Kyle Kropman Research Essay

One can agree that the British occupation of South Africa during the 1900s was
driven by various factors, including greed, deceit, prejudice, imperialism, and a touch
of humanitarianism. This essay will examine British policies in South Africa, their
impact on the existing groups in the region, and how these policies contributed to a
troubled society by the early 1900s.

The British Empire, a vast international empire with colonies across different
continents, constantly sought to expand its territories through any means necessary.
While diplomacy was occasionally employed to gain control of new regions, more
often than not, violence and military force were utilized. Harsh rules were imposed
on indigenous populations during these occupations. The British took over the Cape
Colony from the Dutch out of fear that a French-controlled Dutch government might
dominate the crucial sea route to the east. At the time of British arrival, the Dutch
had already inhabited the Cape for over a century, and numerous Dutch settlers,
known as 'Boers,' resided there. Many of these settlers were dissatisfied with British
rule; they opposed speaking English, following British laws, and especially giving up
their slaves who worked on their farms. Consequently, many Dutch settlers left the
Cape and moved further inland, displacing Khoi and San peoples in the process.
They engaged in wars against "black" groups like the Zulus to establish a new Boer
Republic. Dutch colonialism had forced the native Khoi and San peoples to retreat
further inland. Boer commandos frequently raided Khoi groups, capturing women
and children to work on their farms. With the arrival of the British, the Khoi were
pushed even deeper inland due to Boer migration. The migrating Boers either took or
killed many animals on which the San and Khoi relied. As a result, numerous Khoi
and San individuals sought employment on farms and migrated to the colony.
The Dutch settlers had engaged in numerous conflicts with the Xhosa chiefdoms on
the frontier. When the British arrived, they decided to address the Xhosa issue once
and for all. They dispatched a sizable British and Khoi army to attack the Xhosa,
hoping to push them eastward across the Fish River. To prevent the Xhosa from
returning, the British adopted a scorched earth policy, burning Xhosa villages and
farms. Justifying their actions, the British governor wrote to King George III, stating,
"It gives me great satisfaction to be able to announce to Your Lordship that the
Xhosa tribes have been forced to leave His Majesty's territories. In my instructions to
Lt Colonel Graham, I pointed out the value of destroying the Xhosa kraals, laying
waste their gardens and fields, and, in fact, totally removing every object that could
give their chiefs reasons to go back to the territory." As a result, the Xhosa kingdom
never posed a legitimate threat to the British and ultimately succumbed to British
control. After the death of Shaka, the Zulu kingdom gradually weakened, and by
1840, two white settlements were established on former Zulu territory: the Port of
Natal under British control, and a Boer Republic known as Natal, formed through
Boer migration and conflicts with the Zulu. Fearful that the Boers would seize control
of the port and its trade, the British invaded the Boer republic, establishing the Natal
colony. The Zulu kingdom still existed north of the colony, and in 1872, under the
new Zulu chief Cetshwayo, it began to regain strength. The British did not want a
strong and independent Zulu kingdom, and British settlers desired more labor for
their farms. In 1879, when the British demanded that the Zulus disband their army,
and Cetshwayo refused, the British invaded the Zulu kingdom. Initially, the Zulus
achieved several victories against the British, but as more troops were sent to
Zululand, the Zulus lost territory. Although the Zulus sent peace messengers to the
British generals, their pleas were ignored, and the British captured the Zulu capital of
Ulundi. Zululand was divided into 13 chiefdoms, and taxes were imposed on the
people, forcing them to work in the colony. The Zulus attempted to resist British rule,
but their resistance was crushed. The desire to expand the Empire greatly influenced
the decision to attack local populations, occupy their land, and establish colonies in
the region. The British aimed to become the world's largest empire, driving the
expansion of the colony. All of this shows how imperialism greatly motivated the
British to Occupy Southern Africa.

Controlling valuable resources and trade in the region also motivated the British. The
vast natural wealth of the region led to their expansion further inland. Due to
concerns that the Boers in the Natal Republic would attack the British at the Port of
Natal to gain control of the strategic trading port, the British invaded the Republic,
assuming control of the territory and establishing the Natal Republic. Many Boers
living in the Natal Republic moved to the Highveld, where another Boer Republic
known as the South African Republic (Transvaal) had been formed. Additional Boers
had settled in the land between the Orange and Vaal rivers during the Trek. They
fought local chiefdoms for control of the land, sparking conflicts among these groups
and disrupting trade in the region. Consequently, in 1848, the British established the
Orange River Sovereignty as a new colony. This decision greatly upset the Boer
population, as they had initially settled in these lands to escape British rule. The
Sotho people also suffered because they lost some of their land. When the British
realized that the Sotho and Boers might unite against them, and defending the
colony was not worth the effort, they withdrew and signed the Bloemfontein
Convention, recognizing the independence of the Boer settlers. The Boers then
established a new republic called the Orange Free State. In 1886, the discovery of
gold in Transvaal's Witwatersrand region triggered a mass migration of people
seeking opportunities in the mines. Deep-level mining required expensive machinery,
primarily imported from Britain and purchased by wealthy mine owners like Cecil
John Rhodes, who had profited from diamond mines in Kimberly. The mines were
primarily owned by "uitlanders," British settlers in Transvaal who faced high taxes but
were denied voting rights. Additional duties were imposed on the already costly
machinery. Britain also worried about competition from other European nations,
particularly fearing Transvaal forming an alliance with Germany. Consequently, more
troops were sent to the Cape and Natal. Fearing imminent conflict, Transvaal
declared war on Britain. The war proved devastating for both sides, with thousands
of Boer farms burned down. Inhumane concentration camps were established by the
British for Boer women and children. Black individuals fought on both sides of the
war. By 1902, the war had become too challenging for Boer commandos to continue
their resistance, leading to negotiations. The resulting treaty, known as the "Peace of
Vereeniging," officially ended the war, allowing the Boers to have their own
governments in the former republics while Britain pledged to assist in rebuilding Boer
farms. However, ultimately, the British achieved their objectives, gaining control of
both republics, their resources, and, most significantly, the gold mines.The discovery
of new natural resources and fertile land also played a significant role in motivating
the expansion of the colony. As the wealthiest empire in the world, the British sought
to enhance their wealth. All of the above evidence is proof of the British being greatly
motivated to colonise Southern Africa by greed.

The British regarded the local population as uncivilized simply because they were
non-white and did not conform to European societal norms. The British believed it
was their duty to "educate" and "civilize" these populations. For years, the Khoi and
San populations had suffered under Dutch colonial rule, being forced further inland
or enslaved on Dutch farms. Upon the arrival of the British, they implemented new
policies to alleviate the suffering of the Khoi and San. Mission stations were
established for the San, providing livestock. However, the San, being a nomadic
people, did not wish to become settled farmers, nor did they want Christianity
imposed upon them. When the mission stations failed, the British designated a
reserve known as Bushmanland for the San. Settlers were prohibited from entering
the reserve, but hunters continued to encroach and decimate the wildlife on which
the San relied, resulting in violence and many San deaths. The British pursued a
different approach with the Khoi. In 1809, they introduced the Caledon Code,
requiring Khoi individuals to carry passes if they wanted to move to a different farm
or district. This measure aimed to make the Khoi permanent workers on settler
farms. However, in 1828, the British introduced a new law called "Ordinance 50,"
allowing the Khoi to move freely. The British hoped that the Khoi would migrate to
work on wool farms in the eastern Cape. Nevertheless, the Khoi lacked the financial
means to establish their own farms in the east. Consequently, the British established
the Kat-River settlement in the eastern Cape. While the settlement initially thrived, it
became involved in wars between the British and the Xhosa. In 1807, the British
parliament passed a law abolishing the slave trade, although settlers could still own
slaves but were prohibited from selling or trading them. Many Khoi slaves led
uprisings, but these were brutally suppressed. By 1834, slavery was completely
abolished, granting freedom to Khoi slaves on settler farms, enabling them to seek
employment elsewhere. When the British assumed control of Xhosa territory, they
regarded the Xhosa way of life as uncivilized, striving to transform them into a more
European-style society. British authorities saw it as their religious duty to Christianize
the Xhosa. They also aimed to exploit the Xhosa for labor on settler farms and
mines. The British governor conveyed the following to the Xhosa: "Your land shall be
marked out and marked so that you all may know it. It shall be divided into districts,
towns, and villages, bearing English names. You shall learn to speak English at
schools which I shall establish for you... You may no longer be naked and wicked,
which you will always be unless you work hard. You shall be taught to plough... You
shall have traders, and you must teach your people to bring gum, timber, and hides
to sell, so that you may learn how to use money and buy things for yourselves. You
must learn that it is money that makes people rich through work, and help me make
roads. I will pay you." Upon assuming control of Natal, the British established
sugarcane plantations. However, the local population refused to work on these
plantations, prompting the Natal government to import labor from India. Between
1860 and 1911, around 152,000 laborers were brought from India to Natal. These
workers were indentured, meaning they worked under contracts to repay the cost of
their journey from India. They were housed in poor conditions, such as cheap grass
huts or corrugated iron structures, which facilitated the rapid spread of diseases. The
work they performed was arduous and demanding, yet the pay was minimal. Many of
these laborers practiced Hinduism or Islam and established temples and mosques.
Not all laborers worked on plantations; some were employed on railway lines or at
the port. The British believed it was acceptable for them to endure such conditions
because they were non-white, akin to pseudo-slavery. The Sotho people, led by
Moshoeshoe, maintained a strong kingdom between the Drakensberg and the
Orange and Caledon Rivers. When the trekkers arrived, Moshoeshoe allowed them
to settle and use the land. However, the trekkers claimed ownership of the land, and
Moshoeshoe resisted surrendering it to them. In 1843, a treaty was signed between
the trekkers and the British, establishing a border for the Sotho Kingdom.
Nonetheless, when the British moved into the region, establishing the Orange River
Sovereignty and assuming control of territories previously considered Sotho land,
they granted control to the trekkers, who established a Republic there. The Sotho
engaged in numerous wars against the trekkers, achieving several victories.
However, they could not sustain their resistance, and in 1868, the Sotho Kingdom
became a British colony known as Basotholand. The British believed it was their duty
to civilize these societies in line with European standards, disregarding local
cultures, religions, beliefs, and ways of life. They disregarded agreements with the
local population, favoring white settlers instead. All of the above statements are
evidence of how prejudice and humanitarianism was a leading factor that lead to the
Brits to Occupy Southern Africa.

These policies and laws resulted in a dysfunctional and segregated society. The
expansion of the colony compelled different local groups to coexist despite tensions
and conflicts. The white settlers became the wealthy social class in the country,
while the local population remained impoverished and relatively uneducated. These
problems persisted and laid the groundwork for apartheid. Concepts like pass laws
also originated from these policies. The wars fought to expand the colony and gain
control of wealth created animosity and hatred between British settlers and local
chiefdoms, as well as between the British and Dutch settlers. By the turn of the
1900s, these policies had fostered a deeply divided and troubled society as the
colonies were unified.

In conclusion, the British’s desire to accumulate wealth, spread beliefs, ‘civilise the
society’, and belief that they were superior motivated them to expand and impose
terrible policies upon people in Africa. These policies were the building blocks for a
troubled society that led to the belief that white people are superior and ultimately
resulted in apartheid.