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South Africa Holiday: Afrikaner & Afrikaans
Three million of the people of South Africa (7%)
trace their roots to Dutch, German, Belgian, and
French forebears. Their Afrikaans language, European
heritage, and membership of the Dutch Reformed
Church, are the most widespread common features of
this population.
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The origins of the Afrikaner people can be
traced back to the first permanent settlement of
Dutch colonists in 1652, to the French Huguenots
(Protestant refugees from Catholic France) and to
the early German settlers.
During the period when the Dutch East India
Company dominated the trade routes to the East, via
the Cape of Good Hope, the settlers who had made
their way from Holland, France and Germany were
alternately neglected and interfered with. In
defence they developed a sturdy independence of
spirit, further strengthened by the need to ward off
intermittent attacks by indigenous African tribes.
Although the different communities of white
settlers fiercely maintained their separate
identities, it was inevitable that they would start
to cooperate and combine their efforts.
Their thirst for independence from State
interference (which had led them to southern Africa
in the first place), frequent social contact, common
European interests and exposure to similar dangers,
engendered a patriotism and identity that rose above
all cultural differences. A new people was born -
the Afrikaner.
After the British had assumed control of the
Cape in 1805, their colonial governing principles
started to cause immense resentment among the
settlers. The final straw - the British decree that
English would be the only official language - became
too much to bear and many Afrikaner farmers (boer is
a Dutch word meaning farmer) decided to pack up and
leave for the interior of southern Africa.
Thus began what is known in history as 'The
Great Trek' and the participants in search of
their freedom, the Voortrekkers (Dutch word meaning
those who "move ahead" or "hike before".)
The Great Trek
was long and arduous and the Voortrekkers faced many
challenges, chief among which were internal
squabbles, and much resistance by the African
inhabitants of areas they thought would be free for
them to occupy.
The Battle of
Blood River in December 1838 in what is now
northern KwaZulu-Natal is one example of the kind of
strife encountered. The massacre marked the end of
hostilities between the Boers and Zulus in Natal.
When things settled down some 6,000 Boers settled in
the area, which they named the Republic of Natal (or
Natalia).
Other Voortrekkers continued on to form the
Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic.
 Towards
the end of the 19th century diamonds and gold were
discovered in the Orange Free State and the
Transvaal Republics.
The British colonial powers in the Cape cast an
envious eye towards the Afrikaner republics and
trouble followed in the form of the Anglo-Boer War
from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902. This
war was fought principally for control of the rich
diamond-fields of Kimberley and the gold-fields of
Johannesburg. It is now generally accepted that the
British colonial government were the aggressors in
this war against the Afrikaner settlers.
The Boers won many battles against the British
in the early stages of the war, supported by their
wives, children and African servants left behind on
the farms. Yet even this support and their intimate
knowledge of the terrain were no match against the
main British force that arrived in Cape Town in
January 1900.
The British erected concentration camps in which
they incarcerated Boer and African women and
children, destroying their homes, livestock and
crops. The Boers, driven to their knees, surrendered
in May 1902.
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 Nevertheless
the British granted generous terms to the
Boers, arguably at the expense of the
African people, allowing them
political control over both of the former
Boer republics.
Furthermore, Britain did not object in
1909 when the white-dominated South African
National Convention opted to form a union of
the two British colonies Cape and Natal) and
the two former Boer republics (Transvaal
and Orange Free State). A constitution for
the new Union of South Africa was drawn up
that left political power firmly in the
hands of the Afrikaner.
During the 1920s and the 1930s,
Afrikaner cultural organisations were
important vehicles for reasserting Afrikaner
pride in their cultural identity. The most
important of these was the Afrikaner
Broederbond, an association of educated
elites
By the 1940s, the National Party had
gained widespread appeal among Afrikaners by
emphasising racial separation and Afrikaner
nationalism.
The National Party's narrow election
victory in 1948 brought apartheid (Afrikaans
for separateness) into all areas of social
and economic life in South Africa.
 Although
a small number of Afrikaners worked to end
apartheid almost as soon as it was imposed,
most strongly supported the government's
1960s and 1970s campaign to stem the spread
of communist influence in southern Africa.
Known as the Total Strategy, it was based
Afrikaner suspicion of strong centralised
government and on their strong religious
beliefs.
Many Afrikaners were critical of South
Africa's military intervention in
neighbouring states during the 1980s, and of
escalating military costs in the face of the
receding threat of what had been called the
communist "Total Onslaught".
By the late 1980s, enforcing apartheid
at home was expensive. The unbalanced
education system was in disarray and could
not produce the skilled labour force the
country needed. Most Afrikaners welcomed the
government's decision to try to end
apartheid as peacefully as possible during
the late 1980 and early 1990s.
 After
the release of
Nelson
Mandela by President FW de Klerk in
1990, the African National Congress (ANC)
won the 1994 national election and political
power passed from Afrikaner hands to black
majority rule.
Today the Afrikaners are known for their
steadfast commitment to the home, family and
church. Their love of the outdoors and the
land has been passed down to many successive
generations.
Traditionally the Afrikaner had great
respect for the elderly and anyone in a
position of authority. Although husband was
deemed the head of the household, the women
were often the driving force behind the men.
Legend has it that it was the Afrikaner
women who declared that they would rather
trek over the Drakensburg barefoot than be
subject to British rule.
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