In 1652, a group of people from Holland settled in South Africa. Holland is a region of the Netherlands, a nation in northwestern Europe. The Dutch settlers became known as Boers, meaning “farmers” in their language.
Conflict with the Bantu Peoples
When the Boers arrived in South Africa, they thought their new home was empty, but it was already the homeland of Bantu-speaking peoples. The Bantus attempted to fight for their land, but their spears were no match for the Europeans’ guns. The Boers enslaved many Bantu people and forced them to work on the colonists’ farms.
The British
Great Britain assumed control of South Africa in 1795. The Dutch settlers were unhappy with British rule and became even angrier when the British outlawed slavery in 1835. The British government paid owners for their slaves, but the Boers complained the payments were too small.
The Boer Wars
Many British settled in South Africa after gold and diamonds were discovered. The tensions led to two Boer Wars between the British and the Boers, the second lasting from 1899 to 1902. The superior training and weaponry of the British army brought victory but at a terrible cost.
The wars destroyed South Africa’s economy. The British realized the fighting would continue unless they offered some self-government to the South Africans. In 1910, they formed the Dominion of South Africa, granting rights to the white Boers and British settlers but not to the Bantu majority.
In the following years, white South Africans imposed harsh apartheid laws on the Black majority, setting aside more than eighty percent of the land exclusively for whites. After years of domestic unrest and international pressure, the apartheid system was dismantled. In 1994, all South Africans were allowed to vote for the first time. They elected Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s first Black president.
Resources
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Mr. Donn has an excellent website that includes a section on African History.