South African History, from the Dutch to Afrikaners. A Bloody battle that shaped South Africa

Voortrekkers - A symbol of hope

‘n Boer maak ‘n plan (a farmer makes a plan.) An idiom established by our forefathers, the Voortrekkers, that still thrives in the Afrikaner community today.

As the Afrikaners settled in the Cape Colony, there were many significant problems that were soon to be faced. As the British government rained down upon the Cape Colony, it tried to establish ground by means of cunning and violence. (Crais and V.McClendon 79) The governance style of the British was said to be cruel and forceful, without any sympathy for people who established land there before.

The Afrikaners did not tolerate such violence and took action against the British when threatened, which lead to several bloody battles. Not only did our Voortrekkers have to deal with the British reign, but also faced numerous battles against the “Kaffirs” when they were violently and unexpectedly attacked as a result of trekking to the interior of the country.

Many of the battles that erupted between the British government and the Afrikaners were as a result of the British taking the land away from the Afrikaners. Our forefathers not only had to face the British and the Griquas single-handedly, but also had to fight against all of them at once. When the British claimed the land between the Great and Vaal River, the Afrikaners had enough and had no choice but to stand up and fight against such an inhuman power. The battle erupted, outnumbered 5 to 1, fighting against the joint forces of the British government, the Griquas and the Natives. The Afrikaners triumph was as a result of knowing the land like the back of their palms, this was as a result of farming there long before the British tried to rule this land.

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STEEM ON!