinet. The trekboers of the 19th century[who? ] were the lineal descendants of the trekboers of the 18th century. The end of the 19th century saw a revival of the same tyrannical monopolist policy as that in the VOC government in the Transvaal . If the formula, "In all things political, purely despotic; in all things commercial, purely monopolist", was true of the VOC government in the 18th century, it was equally true of Kruger 's government in the latter part of the 19th.[citation needed ][clarification needed ] The underlying fact which made the trek possible is that the Dutch-descended colonists in the eastern and northeastern parts of the colony were not cultivators of the soil, but of purely pastoral and nomadic habits, ever ready to seek new pastures for their flocks and herds, possessing no special affection for any particular locality. These people, thinly scattered over a wide territory, had lived for so long with little restraint from the law that when, in 1815, by the institution of "Commissions of Circuit", justice was brought nearer to their homes, various offences were brought to light, the remedying of which caused much resentment. The Dutch-descended colonists in the eastern and northeastern parts of the colony, as a result of the Great Trek , had removed themselves from governmental rule and become widely spread out. However, the institution of "Commissions of Circuit" in 1815 allowed the prosecution of crimes, with offences committed by the trekboers—notably including many against people they had enslaved—seeing justice. These prosecutions were very unpopular amongst the trekkers and were seen as interfering with their rights over the enslaved people they viewed as their property. Invasion of the Cape Colony Main article: Invasion of the Cape Colony The Invasion of the Cape Colony was a British military expedition launched in 1795 against the Dutch Cape Colony at the Cape of Good Hope . The Netherlands had fallen under the revolutionary government of France and a British force under General Sir James Henry Craig was sent to Cape Town to secure the colony from the French for the Prince of Orange , a refugee in England. The governor of Cape Town at first refused to obey the instructions from the Prince, but when the British proceeded to land troops to take possession anyway, he capitulated. His action was hastened by the fact that the Khoikhoi , escaping from their former enslavers, flocked to the British standard. The burghers of Graaff Reinet did not surrender until a force had been sent against them; in 1799 and again in 1801 they rose in revolt. In February 1803, as a result of the peace of Amiens (February 1803), the colony was handed over to the Batavian Republic which introduced many reforms, as had the British during their eight years' rule. One of the first acts of General Craig had been to abolish torture in the administration of justice. The country still remained essentially Dutch, and few British citizens were attracted to it. Its cost to the British exchequer during this period was £ 16,000,000.[citation needed ] The Batavian Republic entertained very liberal views as to the administration of the country, but had little opportunity to enact them. When the War of the Third Coalition broke out in 1803, a British force was once again sent to the Cape. After an engagement (January 1806) on the shores of Table Bay, the Dutch garrison of Castle of Good Hope surrendered to the British under Sir David Baird , and in the 1814 Anglo-Dutch treaty the colony was ceded outright by The Netherlands to the British crown . At that time the colony extended to the line of mountains guarding the vast central plateau, then called Bushmansland (after a name for the San people ), and had an area of about 120000 sq km and a population of some 60000, of whom 27000 were whites, 17000 free Khoikhoi and the rest enslaved people, mostly non-indigenous blacks and Malays. Dislike of British rule Although the colony was fairly prosperous, many of the Dutch farmers were as dissatisfied with British rule as they had been with that of the VOC, though their grounds for complaint were not the same. In 1792, Moravian missions had been established which targeted the Khoikhoi, and in 1799 the London Missionary Society began work among both Khoikhoi and the Bantu peoples. The missionaries' championing of Khoikhoi grievances caused much dissatisfaction among the majority of the Dutch colonists, whose views temporarily prevailed, for in 1812 an ordinance was issued which empowered magistrates to bind Khoikhoi children as apprentices under conditions which differed little from slavery . Simultaneously, the movement for the abolition of slavery was gaining strength in England, and the missionaries appealed from the colonists to the mother country. Slachter's Nek A farmer named Frederick Bezuidenhout refused to obey a summons issued on the complaint of a Khoikhoi, and, firing on the party sent to arrest him, was killed by the return fire. This caused a small rebellion in 1815, known as Slachters Nek , described as "the most insane attempt ever made by a set of men to wage war against their sovereign" by Henry Cloete. Upon its suppression, five ringleaders were publicly hanged at the spot where they had sworn to expel "the English tyrants". The feeling[clarification needed ] caused by the hanging of these men was deepened by the circumstances of the execution, as the scaffold on which the rebels were simultaneously hanged broke down from their united weight and the men were afterwards hanged one by one. An ordinance was passed in 1827, abolishing the old Dutch courts of landdrost and heemraden (resident magistrates being substituted) and establishing that henceforth all legal proceedings should be conducted in English. The granting in 1828, as a result of the representations of the missionaries, of equal rights with whites to the Khoikhoi and other free coloured people, the imposition (1830) of heavy penalties for harsh treatment of enslaved people, and finally the emancipation of the enslaved people in 1834, were measures which combined to aggravate the farmers' dislike of government. Moreover, what the Boers viewed as the inadequate compensation for the freeing of the slaves, and the suspicions engendered by the method of payment, caused much resentment; and in 1835 the farmers again removed themselves to unknown country to escape the government. While emigration beyond the colonial border had been continuous for 150 years, it now took on larger proportions.[citation needed ] Cape Frontier Wars (1779–1879) Main article: Xhosa Wars Map of the Cape Colony in 1809, early British rule The migration of the trekboers from the Cape Colony into the Eastern Cape parts of South Africa, where the native Xhosa people had established settlements, gave rise to a series of conflicts between the Boers and the Xhosas. In 1775 the Cape government established a boundary between the trekboers and the Xhosas at the Bushmans and Upper Fish Rivers. The Boers and Xhosas ignored the boundary, with both groups establishing homes on either side of the frontier. Governor van Plettenberg attempted to persuade both groups to respect the boundary line without success. The Xhosas were accused of stealing cattle and in 1779 a series of skirmishes erupted along the border which initiated the 1st Frontier War. The frontier remained unstable, resulting in the outbreak of the 2nd Frontier War in 1789. Raids carried out by Boers and Xhosas on both sides of the boundary caused much friction in the area which resulted in several groups being drawn into the conflict. In 1795, the British invasion of the Cape Colony resulted in a change of government. After the government takeover the British began to draw up policies with regards to the frontier resulting in a Boer rebellion in Graaff-Reinet . The policies caused the Khoisan tribes to join some Xhosa chiefs in attacks against British forces during the 3rd Frontier War (1799–1803). Peace was restored to the area when the British, under the Treaty of Amiens , returned the Cape Colony to the Dutch Batavian Republic in 1803. In January 1806 during a second invasion, the British reoccupied the colony after the Battle of Blaauwberg . Tensions in the Zuurveld led the colonial administration and Boer colonists to expel many of the Xhosa tribes from the area, initiating the 4th Frontier War in 1811. Conflicts between the Xhosas on the frontier led to the 5th Frontier War in 1819. The Xhosas, due to dissatisfaction with vacillating government policies regarding where they were permitted to live, undertook large-scale cattle thefts on the frontier. The Cape government responded with several military expeditions. In 1834 a large Xhosa force moved into the Cape territory, which began the 6th Frontier War. Additional fortifications were built by the government and mounted patrols were not well received by the Xhosas, who continued with raids on farms during the 7th Frontier War (1846–1847). The 8th (1850–1853) and 9th Frontier Wars (1877–1878) continued at the same pace as their predecessors. Eventually the Xhosas were defeated and the territories were brought under British control. Great Trek Main article: Great Trek A map charting the routes of the largest trekking parties during the first wave of the Great Trek (1835–1840) along with key battles and events. The Great Trek occurred between 1835 and the early 1840s. During that period some 12,000 to 14,000 Boers (including women and children), impatient with British rule, emigrated from Cape Colony into the great plains beyond the Orange River , and across them again into Natal and the vastness of the Zoutspansberg , in the northern part of the Transvaal. Those Trekboers who occupied the eastern Cape were semi-nomadic. A significant number in the eastern Cape frontier later became Grensboere ('border farmers') who were the direct ancestors of the Voortrekkers . The Boers addressed several correspondence to the British Colonial Government before leaving the Cape Colony as reasons for their departure. Piet Retief , one of the leaders of the Boers during the time, addressed a letter to the government on 22 January 1837 in Grahamstown stating that the Boers did not see any prospect for peace or happiness for their children in a country with such internal commotions. Retief further complained about the severe financial losses which they felt had resulted from the laws of the British administration. While there was financial compensation for the freeing of the people they had enslaved, the Boers found it to be inadequate. They also felt that the English church system was incompatible with the Dutch Reformed Church . By this time the Boers had already formed a separate code of laws in preparation for the great trek and were aware of the dangerous territory they were about to enter. Retief concluded his letter with "We quit this colony under the full assurance that the English Government has nothing more to require of us, and will allow us to govern ourselves without its interference in future" Anglo-Boer wars Main articles: First Boer War and Second Boer War Boer family traveling by covered wagon circa 1900 Following the British annexation of the Transvaal in 1877, Paul Kruger was a key figure in organizing a Boer resistance which led to expulsion of the British from the Transvaal. The Boers then fought the Second Boer War in the late 19th and early 20th century against the British in order to ensure the republics of the Transvaal (the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek ) and the Orange Free State , remaining independent, ultimately capitulating in 1902. Boer War diaspora See also: Boer War diaspora After the Second Boer War, a Boer diaspora occurred. Starting in 1903, the largest group emigrated to the Patagonia region of Argentina and to Brazil . Another group emigrated to the British colony of Kenya , from where most returned to South Africa during the 1930s, while a third group under the leadership of General Ben Viljoen emigrated to Mexico and to New Mexico and Texas in the southwestern United States. 1914 Boer Revolt Main article: Maritz Rebellion The Maritz Rebellion (also known as the Boer Revolt, the Five Shilling Rebellion or the Third Boer War) occurred in 1914 at the start of World War I , in which men who supported the re-creation of the Boer republics rose up against the government of the Union of South Africa because they did not want to side with the British against the German Empire so soon after the war with the British.[citation needed ] Many Boers had German ancestry and many members of the government were themselves former Boer military leaders who had fought with the Maritz rebels against the British in the Second Boer War. The rebellion was put down by Louis Botha and Jan Smuts , and the ringleaders received heavy fines and terms of imprisonment. One, Jopie Fourie , an officer in the Union Defence Force , was convicted for treason when he refused to take up arms alongside the British, and was executed by the South African government in 1914. Characteristics Language Main article: Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic language spoken widely in South Africa and Namibia , and to a lesser extent in Botswana and Zimbabwe . It evolved from the Dutch vernacular of South Holland (Hollandic dialect ) spoken by the mainly Dutch colonists of what is now South Africa, where it gradually began to develop distinguishing characteristics in the course of the 18th century. Hence, it is a daughter language of Dutch, and was previously referred to as Cape Dutch (also used to refer collectively to the early Cape colonists ) or kitchen Dutch (a derogatory term used in its earlier days). However, it is also variously (although incorrectly) described as a creole or as a partially creolised language.[n 1] The term is ultimately derived from Dutch Afrikaans-Hollands meaning African Dutch. Culture Painting depicting the Bullock wagons moving over the billowy plains, 2 January 1860 The desire to wander, known as trekgees, was a notable characteristic of the Boers. It figured prominently in the late 17th century when the Trekboers began to inhabit the northern and eastern Cape frontiers, again during the Great Trek when the Voortrekkers left the eastern Cape en masse, and after the major republics were established during the Thirstland ('Dorsland') Trek. One such trekker described the impetus for emigrating as, "a drifting spirit was in our hearts, and we ourselves could not understand it. We just sold our farms and set out northwestwards to find a new home". A rustic characteristic and tradition was developed quite early on as Boer society was born on the frontiers of white colonisation and on the outskirts of Western civilisation. The Boer quest for independence manifested in a tradition of declaring republics, which predates the arrival of the British; when the British arrived, Boer republics had already been declared and were in rebellion from the VOC. Beliefs The Boers of the frontier were known for their independent spirit, resourcefulness, hardiness, and self-sufficiency, whose political notions verged on anarchy but had begun to be influenced by republicanism. The Boers had cut their ties to Europe as they emerged from the Trekboer group. The Boers possessed a distinct Protestant culture , and the majority of Boers and their descendants were members of a Reformed Church . The Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk ('Dutch Reformed Church') was the national Church of the South African Republic (1852–1902). The Orange Free State (1854–1902) was named after the Protestant House of Orange in the Netherlands . The Calvinist influence, in such fundamental Calvinist doctrines such as unconditional predestination and divine providence , remains present in a minority of Boer culture, who see their role in society as abiding by the national laws and accepting calamity and hardship as part of their Christian duty. Many Boers have since converted denominations and are now members of Baptist , Charismatic , Pentecostal or Lutheran Churches . Modern usage During recent times, mainly during the apartheid reform and post-1994 eras, some white Afrikaans -speaking people, mainly with conservative political views, and of Trekboer and Voortrekker descent, have chosen to be called Boere, rather than Afrikaners, to distinguish their identity. They believe that many people of Voortrekker descent were not assimilated into what they see as the Cape -based Afrikaner identity. They suggest that this developed after the Second Anglo-Boer War and the subsequent establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910. Some Boer nationalists have asserted that they do not identify as a right-wing element of the political spectrum. They contend that the Boers of the South African Republic and Orange Free State republics were recognised as a separate people or cultural group under international law by the Sand River Convention (which created the South African Republic in 1852), the Bloemfontein Convention (which created the Orange Free State Republic in 1854), the Pretoria Convention (which re-established the independence of the South African Republic 1881), the London Convention (which granted the full independence to the South African Republic in 1884), and the Vereeniging Peace Treaty , which formally ended the Second Anglo-Boer War on 31 May 1902. Others contend, however, that these treaties dealt only with agreements between governmental entities and do not imply the recognition of a Boer cultural identity per se. The supporters of these views feel that the Afrikaner label was used from the 1930s onwards as a means of politically unifying the white Afrikaans speakers of the Western Cape with those of Trekboer and Voortrekker descent in the north of South Africa, where the Boer Republics were established. Since the Anglo-Boer war, the term Boerevolk ('farmer people') was rarely used in the 20th century by the various regimes because of the effort to assimilate the Boerevolk with the Afrikaners. A portion of those who are the descendants of the Boerevolk have reasserted use of this designation. The supporters of the Boer designation view the term Afrikaner as an artificial political label which usurped their history and culture, turning Boer achievements into Afrikaner achievements. They feel that the Western-Cape based Afrikaners – whose ancestors did not trek eastwards or northwards – took advantage of the republican Boers' destitution following the Anglo-Boer War. At that time, the Afrikaners attempted to assimilate the Boers into the new politically based cultural label. In contemporary South Africa, Boer and Afrikaner have often been used interchangeably.[dubious – discuss ] Afrikaner directly translated means African, and thus refers to all Afrikaans-speaking people in Africa who have their origins in the Cape Colony founded by Jan Van Riebeeck. Boer is a specific group within the larger Afrikaans-speaking population. During apartheid, Boer was used by opponents of apartheid in various contexts, referring to institutional structures such as the National Party , or to specific groups of people, such as members of the Police Force (colloquially known as Boere) and Army , Afrikaners, or white South Africans generally. This usage is often viewed as pejorative in contemporary South Africa. Politics Boere-Vryheidsbeweging Boerestaat Party Freedom Front Plus Front National Herstigte Nasionale Party National Conservative Party of South Africa Education The Movement for Christian-National Education is a federation of 47 Calvinist private schools, primarily in the Free State and the Transvaal, committed to educating Boer children from grade 0 through to 12. Media Some local radio stations promote the ideals of those who identify with the Boer people, like Radio Rosestad 100.6 FM (in Bloemfontein), Overvaal Stereo and Radio Pretoria . An internet-based radio station, Boerevolk Radio , promotes Boer separatism. Territories See also: Volkstaat Territorial areas in the form of a Boerestaat ('Boer State') are being developed as colonies exclusively for Boers/Afrikaners, notably Orania in the Northern Cape and Kleinfontein near Pretoria . Notable Boers Voortrekker leaders Sarel Cilliers Andries Hendrik Potgieter Andries Pretorius Piet Retief Great trek Racheltjie de Beer Dirkie Uys Marthinus Jacobus Oosthuizen Participants in the Second Anglo-Boer War Koos de la Rey , general; regarded as being one of the great military leaders of the Second Anglo-Boer War Danie Theron , soldier Christiaan Rudolf de Wet , general Siener van Rensburg , considered a prophet by some Politicians Louis Botha , first prime minister of South Africa (1910–1919) and former Boer general Petrus Jacobus Joubert , general and cabinet member of the Transvaal Republic Paul Kruger , president of the Transvaal Republic Martinus Theunis Steyn , 6th State President of the Orange Free State Spies Robey Leibbrandt Fritz Joubert Duquesne , Boer captain known as the Black Panther who served in the Second Boer War Persecution Since the early 2000s, South African farmers, including many Boers, have faced a wave of violent attacks in rural areas, often involving extreme brutality such as torture and murder. These incidents, which have drawn international attention, have led many within the Boer community to fear for their safety. Some have emigrated to countries like Australia, while others have invested in private security measures to protect their families and property. The ongoing attacks remain a significant concern for South Africa's rural communities. In modern fiction The history of the Cape Colony and the Boers in South Africa is covered at length in the 1980 novel The Covenant by American author James A. Michener. The Boers appear as a civilization in the 'Scramble to Africa' scenario in Civilization V: Brave New World . Paul Kruger leads the civilization during the scenario. The Boers' unique unit is the foreign volunteer. See also Boerboel Boerehaat Boer goat Boer music Settler colonialism South African farm attacks Transvaal civil war Transvaal Colony BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE

< Back The African leopard is the most solitary and elusive animal of the big 5, staying hidden during the day. They are the least seen of the Big 5 and on most occasions found alone. The leopard is nocturnal and mainly hunts at night. Their kills include zebra and antelopes like Thompson Gazelle. The elusive leopards hide their prey in a tree to prevent lions and hyenas from stealing it. A lion and a leopard both belong to the African big cats, but they can't get along. A lion will kill a leopard if it has the chance. A leopard is also a good swimmer and occasionally eats fish. Previous Next BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE