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A brief tour past the landmarks of the rich and dramatic history of South Africa
African background,... The history of man in Africa is marked by the rise of complex societies and migrations, with a way of life where people’s livelihood depended on hunting, gathering and the herding of animals within a certain area. The introduction of iron changed the African continent irrevocably and was a large step forward in the development of its people. Mainly, it created the potential for agriculture, which changed the lifestyles of the African people forever. Population numbers rose and a pattern of migration started, a pattern that would develop into the mass migration of black people from the great lakes in central Africa to the north, east and south of Southern Africa. It is known as the southern migration, a key factor in the history of South Africa. more about the background history of ancient Africa >>> <<< To the Top of this Page
copyright © South African tourism The history of man in South Africa covers such a vast period of time that it is difficult to determine exactly where to start. A possible choice could be the development of Hominidae (human race) five million years ago, or maybe 2,3 million years ago with the development of the genus Homo. Archaeological evidence suggests that both Homo habilis and Homo erectus inhabited southern Africa and that modern humans have lived in South Africa for over 100,000 years.
more about the Ancient
Times in South Africa >>> The San and
the Khoi people,...
copyright © South African tourism Together they are called the "Khoisan", a term that has been used to describe their broad similarity in
cultural and biological origins. It is derived from the names "Khoikhoi" and "San". "Khoikhoi" was the original
name used by the Hottentots in reference to themselves and "San" was the name the Bushmen used when they
referred to themselves. They are the first known inhabitants of South Africa, believed to have emerged from
the same gene pools as the black people, but to have developed separately.
more about the
"San" and the "Khoi" people >>>
Origins of
the black people,...
copyright © South African tourism With the development of the iron blade, reaping became easier and agriculture took on a whole new meaning.
Populations grew faster than before and people were encroaching on each other's land. This necessitated an
enlargement of territory, which led to a mass migration of African peoples from the Great Lakes in central
Africa, to the North, East and Southern Africa, known as the southern migration. Some anthropologists
believe that this migration process could have taken up to 2 000 years.
more about the Bantu people migration
into South Africa >>>
Settlement
of the black people,...
Many of the Bantu speaking tribes who came from central Africa during the Southern Migration, established
themselves in today's KwaZulu-Natal, further along the southern coast and in Mpumalanga. Other tribes tended
to move more into the interior. Although their languages and culture did have similarities, they were far
from identical. The black population of South Africa can be divided into several ethnic groups, of which the
Nguni speaking people form a major part. Other main groups are the Sotho, the Venda and the Shangaan-Tsonga.
more the
settlement of Black people in South Africa >>> First
European discoverers,...
copyright © South African tourism The white population arrived on the South African scene long after the black people. Bartolomeu Dias, a
Portuguese seafarer, was the first European to sail around the southern point of Africa in 1486. He named
it "The Cape of Good Hope" ("Cabo de Boa Esperanca"). Nine years were to pass before Vasco da Gama, another
Portuguese seafarer, attempted a voyage around the southern point of Africa. Although the Portuguese were
the first to travel around the Cape, they were not seriously interested in southern Africa.
more about the early
history of the The Cape of Good Hope >>> 
The first Europeans to settle in South Africa were the
Dutch seafarer Jan van Riebeeck and his crew, who arrived with their three ships in Table Bay in 1652. The
local inhabitants in the Cape at that time were the Khoisan people - History of South Africa On 6 April 1652, the Dutch seafarer Jan van Riebeeck arrived in Table Bay with his three ships.
His mission was to establish a supply station on behalf of the Dutch East India Company ( V.O.C.).
Originally, the V.O.C. did not intend to establish a full-fledged colony at the Cape, but it committed
itself when it gave nine Company servants their freedom in 1657 to establish private farms in the
Rondebosch area below the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.
more about the early European
Settlers and the Cape colony >>>
copyright © South African tourism The importation of slaves greatly enlarged the population of the Cape. Slaves were imported from other
parts of Africa, Madagascar, India and East Asia. They were mainly used as labourers and servants but many
of them were skilled carpenters and bricklayers. Their skills
played an invaluable role in speeding up the progress and development of the Cape. The intermingling between
the slaves and the European population marked the beginning of the coloured community un the cape.
more about the slaves
in South Africa’s Cape colony Cape colony >>>
copyright © South African tourism In 1689, some 180 Huguenot refugees were brought to the Cape after Louis XIV had banned Calvinism in
France. They settled mainly in what was then known as the "Olifantshoek vallei" (elephant corner valley),
known today as Franschhoek and Franschhoek valley. People from Germany, Scandinavia, Flanders and
Switzerland also contributed to the diverse population of the Cape. With their love and knowledge of wine
making, the French settlers stood at the cradle of South Africa’s famous wine making culture of today.
more about the French
Huguenots in South Africa >>>
copyright © South-Africa-tours-and-travel.com After the French revolution, the newly founded Republic of France conquered the Netherlands in 1795.
The Netherlands became known as the Batavian republic and the ruler of the Netherlands, Prince William of
Orange, had to flee to England. In England, the prince asked the British to prevent France from taking
possession of the Dutch colonies. Britain obliged and, as a result, became involved with the Cape. Not all
the inhabitants of the Cape however were in favour of British occupation.
more about
the colonial history of south Africa >>>
copyright © South-Africa-tours-and-travel.com Following the Napoleonic wars, Britain was experiencing a serious unemployment problem and Lord Somerset
was therefore keen to entice British immigrants to the Cape. He also thought that they would help to
maintain peace on the border between the Fish and Sundays Rivers. In 1819, the British government decided
to send emigrants to the Cape. Only 4000 of the 90,000 applications were approved. The first settlers
arrived in Table Bay on 17 March 1820. From there they were sent to Algoa Bay, today known as Port
Elizabeth.
more about the 1820 Settlers in
south Africa >>> Mfecane /
Difaqane (Total War),...
copyright © South African tourism One of the most significant historical occurrences in the early history of South Africa was the Mfecane.
The term Mfecane in the Nguni language means "destroyed in total war". In Sotho it is Difaqane, meaning
"hammering" or "forced migration / removal". The great Zulu and Sotho tribes fought each other for space
and domination throughout Southern Africa, killing and displacing hundreds of thousands of people across
the sub-continent. A key figure in this all-out battle among the African tribes was the great Zulu king
Shaka.
more about the rise of the Zulu nation
in south Africa >>>
copyright ©South African tourism Over a time span of three years starting in 1835, some 12,000 Voortrekkers (pioneers) left the Cape
Colony and trekked (moved) into the interior by ox wagon. In time, these Voortrekkers started to build a
unique identity and started calling themselves Afrikaners. They also developed a hybrid language, Afrikaans,
which stemmed from high Dutch but incorporated strong French, Malay, German and Black influences. The
Afrikaans-speaking descendants of these people would later simply be called “Boere” (boers or farmers).
more about the
Great Trek in south Africa >>>
copyright © South African tourism Many of the Voortrekkers leaving the Cape colony, decided to move to the Natal region, on the eastern
coast of South Africa. At that time Natal was largely inhabited by the Zulus, who had developed into one of
the strongest and most powerful black nations of Africa. So the land in natal was not for the taking.
Having left the Cape on March 1837, Voortrekker leader Piet Retief and his party of about 400 Voortrekkers
opted for Natal as their destination. They initiated negotiations with reigning Zulu king Dingane, to
obtain land.
more about the
Voortrekker-Zulu war and the Battle of Blood River >>> Discovery
of Gold and Diamonds,...
copyright © South African tourism With the discovery of diamonds and gold in the 19th century, urbanisation started in earnest in South
Africa. People came from all over the world to stake their claims in the diamond fields. New towns were
established to accommodate the huge influx of people. When gold was discovered in the Transvaal (Pilgrim’s
rest, Barberton and the Witwatersrand), a similar process took place. Mining magnates such as Cecil John
Rhodes and Barney Barnato, who both had interests in the diamond industry, also became involved in the
mining of gold.
more about
the discovery of Diamonds and Gold in South Africa >>>
copyright © South African tourism In the second half of the 1800’s Great Britain saw itself faced with two colonies, two independent "Boer"
republics and several independent African territories including a very powerful Zulu Kingdom, with little
control over any of them. As part of the British efforts to consolidate their power, the British High
Commissioner for South Africa requested Zulu king Cetshwayo to virtually disarm his entire army. The Zulu's
had no such inclination what so ever and the Anglo / Zulu war as it is known today was under way.
more about the Anglo-Zulu war in
South Africa >>>
copyright © South African tourism With the discovery of diamonds and gold the British realized that there was great wealth for the taking
outside the Cape Colony. In 1877 they annexed the region where the “voortrekker boers” had founded their
"Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek" (South African Republic, also called The Republic of Transvaal), 25 years
before. The boers were infuriated and on 16 December 1880 they declared themselves independent from Great
Britain and shots were fired by Transvaal boers at Potchefstroom, marking the start of the first Anglo /
Boer war.
more about the Anglo - Boer war in
South Africa >>>
The Anglo/Boer wars ended in defeat by the "Boers" at the Peace treaty of Vereeniging in 1902. Suppressed
and dominated by the warring parties during the 1900s, the black people saw the peace treaty as the hoped-for
opportunity to establish justice and equality for all population groups. But unfortunately it turned out differently. The peace treaty made no provisions as far as voting rights and parliamentary representation for black people were concerned, continuing the process of increasing segregation in South Africa.
more about the Apartheid era in
South Africa >>> Please click here to
return from history of South Africa to the home page
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