HISTORY TERM 4: GRADE 10 Topic 6: the South African War and Union

HISTORY TERM 4: GRADE 10 Topic 6: The South African War and Union

© e-classroom www.e-classroom.co.za • Many interrelated factors led to the South African War, including 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, British government still wanted to unify South Africa under their Imperial Background rule and the 2 Boer republics (Orange Free State and Transvaal) still wanted to be independent. So, the Boer republics were a big problem to the South for the British Empire. • The discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand - British colonies, Boer African War: republics, and African kingdoms all came under British control eventually, this came about through 2 forces: the development of a capitalist mining industry and a number of imperialist interventions Mining by Britain. The discovery of diamonds and then gold on the Witwatersrand in the Transvaal in 1886, meant that 1000s of white Capitalism and black workers were employed on the mines there and South Africa emerged as the world’s biggest gold producer. Independent Boer governments grew in power and the Transvaal became prominent in international finance because of gold’s importance in the international monetary system. Britain ran most of the international industry and trade then and they needed a steady supply of gold to continue.

© e-classroom www.e-classroom.co.za • The Orange Free State and Natal also gained from the investment mining brought to the country and as a result the Cape Colony no longer led the economy in the country anymore. The Transvaal gold mines were the richest in the world and the most difficult to mine. Large companies had to be created to handle the load which required large inputs of capital and technology. This required local and international investment and individual mining was no longer viable. • In order to reduce competition over labour and keep costs down, the group systems the gold mines established caused a pattern of labour recruitment, remuneration, and accommodation that left an indelible Background mark on the future social and economic relations in the country. Relatively high wages were earned by the scarce skilled white immigrant miners and the more numerous unskilled black migrants from throughout to the South Southern Africa, earned lower pay. In order to control the workers and cut costs, migrant miners were housed in compounds. This skewed division of labour and wages had a lasting effect on the racial relations in South African War: Africa. • A migrant labour system evolved as the search for cheap illiterate labour continued. They were called migrants because SAR did not recognize their Mining 'homelands' as part of their republic. Migrant labourers across Southern Africa; Transkei, Rhodesia and Botswana, among others, journeyed far to the gold and diamond mines seeking employment and were Capitalism accommodated in hostels. • The discovery of diamonds and then gold, and the emergence of powerful groups of like-minded capitalists in mining and agriculture united the British and the Boer republics. They both needed cheap labour. So despite their differences, they agreed that: the country needed laws to limit blacks voting and therefore power, and when Union came blacks were effectively kept off the voters' rolls.

© e-classroom www.e-classroom.co.za • The Transvaalers felt threatened by the foreign mining prospectors their industry attracted, so to keep control of their mining operations they restricted the voting rights of these Uitlanders/immigrant population. Foreigners had to have been in the country for 14 years to be able to vote. The Uitlander franchise caused strain between the Transvaal and British governments and added to the precipitation of the outbreak of war because of the political tension between Boers and British subjects. • Tension between political leaders – During 1890’s there were many opposing political leaders in power in South Africa . Paul Kruger was president of the Transvaal or South African Republic (SAR) and Cecil John Rhodes the premier of Background to the the Cape Colony. These 2 leaders were in direct conflict with each other over the plans for South Africa, namely Empire vs Republicanism. South African War: • Rhodes believed that the SAR could expand with its financial power and threaten British rule and possibly gain access to a trade route to the sea, thus opposing the Mining Capitalism economies of the British colonies. • The Jameson Raid - By 1895, a confident Britain under Joseph Chamberlain as Colonial Secretary, joined with Rhodes to try to develop the British Empire even further in South Africa. The Drift Crisis between the Cape Colony and the Transvaal came about then, as a railway line from Cape Colony to Johannesburg was completed. The crisis revolved around rates increases and drifts across the Vaal were being blocked by Kruger. This sparked the involvement of The British government; Rhodes was encouraging an uprising of Uitlanders in Johannesburg, and timed it to coincide with an invasion of the Transvaal from Botswana, by Dr Leander Starr Jameson. Rhodes wanted turn the Transvaal into a British colony that would join all the other colonies in a federation.

1 2 3 4 5

The 1895 Jameson Raid Many historians believe that Note - that the discovery of The labour market in SAR Many Afrikaners also failed; Rhodes had to resign the South African War was gold in 1886 allowed the changed dramatically, experienced a period of as premier of the Cape caused by the fight for South African Republic to through the exploitation of rapid change; imperial social Colony and the political control of the progress with its minerals and the engineering, inflated land problems between Afrikaans Witwatersrand’s rich gold modernization efforts in capitalization of settler prices and international and English-speaking people mines, the largest in the order to become a worthy agriculture. And this drew capital changed their society were much worse in the world at the time. This was opponent to Britain in the Africans into the world irrevocably. colony. The Orange Free when the world’s monetary fight for domination in economy as workers and State started to co-operate systems, mostly the British, Southern Africa. peasants, transforming class more with the Transvaal. were almost entirely structures and political ties Transvaal residents felt more dependent upon gold. The and shifting the division of threatened and they treated Rand gold-mining complex labour between men and Uitlanders with more was not in British control. women. suspicion than before.

© e-classroom www.e-classroom.co.za • OVERVIEW OF THE WAR • The Jameson Raid in December 1895 was a fiasco and as a result, Rhodes was forced to resign as Premier of the Cape Colony, and the alliance he had brokered between English and Afrikaners in the Cape was destroyed. • Previously Empire loyalists, Cape Afrikaners now backed Kruger against the British. Their fellows in Orange Free State did too. South African Afrikaner nationalism increased and Milner’s determination to push British supremacy made it worse. • In 1899 a rearmed South African Republic issued an ultimatum to the British that became a declaration of war. The 2 Boer republics involved in the conflict against The South the British were the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. • Over the next three and a half years, nearly 500,000 British troops were deployed African War against an Afrikaner force of 60,000 to 65,000, at great cost to the British taxpayers and in British lives. 1899 to 1902 • The Afrikaners lost around 14,000 in action and 26,000 in concentration camps. • More than 100,000 black Africans were forced into camps too. At least 13,000 died there, over 15 000 in total died in this war. • This war was the bloodiest, longest and most expensive the British had fought in between 1815 and 1915. • The result – Britain had greater resources and this wore the Afrikaners down whose leaders were then forced to sue for peace, and a treaty was signed on May 3l, 1902.

© e-classroom www.e-classroom.co.za • The war was fought in 2 distinct phases. 1st - set-piece battles and 2nd – then the Boers changed tactics to guerrilla warfare. • After “Black Week” in which the British lost many men, they sent for reinforcements. On 10 January 1900 new soldiers arrived under Major-General Lord Kitchener. With their numbers expanded, the army moved inland, The South defeating the Boers as they went. • On 13 March 1900 the British army occupied the capital of the Orange Free State. On 1 June 1900 they took Johannesburg and then on 5 June they took Pretoria too. Nearly 13 900 Boers surrendered as they felt it was African War hopeless to continue. Other Boers chose to pursue guerrilla war. • Lord Kitchener began cutting off food supplies to the Boers, who were being fed by farmers. He did this by implementing his “scorched earth” policy, destroying 30 000 Afrikaner farmhouses and more than 40 towns and all 1899 to 1902 their livestock. Plus the Children, women and black people were forced in concentration camps. • Over 40 camps housed 116 000 (26 370 died, 81% were children) white women and children, and another 60 camps housing 115 000 black people (15000 died). The camps were overcrowded, the captives underfed and the conditions poor. Poor medical support meant that diseases ravaged the camps.

• Black involvement in the war – this was a “White Man’s” war, fought over which white authority had the true power in South Africa. Of course, other populations groups like the Zulu, Xhosa, Swazis and Basotho and Sotho’s became involved too. There was an unwritten contract between the Boers and the British that Blacks would not be armed in the war, but neither side stuck to it. The British didn’t want any collaboration in their victory over the Boers. Both sides also believed that the Black military methods were too harsh, and that white women and children would not be shown mercy by Black soldiers. Plus – bot sides feared black resistance to white dominance in the future if they armed them.

• Republican law did not allow for the carrying of arms by Blacks, but as many Boers served in the war, they allowed their servants to carry arms. Black cooperation in the war enabled a larger number of whites to serve actively in war operations on both sides. © e-classroom www.e-classroom.co.za The South African War 1899 to 1902

• Women and Children in White Concentration Camps - Boer women, children and men unfit for service were herded together in concentration camps by the British. An English philanthropist, Emily Hobhouse, tried to make the British authorities aware of the state of the camps, especially for the women and children. She was appalled by the conditions and tried to help change them. • Role and experiences of women in the war – The Boer women were involved in every aspect of this war that they could be, just stopping short of engaging in actual warfare, although most of them were armed and could defend their families if need be. They catered to the entire burgher army on its initial journey to the front and volunteered in laager hospitals. They also attended to their flocks and herds on the farms and gave aid to the destitute. • The end of the war came after about 2 and a half years of fighting, the Boers were simply outmatched and they lost the war. Peace negotiations began in March 1902, with Boer representatives initiating talks in Klerksdorp and also with Lord Kitchener in Pretoria. Lord Milner wanted the Boers to surrender completely, without talks or treaties. • On 15 May 1902, 30 representatives from each side met at Vereeniging and on 31 May 1902 the peace agreement was official. The document was signed in Pretoria at Melrose House. • There were some Boers who wanted to keep fighting, but didn't have the resources to do so. The Transvaal and Orange Free State leaders also agreed not to divide the two former republics. • The Peace Treaty of Vereeniging included: Uitlanders could return to the Transvaal, The Boers had to lay down their weapons, Dutch would still be taught in schools and used in courts, A civil government would replace the military administration, self-government would be promoted, Voting rights for black people would only be discussed once the two new colonies could govern themselves and • Financial help would be provided for poor citizens. • 39 000 Uitlanders returned to the Transvaal and the mines opened again. This also meant that the two new British colonies could generate their own income and become financially independent.

© e-classroom www.e-classroom.co.za • After the South African War, the British finally held the monopoly over the entire country and began focussing their attention on rebuilding the country, especially the mining industry. • By the end of 1900s, indigenous people in South Africa had lost political and economic independence. The systems in place after the war marginalised all non-whites; imposing harsh taxes and reduced wages. The British administration also forced an influx of Chinese workers, undercutting resistance by African mineworkers. Resentment of government policies was strong, but the British moved ahead with their plans for union. • The peace brought by the Treaty of Vereeniging was fragile. The Afrikaners ended up as poor farmers in a country that used to value them. Big mining The Union of ventures and foreign capital had taken their place in the economy and the British had tried to make English the official language. Several nationalist organisations sprang up. South Africa • In 1910 all the different colonies and Republics were declared a single entity, the Union of South Africa. Until then, these political units competed with 1910 each other for resources, advantage and wealth. • The Union of South Africa united the white population in the form of the British and the Boers, against the black population. They ignored their former differences after the war, so to entrench White power. So despite their differences, they agreed that the Union needed laws limiting black access to political power, paving the way for racial capitalism. The Union effectively kept all blacks off the voters' rolls, despite the different laws and attitudes in the Cape. By 1936, even Cape Africans were stripped of the vote.

• Race relations between Black and White were tense even before the War. The backlash to the British colonial administration was black resistance leading to the formation of new political bodies. Poor wages and inhumane working and living conditions caused worker disgruntlement at the time and various working-class trade unions and groups were formed to fight this exploitation. • The South African Native Affairs Commission was formed in 1903, bringing stricter discrimination policies. It introduced the pass system, which stated that Africans could not be employed by any farmer, miner or industrialist without a pass. • A poll tax was introduced at this time in 1906. Many black people had to seek work in white businesses in order to pay these taxes. • In 1906, Indian political activist, Mohandas Gandhi, spearheaded a passive resistance campaign against the pass laws. He led Indians in Natal and Transvaal in demonstrations and protests. • The formation of the Union of South Africa and its constitution – There were numerous constitutional discussions towards Union between 1908 and 1909, whites-only discussions, which angered the African, Coloured and Indian populations. All protests and delegations against the Union were disregarded and the whites went ahead as planned. • General Louis Botha was the first Prime Minister of the Union. He introduced the policy of formal racial segregation or Apartheid (the separate development of the races). This led to much aggravation and erosion of the Black majority’s political rights. • English and Dutch became the official languages. Afrikaans did not gain recognition as an official language until 1925 and only whites could gain election to parliament. • Most significantly, the new Union of South Africa gained international respect; on par with three other important British dominions and allies: Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

• African people responded to the unfair Union by forming The South African Native National Congress in 1912. This was the beginning of ANC. On the offensive, the Union reacted with the 1913 Natives' Land Act. • The Land Act was the precursor to Apartheid land settlement, which eventually resulted in forced removals, with their social and economic consequences. • The Act’s provisions were • - the prohibition of Africans from buying or hiring land in 93% of South Africa. Even though they were in the majority, they were confined to ownership of 7% of the land. • - anti-squatting provisions to stop share cropping and defining the boundaries of reserves or scheduled areas. • Possible Reasons for the Act - to alleviate the problem of poor white farm labourers who were competing for employment in farms with black labourers. Thus forcing Africans to only follow the path of working for white farmers and industrialists. • This act had a profound effect on the African population across the country, laying down the foundation for further legislation allowing dispossession of African people and segregation later of Coloured and Indian people. • The Native Land Commission was set up in August 1913. It investigated the availability of land and defined boundaries for permanent territorial segregation between black and white people. • Its main purpose - to find land in South Africa and divide it between Black and White people with legal boundaries to regulate ownership. Between 1913 and 1916, the Commission went around the country outlining boundaries and recommending allocations. During this work, racial prejudice which presumed White people’s superiority over Black people worsened.

© e-classroom www.e-classroom.co.za • The impact of the Land Act • Most visible impact - it denied Africans access to land which they owned or had been leasing from White famers. • It seized what was central to lives of African people and they became destitute and forced to serve others as a result. • The population that were forced into reserves often could not find enough fertile land to use for crops. • It set the foundation for separate development through Bantustans or Homelands. • Solomon Plaatje travelled around the country on a bicycle collecting information on The Natives Land the impact of the Natives Land Act and published “Native Life in South Africa” as a protest against the Land Act. The passing of the Act also ignited a protest march by Act of 1913 Indian lawyer/activist Mahatma Gandhi. • In 1914, a delegation of 4 men left for London, among them was Solomon T Plaatje, to plead the case for the dispossessed of SAR with the British government, but they were refused. • It has been noted that “the Native Land Act was officially conceived as a first stage in drawing a permanent line between Africans and non- Africans”, culminating in the enforcing of the Apartheid regime. Subsequent Acts such as the Urban Areas Act (1923), Natives and Land Trust Act (1936) and the Group Areas Act (1950) reinforced the land dispossession and segregation in South Africa.