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AFRIKANERS IN NATAL UP TO THE OUTBREAK OF THE ANGLO-BOER WAR: EXPERIENCES AND ATTITUDES PREVALENT AT THE TIME
By the late 1870s, Natal constituted the only European political entity in South Africa in which Afrikaners formed a minority group amongst the white inhabitants. This community was shaped by events spanning half a century which included: living under British rule in the Cape Colony, embarking on the Great Trek, experiencing strained relations and subsequent military engagements with the Zulu, marked especially by the Battle of Blood River on 16 December 1838, witnessing the creation of the Republic of Natalia and its subsequent annexation and destruction by the British after the Battle of Congella in 1843.1 The cycle was completed when Colonial rule was instituted in 18452 and the subsequent attempt in1847 by Natal Afrikaners to resurrect a republic, the Republic of Klip River, failed.
The Afrikaners who remained in Natal throughout these events increased in number as immigrants from the Cape Colony joined them,4 and slowly evolved into a united community, trapped in an agrarian economy.5 Their socio-political world was characterised by complaints of preferential treatment afforded to Africans, and a lack of access to land. A predominant sense of injustice prevailed, exemplified by acts such as the execution of Hans Dons de Lange,6 and the community experienced a general feeling of disempowerment and unfair treatment under British rule. They had no voice to express their feelings of dissatisfaction since Dutch newspapers had not proved profitable,7 Dutch had become a marginalised language,8 and the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk or Dutch Reformed Church (hereafter DRC) which was caught up in a constant struggle for survival, both financially and in terms of recruiting members, lacked power.9 As a result, by the early 1870s, the Boshof(f) brothers, JN and JC, were the only Afrikaner members of the Natal LegislativeAssembly.10 The marginalised position the Natal Afrikaners found themselves in is best summarised by Brookes and Webb: A…an incompatibility of temperament and outlook (existed) between the rough, vigorous, land-hungry frontiersmen who conquered Dingane and the just well-meaning officials with limited sympathies who governed Natal, some from London, some from Cape Town and some from Pietermaritzburg.
Against this background it was predictable that the Natal Afrikaners, especially those who resided in close proximity to the South African Republic (hereafter ZAR) or Transvaal, and the Republic of the Orange Free State (hereafter OFS), should speak, dress and behave in ways similar to that of their Republican kin.12 The lack of representation and participation in political and economic matters in Natal resulted in the local Afrikaners gravitating towards the Republics with whose people they formed an ethnic community, shared a common history, and subscribed to the same political philosophy namely, Republicanism.
Eventually a significant event in the history of the group, the Anglo-Transvaal War of 1880-1881, spawned by the imperialist federation policy of the secretary of state for colonies of the time, Lord Carnarvon, succeeded in challenging the status quo.13
CHAPTER 1 AFRIKANERS IN NATAL UP TO THE OUTBREAK OF THE ANGLO-BOER WAR: EXPERIENCES AND ATTITUDES PREVALENT AT THE TIME
1.1_ Natal Afrikaners and the impact of the Federation Policy of Lord Carnarvon
1.2 The aftermath of the Anglo-Transvaal War and its effects on the lives of Natal Afrikaners
1.3 The economic position of Natal Afrikaners prior to the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War
1.4 The Jameson Raid and its impact on Natal and the Natal Afrikaner
1.5 Concluding comments
CHAPTER 2 ADMINISTERING NATAL AFRIKANERS IN THE PERIOD LEADING UP TO THE ANGLO-BOER WAR
2.1 The restrictions of arms and ammunition and its implications for Natal Afrikaners
2.2 Natal Afrikaners and the armed forces of Natal
2.3 Courting the allegiance of Natal Africans
2.4 Attempting to deal with Natal Afrikaners in the run-up to the war – using espionage and close surveillance
2.4.1 Reports on the Afrikaners of Proviso B
2.4.2 Developments in the Afrikaner stronghold of Umvoti county
2.4.3 The position of the Afrikaners of Weenen county
2.4.4 Afrikaner sentiments in Klip River county
2.5 The countdown to war
CHAPTER 3 THE KLIP RIVER COUNTY AFRIKANERS AND THE ANGLO-BOER WAR OCTOBER 1899-JUNE
3.1 The Klip River county Afrikaners and the Boer invasion
3.2 Taking advantage of the war – looting by Klip River county Afrikaners
3.3 Bringing the Klip River county Afrikaners into the fold
3.4 Enforcing the General Notice – meetings at Wasbank and Dannhauser
3.5 The Newcastle Afrikaners under the cosh
3.6 The Klip River (Ladysmith) district Afrikaners under Boer rule University of Pretoria etd – Wassermann, J M (2005)
3.7 The unreliable Natal Commando
3.8 Waiting for Buller
3.9 The flight
CHAPTER 4 THE WAR EXPERIENCES OF THE NATAL AFRIKANERS SOUTH OF THE TUGELA RIVER AND IN PROVISO B: OCTOBER 1899-JUNE 1900
4.1 The war experiences of the Afrikaners of Weenen county, October 1899 to June 1900
4.1.1 Natal Afrikaners in the Upper Tugela district and the conventional phase of the war
4.1.2 The war experiences of the Estcourt Afrikaners
4.1.3 The war experiences of the Weenen district Afrikaners
4.2 The Afrikaners of Pietermaritzburg county and the conventional phase of the war
4.3 Umvoti county Afrikaners and the War – October 1899 to June 1900
4.3.1 The Umvoti district (Greytown) and the conventional phase of the war
4.3.2 Kranskop district Afrikaners and the Anglo-Boer War
4.4 The Proviso B Afrikaners and the Anglo-Boer War, October 1899-June 1900
4.5 In the shadow of war 1
CHAPTER 5 DEALING WITH THE NATAL REBELS (PART I) – REACTIONS, ARRESTS, IDENTIFICATION, INVESTIGATIONS AND EARLY TRIALS
5.1 Rounding up the rebels
5.2 Public reaction towards the rebels
5.3 The response of the Natal Government to rebellion
5.4 The creation of the Special Court
5.5 The Supreme Court and Zululand High Court trials of Natal rebels
5.6 Investigating and arresting the Natal rebels
5.7 Identifying the real rebels
5.8 Concluding comments
CHAPTER 6 DEALING WITH THE REBELS (PART II) – THE TRIALS
CHAPTER 7 NATAL AFRIKANERS AS LOYALISTS
CHAPTER 8 MARTIAL LAW, THE LINGERING WAR, AND ITS SOCIO-POLITICAL IMPACT ON NATAL AFRIKANERS
CHAPTER 9 THE IMPRISONMENT OF NATAL AFRIKANERS
CHAPTER 10 NATAL AFRIKANER WOMEN AND THE ANGLO-BOER WAR
CHAPTER 11 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NATAL AFRIKANERS, AFRICAN AND INDIANS DURING THE ANGLO-BOER WAR
CHAPTER 12: THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE ANGLO-BOER WAR ON NATAL AFRIKANERS
CHAPTER 13: THE END AND THE BEGINNING – THE AFTERMATH OF THE ANGLO-BOER WAR
