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Voortrekkers

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Nick1986 View Drop Down
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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Voortrekkers
    Posted: 27-Oct-2011 at 21:25

Here's a topic of interest to Jaj and Bulldog. The ancestors of the Boers arrived in South Africa in the 1830s and travelled by wagon like the American pioneers. Seeking land far from British interference, their Great Trek took them from Cape Colony to Natal and the Orange Free State.
Who can tell me more about these early Dutch colonists?
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  Quote Bulldog69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16-Nov-2011 at 08:00
Well, I'm not sure how true this is, but apparently the Trekkers came across a huge sign in the middle of South Africa.
In German, it read: 'Go West' - so all those who could read German trekked west and settled in Namibia.
In Afrikaans, it read: 'Go North' - so all those who could read Afirkaans trekked north and settled in the Transvaal.
In English, it read: 'Go East' - so all those who could read English trekked east and settled in Natal.
And all those who couldn't read at all stayed where they were and settled in the Free State.

More seriously... the whole Trekker myth has been carefully cultivated over the years, with the Apartheid government especially keen to paint these people as the founding fathers of the nation etc. In a sense, this is true - they headed into the 'great unknown' at great risk to themselves. On the other hand, their motives were hardly romantic or admirable: they essentially didn't want to pay tax or give up their slaves. While we can all sympathise with the former, the latter is a little less easy to respect.
The Voortrekkers clashed with various tribes they came across and - though there was certainly wrong on both sides - dealt out a good deal of slaughter as they moved inland. They also didn't really establish countries or towns as such - they were very independent people, who felt they deserved nothing less than a 5000 hectare farm (with as many slaves as it took to work it) and not to have to see the smoke from his neighbour's chimney. Several mini-states were formed, but these generally went to war with one another, raiding and looting their kinsmen in a serious of ongoing 'civil' wars throughout much of the 1800s. There was no industry or development as such and most of the traders were actually English speaking and arrived a little later.
If you can get hold of it, Henry Rider Haggard wrote an excellent book on the history of the Boers.
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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16-Nov-2011 at 19:42
Thanks Bulldog. It sounds like the early Boers weren't the united group of legend but squabbling tribes as warlike as their African neighbors. When did they begin to unite into a nation?
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  Quote Bulldog69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17-Nov-2011 at 03:59
I wrote a very long reply to this, and it seems to have disappeared. I will try again when I can summon the resolve.
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  Quote Bulldog69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17-Nov-2011 at 05:13

The Voortrekkers were by no means a unified group. The Boers have always been a highly individualistic and independent bunch, and really they only thing that the various groups of trekkers had in common was a shared a hatred of the British, taxes, government and blacks. Various ‘strong men’ organised groups together and off they went – these groups often splintered off into sub groups or fell out and squabbled. By way of example, one later trek (because the treks never really stopped – the Boers always needed more land) was organised to occupy southern Mashonalana – which had just been occupied by Rhodes’ Pioneers. The trek started out about 2000 strong, but there was so much in-fighting and falling out that, by the time they made it to the Limpopo River (which marked the border) there were only 200 of them left. When they were confronted by a detachment of BSACP, the trekkers fragmented still further, with some turning back and other agreeing to settle the area under Rhodesian rule.

The Boers have never been a ‘nation’ as such, though huge efforts were made to portray them as such by the Apartheid era government. While no ‘nation’ is ‘pure’ (if you’ll forgive that word), the Boers were much less so than most. Made up of Dutch, German, French Huguenot, English, Flemish, Scandinavian, Irish, Scots, Portuguese and even Malay and (whisper it) blacks, the Boers were a very recent group and there was so much inter-marrying between them and English-speaking South Africans, or recently arrived Europeans, that it is impossible to really say who was a ‘Boer’ and who wasn’t. It was more a state of mind / point of view than a nationality. Many of the most ardent advocates of ‘Afrikanerdom’ were born in Holland and only arrived in Southern Africa late in the 1800s.

The Boers never settled a single country either – each little group wanted their own republic and several of these tiny mini-states were established by small numbers of trekkers. While the Boers who founded the Orange Free State were reasonably settled, the mini-republics founded by those who trekked north of the Vaal River were in a constant state of ‘civil’ war throughout much of the 19th Century as they raided and invaded one another. Eventually, the ZAR (or ‘Transvaal’) succeeded in gobbling up the others. It also tried to invade the OFS, but without success.

After the First Boer War, other treks left the Transvaal to establish yet more mini-republics such as ‘Goshenland’, ‘Stellaland’ and ‘The New Republic’. These were simply blatant attempts to expand the borders of the Transvaal in every direction. Goshenland and Stellaland saw trekkers snatch portions of Bechuanaland, but these were thwarted by the British. The New Republic, on the other hand, saw the Boer trekkers gobble up a huge chunk of Zululand. Other mini-republics snatched portions of Swaziland. These were then incorporated into the Transvaal (or ZAR).

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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17-Nov-2011 at 19:40
Good post Bulldog.Thumbs Up Their greed for land might explain why their host Dingane decided to double-cross and attack them


Edited by Nick1986 - 17-Nov-2011 at 19:42
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  Quote Bulldog69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18-Nov-2011 at 01:44
Glad you enjoyed it. The Boers insatiable lust for land certainly brought them into conflict with plenty of African tribes - though the Zulus were no angels either... they also violently expanded their empire year on year.
You might want to get your hands on a book called 'Transvaal Epic' - it was published in 1978 so you might struggle, but it has a large and interesting section on the early trekkers which is well worth reading.
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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-Nov-2011 at 20:10
Thanks Bulldog. I'll keep a lookout for this book
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  Quote lirelou Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-Nov-2011 at 22:41
Bulldog, pratend van boeke, vat denk u ongeveer "the washing of the spears"?
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  Quote Bulldog69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28-Nov-2011 at 05:35
Hello Lirelou,
 
You'll forgive me if I reply in English for the benefit of others.

I think Morris's 'Washing of the Spears' is a brilliant read with a great deal of interest in it. It has, alas, recently been described by some as 'out-dated' but I fear this is inspired more by political correctness than the emergence of any new 'evidence'. Far from 'racism' playing a part, I feel that the Zulus have always been written about with fairness and, indeed, huge sympathy by English authors, perhaps because of their undeniable bravery in battle and the huge respect the British army of the day had for them. Indeed, thanks to the phonetic alphabet, there is a 'Zulu' company, Royal Marines who went into battle in the Falklands War, shouting 'Zulu! Zulu!'.

I am amazed that such a bloody thirsty and warlike tribe has been treated so lightly - especially given some of the vitriol directed at the British and Afrikaans settlers of South Africa.
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  Quote lirelou Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28-Nov-2011 at 09:49
Bulldog, actually that reply in Engels was pretty handy for me. Tongue  It would have taken me at least a half hour to piece it together with my Coetze Afrikaans Woerdebook, the only thing I have left from a 1970 course in the language.

Regarding the Zulus, I agree. I think that many settlers and colonialists accepted the African cultures they found as they were. While they may have abhorred practices such as cannibalism,  my impression is that they saw it a backwardness that would be overcome as those societies advanced. I have admiration for the Dunn family who settled in and intermarried among the Zulu, though my knowledge of them is limited to that single book. I also consider it a tragedy that the Afrikaaners did not develop closer relations to the 'Coloured" groups such as the Griqua, and here suspect that religion colored their views. Had there been far more Griqua groups, South Africa might have had a far different recent history. 

I must say that Nick seems very amenable to learning something from your posts, which is to be commended. 

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  Quote Bulldog69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-Nov-2011 at 07:17
lirelou

Fascinating point on the interaction with Coloured groups. Similarly, I wonder if the 1910 Union was quite simply, a 'Union too far'? Cape Colony had (and still has) a completely difference racial mix than the rest of South Africa and it is interesting to speculate on how an 'independent Cape' would fare today. I personally believe that some sort of Cape Independence movement will start sooner or later, though nothing will happen while Mandela is still creaking on.
Alas, it seemed that the comparitively tiny number of whites was determined to spread themselves all over Southern (not just South) Africa, keen to get hold of anything worth happening rather than being content with a smaller area, but remaning in a majority, or at least something very close to it. 

I had a conversation with another white African a few months ago. We were bemoaning the situation in the area and I said: if only we could have set out sights a bit lower and just been happy to be a majority in Namibia, for example. He agreed - but instantly said: 'yes - Namibia... and Botswana'. Which in one short sentence illustrated that the white African was never able to be content with his lot!
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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-Nov-2011 at 19:19
It's a pity the modern South African regime is ignoring the constitution with impunity while forcing farmers to sell land to the government's cronies. From what my South African friend told me, life is harder there now as there's more crime and excessive corruption
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  Quote Bulldog69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-Nov-2011 at 01:34
Nick, alas that is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a determined (and disturbing) effort by the Western Media to down-play any bad news stories out of the 'new' South Africa. The Western left do not want to have to admit that (yet again) their meddling in Africa has resulted in a highly unpleasant regime running a country.
The much-lauded ANC presides over a nation increasingly suffering from frequent fuel shortages (to the extent of hundreds of cars being abandoned on motorways), regular power outages (unheard of under the previous regime), corruption in government tenders (two examples being the infamous Arms Deal and now the Gauteng Toll Roads), rampant nepotism and cronyism in government, 50 people being murdered a day and a massive and ever-widening division between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'.
There was a series of sickening 'Xenophobic' attacks on foreign workers a couple of years ago, with mobs running through townships and people being burned alive. My (Zimbabwean) maid and her children had to sleep in a bush after their shack was burned down by thugs. Just yesterday, President Jacob Zuma announced that no government minister should have to suffer the 'embarrassment' of having their hand luggage scanned at an airport - this after some junior ANC woman caused a massive scene, screaming and shouting that she should be treated differently from everyone else. And worryingly, Zuma agreed.
Perhaps this is not surprising, given that Zuma is the man who raped an HIV-positive lady, but claimed he wouldn't catch AIDS because he had had a shower thereafter. He was also being investigated on 70 counts by the South African Police serious crime squad (the Scorpians)... so the ANC simply disbanded the Scorpians and Zuma carried on as normal.


Edited by Bulldog69 - 30-Nov-2011 at 01:47
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  Quote Bulldog69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-Nov-2011 at 06:48
A story that illustrates the state the 'new' South Africa is in:

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/VIP-unit-violated-joggers-rights-SAHRC-20111130

This chap (who happens to be black, before anyone screams racism) was arrested for 'flipping the bird' at the President's motorcade, and his 'political persusions' were questioned. So basically, you can now be arrested and interrogated if you don't support 'the party'. 
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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30-Nov-2011 at 19:25
I'm surprised an independence movement hasn't taken root yet. While it would be impossible to overthrow the government, secession might help solve the racial tensions and provide a refuge for opponents of the regime
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  Quote Bulldog69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06-Dec-2011 at 03:07
Just a quick note on the opening post. Nick says that 'The ancestors of the Boers arrived in South Africa in the 1830s'.
The Dutch had actually settled in the Cape in 1652 and so one could argue that some of the ancestors of the Boers had been arriving in South Africa since then.
I think what Nick was meaning was that, from the 1830s, groups of (mainly, but not exclusively) Dutch-speaking people started leaving the Cape and heading up into what became Natal and  the Transvaal.
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