The Boer Trek Meaning and Its consequences; History of South Africa

THE BOER TREK / THE GREAT TREK

• This was the northward and eastward migration away from British control in the Cape colony during the 1830s and 1840s by the Boers.

– The move is viewed as a rebellion against the policies of the British government and in search of fresh pasturelands. The migrating Boers, called themselves Voortrekkers (Afrikaans: “Early Migrants”)

– Having crossed the Limpopo, the Boers were divided, some wanted an outlet to the sea and therefore settled in Natal. Some decided to settle in the Highveld (an inland plateau)area.

– In both areas, after initial setbacks, they were able to defeat powerful African military kingdoms through the skilled use of horses, guns, and defensive laagers / military camps (encampments)

• Continuation…..

– In Natal the Voortrekkers established a short-lived republic, however in 1843, the Boer republic was annexed by the British.

– In 1852 and 1854 the British granted independence to the Trekkers in the Transvaal and Transorangia (the area between the Orange and the Vaal river) regions , respectively

– While the British were establishing themselves at the Cape, the Boers were penetrating further into the territory. This is because the Boers never trusted the British administration at the Cape. They saw their interests being eroded and superseded by these of the British.

– Thus, they decided to move as far away as possible from the control of the British administration.

Causes of the great Boer trek

– The desire to take large tracks of land for crop cultivation and animal keeping. Thus, the vastness of the country and the small number of the colonists had the effect of making the Boers migratory in character.

– Racial prejudice / discrimination: the Boers believed that, they were chosen race, God’s own people. Therefore, they had clear duty to God and mankind to preserve their tradition and culture. They had a responsibility to preserve their race by avoiding mixing with other races.

• The great trek was therefore, regarded by the Boers as something which would provide them an opportunity to preserve the purity of their race and culture by founding a new home in a new country under their control.

• In joining the trek, they believed that, they were fulfilling God’s mission. To keep God’s race from contamination through intermixing with the inferior race.

– Introduction of British judicial system: the new legal changes introduced by the English system of magistrates and abolished the old judicial system of the Dutch. This new system was greatly hate by the Dutch because:

• It was unfamiliar to them, therefore its application caused a lot of inconveniences .

• It was foreign and replaced the Dutch one which was part and parcel of Dutch cultural heritage, which the Boers were fully committed to preserve it.

– Introduction of English language: the Boers are opposed to all forms of alien culture. They preferred to preserve their own customs and civilization. Therefore, they regarded the introduction of English language as deliberate efforts made by the British to undermine their culture. This was one of the most important grievances which contributed to the outbreak of the great trek. Beyond this:

• It as not easy for the old people and rural population to carry out their official transaction in English. They needed more time to learn the new official language.

• They hated the idea of communicating in English as it was a foreign language. Thus, they were not ready to accommodate the new language.

– Removal of restrictions on Africans by the British.

Following the removal of restriction among Africans ( slaves and the Hottentots), the Boers felt insecure.

The removal of restrictions among Africans provide certain degree of civil rights to the Hottentots, Bushmen, and other non white population.

These non white races were given equality before the law with the white population of the Cape. They were allowed to move about without needing to produce a pass on demand. This situation threatened the Boers in a number of ways:

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» Such legislation could destroy the master servant relationship between the whites and the non white.

» The supply of labor would be affected, the non white became free and would be able to move freely and desert their employers.

» The white would have to compete for jobs with ex-slaves and other non whites

» The situation would encourage the mixing of races and in particular intermarriage. This could spoil the so called “chosen race”.

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– Emancipation (setting free) of slaves:

the emancipation of slaves by Britain in 1833 was applied to all parts of the British empire, South Africa being included. This became one of the most source of friction between the Boers and the British administration. The Boers resented this because:

• They lost their slaves resulting to shortage of labor.

• Farmers would pay higher wages, where in the past they had paid none in many cases.

• Slaves were regarded as the property of the Boers. Their emancipation was therefore a great financial loss.

– Rumors: there were many rumors at this time that threatened the superiority of the Boers. For example:

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» All the land would be given to the Hottentots

» The policy of inter racial marriage was coming soon

» The British would soon introduce compulsory military services

» The Dutch would be forced to abandon their Dutch Reformed church and become Roman Catholics.

Such rumors had the effect of rising the political and social temperature, they increased the degree of misunderstanding and contributed to the departure of the Boers from the Cape.

Thus, the Great Trek was a culmination of numerous and long standing grievances and misunderstanding, some of them real but others imaginary.

The progress and results of the Great Trek

• The first trekkers left on November 1835. These were few in number and not well prepared, with limited knowledge about their destination.

• The Trekkers transported their belongings in ox-wagon and moved with their livestock, herdsmen, and domestic servants. By 1836, therefore, it can be confidently said that the Boers were in a full move.

• On their way they encountered several problems:

– Lack of food and other consumer goods. They were thus forced to hunt wild animals to provide them with food.

– They contacted fever, as a result most of them died on the way.

– They lost a great number of their livestock due to long journey and animal diseases.

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– Resistances from the natives. For example:

• In 1836 they encountered the Ndebele under Mzilikazi. However, the Boers succeeded to defeat him

• The Zulu of Natal also posed the strongest resistance under the leadership of Dingane. The Zulu resistance was stiff as they were prepared to defend their land and sovereignty. However, they were finally mowed down.

• The Xhosa resistance which was the longest, involving a series of wars, from 1779 to 1879. These were also finally defeated.

• However by the end of the 1836, the Zulu also were completely defeated. This enable the Boers to establish the Republic of Natal.

Consequences of the Great Trek

– Continuous wars between Africans and the Boers. The conflicts were mostly over land and cattle ownership. The Xhosa for example, fought for almost 50 years (1830s-1877) with the Boers in their campaign against white domination.

– The establishment of the Boer Republics of the Natal, Orange Free State and the Transvaal. These were independent self governed republics created by the Boers in the northern and eastern parts of South Africa. Several of these states were established after military defeats of the local population by the Boers who had superior weapons.

– Discovery of precious minerals in the interior. The most important were gold and diamond.

• In 1867 diamond was discovered along the Vaal and Orange river.

• In 1886, gold was discovered in Witwatersrand.

The discovery of these precious metals was responsible in transforming the economy of South Africa from an agricultural one to industrial one.

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– The interior was opened for European settlement. More and more Europeans went to settle in the interior of South Africa where they established large farms and ranches.

– In the Boer Republics, cultural differences between the Boers and the Africans were clear as each side maintained its traditional values. The relationship between master and servant continued in the traditions laid down by the Boers.

– The Boers used brutal force and trickery to rob the Africans of their wealth, particularly land and cattle. Africans were thus made propertyless laborers and squatters on the Boers farms. Thus plundering and looting of African wealth and the exploitation of African labor became the basis of the Boer economy.

• Continuation……

– Existence of apartheid based on racial segregation was one of the effects of the Boer trek. Having occupied and established themselves in the interior of South Africa, the Boers were forced to preserve their material interests. They had to maintain themselves as a strong united group by treating the Africans as their enemies to be eliminated or as their source of cheap labor.

– The Boers regarded the British as imperialists threatening their cultural and economic interests. This hostility between the Boers and the British colonizers eventually resulted to violent clashes / armed conflicts, especially when the British wanted to annex the Boer republics. (Briefly describe the concept “Anglo-Boer wars”.)