Attachment 7: Land annexed and the colonies established by the Crown to form the Union of South Africa
After ferocious attacks on various tribes in southern Africa by the Crown during the 1800’s, in which many of the local leaders and communities were murdered, driven off their land, and displaced, (with reference Attachment 6: War against southern Africans for the creation of the Union of South Africa.), the Crown annexed the western coastal side of Southern Africa and named it the “Cape Colony”.
From there, they reached further up the coast line towards South West Africa (now known as Namibia) to annex the portal ‘Walvis Bay’, and down the coast line to Port Natal, where they annexed land which they named the “Natal Colony”.
Control of the coastline strengthened their power in the world control of the sea freight transport. The British Crown was not interested in the territory inland - where the climate was harsh for farming and human survival at that time, with no amenities and where wild animals still roamed free (except for sporting hunting expeditions) - until valuable minerals were discovered inland.
Significant in the annexation of southern Africa by the Crown for the purpose of plundering the mineral wealth of the land, was the guiding hand of British military leader and mining magnate, Cecil John Rhodes, member of and working with the House of Lords to strengthen the wealth of the Bank of England.
The first diamonds were discovered near the Orange River in 1867, and subsequent placer diamonds were found between the Orange and Vaal Rivers, territories that belonged to the Griquas and the Boers. An attempt by the Crown to annex these territories led to the Anglo Boer wars, the Jameson Raid and the Anglo-Matabele Wars.
Along the gold reef which later became known as the Rand area in the Transvaal, the unsuccessful Jameson Raid was followed up by the second Anglo-Matabele war, as Rhodes followed the mineral wealth into Matabeleland, which was renamed ‘Rhodesia’ in his honour by proclamation of the British Crown on the 3rd of May 1895.
During this year there was great activity in exploiting Matabeleland. "Stands" or plots were sold at extraordinary prices in Bulawayo by the British company of Rhodes. Within nine months the rebuilt town of Bulawayo had a population of 1,900 colonials, and in the various goldfields.
There were over 2,000 colonial prospectors. The construction of telegraph lines preceded with rapidity and by the end of 1895, there had been 500 miles of new lines constructed, making about 1,500 miles in all. A new company, the African Transcontinental Company, had been founded under the auspices of Col. Frank Rhodes, brother of Cecil, with the ultimate purpose of connecting the Cape with Cairo. By the end of 1895, 133 miles of these lines had been laid. At this time too, the railway line from Cape Town in the Cape Colony, had passed Mafeking and was approaching the Rhodesian frontier. This railway reached Bulawayo in 1897. Meanwhile on the east coast the line to connect Salisbury (now Harare) with Beira, in Mozambique (then Portuguese East Africa Colony), was under construction and this was completed in 1899. During all this activity, Cecil John Rhodes had never forgotten about the diamonds and gold within the Boer republics, and a case for the annexation of the Boer republics known as the Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek and the Orange Free State, as well as the whole of South Africa, was developed.
From there, they reached further up the coast line towards South West Africa (now known as Namibia) to annex the portal ‘Walvis Bay’, and down the coast line to Port Natal, where they annexed land which they named the “Natal Colony”.
Control of the coastline strengthened their power in the world control of the sea freight transport. The British Crown was not interested in the territory inland - where the climate was harsh for farming and human survival at that time, with no amenities and where wild animals still roamed free (except for sporting hunting expeditions) - until valuable minerals were discovered inland.
Significant in the annexation of southern Africa by the Crown for the purpose of plundering the mineral wealth of the land, was the guiding hand of British military leader and mining magnate, Cecil John Rhodes, member of and working with the House of Lords to strengthen the wealth of the Bank of England.
The first diamonds were discovered near the Orange River in 1867, and subsequent placer diamonds were found between the Orange and Vaal Rivers, territories that belonged to the Griquas and the Boers. An attempt by the Crown to annex these territories led to the Anglo Boer wars, the Jameson Raid and the Anglo-Matabele Wars.
Along the gold reef which later became known as the Rand area in the Transvaal, the unsuccessful Jameson Raid was followed up by the second Anglo-Matabele war, as Rhodes followed the mineral wealth into Matabeleland, which was renamed ‘Rhodesia’ in his honour by proclamation of the British Crown on the 3rd of May 1895.
During this year there was great activity in exploiting Matabeleland. "Stands" or plots were sold at extraordinary prices in Bulawayo by the British company of Rhodes. Within nine months the rebuilt town of Bulawayo had a population of 1,900 colonials, and in the various goldfields.
There were over 2,000 colonial prospectors. The construction of telegraph lines preceded with rapidity and by the end of 1895, there had been 500 miles of new lines constructed, making about 1,500 miles in all. A new company, the African Transcontinental Company, had been founded under the auspices of Col. Frank Rhodes, brother of Cecil, with the ultimate purpose of connecting the Cape with Cairo. By the end of 1895, 133 miles of these lines had been laid. At this time too, the railway line from Cape Town in the Cape Colony, had passed Mafeking and was approaching the Rhodesian frontier. This railway reached Bulawayo in 1897. Meanwhile on the east coast the line to connect Salisbury (now Harare) with Beira, in Mozambique (then Portuguese East Africa Colony), was under construction and this was completed in 1899. During all this activity, Cecil John Rhodes had never forgotten about the diamonds and gold within the Boer republics, and a case for the annexation of the Boer republics known as the Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek and the Orange Free State, as well as the whole of South Africa, was developed.
Index to Attachment 7, extract from Bundle 2
Attachment 7 document, extract from Bundle 2
attachment_7_land_annexed_and_the_colonies_established_by_the_crown_to_form_the_union_of_south_africa.docx | |
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File Type: | docx |