Boers of South Africa: History and Facts

Boers of South Africa: History and Facts

Boer, a South African of Dutch, German, or Huguenot ancestry (Dutch for “husbandman” or “farmer”), was a pioneer in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. These days, people who are descended from the Boers are called Afrikaners.

Boers of South Africa: History and Facts

Who were the Boers?

Dutchman Jan van Riebeek founded Cape Town, the first European settlement in South Africa, in 1652. More immigrants from the Netherlands, France, and Germany entered as this colony expanded. The Boers were the name given to these people.

British Rule

The British started to establish authority over the area in the early 1800s. As part of the Congress of Vienna in 1814, the Netherlands ceded colonial power to Britain despite the Boers’ resistance. Thousands of British colonists landed in South Africa shortly after. They significantly altered the Boers’ way of life and legal system.

Great Trek

The Boers didn’t like living under British control. They made the decision to move out of Cape Town and start a new colony. Thousands of Boers started migrating in large numbers to new areas in South Africa’s east and north beginning in 1835. They founded their own free governments, known as Boer republics, which included the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. They were referred to as “Voortrekkers.”

First Boer War (1880–1881)

Diamonds were found on Boer farms in 1868. As a result, a large number of British people moved into the Boer region. In 1877, the British decided they wanted to be in charge of the Transvaal and annexed it as a part of their province. The Boers took offense at this. The First Boer War began in 1880 when the Transvaal Boers rose up in rebellion against the British.

The British were caught off guard by the Boer soldiers’ ability and cunning. They were excellent shooters. They would launch a long-range attack, withdrawing if the British forces approached too closely. The Boer side prevailed in the conflict. The Transvaal and the Orange Free State were acknowledged by the British as

Second Boer War (1889–1902)

Gold was found in the Transvaal in 1886. With all of this new wealth, the Transvaal may become extremely powerful. The Boers’ potential to conquer all of South Africa worried the British. The Second Boer War started in 1889.

The British had assumed that the conflict would end in a few short months. But the Boers showed themselves to be formidable opponents once more. The British eventually overthrew the Boers following several years of fighting. The Transvaal and the Orange Free State joined the British Empire.

Concentration Camps

As the British occupied land during the Second Boer War, Boer women and children were held in concentration camps. The camps’ living circumstances were appalling. In these camps, up to 28,000 Boer women and children perished. Later, the use of these camps was employed to incite opposition to British control.

Facts about the Boers of Africa

• The word “boer” means “farmer” in Dutch.
• The Boers were part of a larger group of white South Africans called Afrikaners.
• Other nations were part of the Second Boer War. Australia and India fought on the side of the British, while Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands fought on the side of the Boers.
• Many of the Boers left South Africa after the Second Boer War. They went to places like Argentina, Kenya, Mexico, and the United States.
• The Boers attempted to revolt against the British at the start of World War I. This was called the Maritz Rebellion.

For more information about this topic, read this file (PDF): Boers of South Africa

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