The Transvaal is an old republic Boer 19th century located at the North-East of the South Africa and one of the four South-African provinces between 1910 and 1994.

Transvaal is henceforth an area indicating 4 provinces but also a higher legal district.

Geography

The surface of Transvaal is of 262.499 km ² and its population in 1994 was approximately of 11 million inhabitants.

The capital was Pretoria, also capital of South Africa.

Its main cities are Johannesburg, Pietersburg, Nelspruit, Krugersdorp, Louis-Trichardt…

The economy of Transvaal rests on the mining activity with the Or, the coal and the Platine (today mainly with the Gauteng) but also on the Agriculture (mainly in the Mpumalanga and the Limpopo).

History of Transvaal

During ten thousands of years, the area of the Transvaal future was inhabited by the ancestors of the Khoïkhoï S. As from the 4th century, the area was invaded by people Bantou S come from central Africa which were going to be established or carry on there their road to the coasts of the Indian Ocean in the futures KwaZulu-Native Transkei and .

At the beginning of the 19th century, the area is thus the place of dwelling of a few tens of thousands of people divided into tribes, villages such Dithakong and chefferies.

In 1817, the area is invaded by the troops of the chief ndebele Mzilikazi, itself continued by hordes of warriors of king Shaka. The people of the area, obliged to take part, are then the object of raids, Déportation S and massacres on behalf of the one and the other of the belligerents. Lastly, the Famine which results from these attacks finishes to put the economies and local political systems in rout. The villages are given up by their inhabitants who emigrate towards other areas in the east and north, far from their traditional places of life. It is the Mfecane or great disturbance. Those which remain are weakened and at the thank you of the invaders or of local despots.

The area starts to be the object at the same time of the interest of explorers boers or British come from the Colonie of the Cape.

Of 1827 with 1836, the south-west of the future area of Transvaal is dominated by the troops of Mzilikazi. In 1829, the missionary Robert Moffat is allowed at the court of Mzilikazi whereas the first commercial relations are tied between the white explorers and the local tribes.

Starting from 1830, explorations intensify. In 1835, several thousands of boers leave the colony of the Cape on board their oxcarts in search of a promised land where to found a republic independent of any colonial capacity. It is the Grand Trek.

So some continue towards the Indian Ocean, several of these Voortrekkers cross the river Vaal, are established and are organized into small localities independent without too many difficulties. When the areas which they cross are inhabited, they have only little problem to put forward their military superiority but most of the time, they are even established with the agreement of the local leaders which thus hope to be protected from the raids of hostile tribes, are established in areas a priori uninhabited or given up at the time of the mfecane.

In October 1836, the group of voortrekkers ordered by Hendrik Potgieter, is attacked by 5000 ndébélés warriors. It is however one of these chiefs sotho-tswana, the Moroko chief, who grants finally food and protection to the group of Potgieter with Thaba Nchu. In January 1837, the boers and ndébélés of the Moroko chief are combined and organized a commando under the command of Potgieter and Gert Maritz to reverse Mzilikazi. This one is overcome and in 1838, crosses the river Limpopo to be established in the area of the Matabeleland future.

Benefitting from the escape of Mzilikazi, Potgieter asserts for the boers the released territories of its influence, neglecting its Sotho-Tswana allies. But the escape of Mzilikazi encourages many tswanas and sothos to return in the areas which they had fled where they were found vis-a-vis many farmers boers who had answered the call of Potgieter to come to be established in Transvaal.

In November 1838, Potgieter founds Potchefstroom, the first boer city of Transvaal. A summary government is organized and in 1840 enters a confederation to the side of the republic of Natalia and republic of Winburg.

In 1842, the confederation disaggregates after the refusal of Potgieter to come to assistance of Boers de Natalia in conflict with the British. In 1845, many boers emigrates towards the bay of Delagoa to free itself from any British dependence whereas others leave more to north in the area of Zoutpansberg. The town of Lydenburg is thus founded by Potgieter whereas the south of Transvaal knows the multitude of new immigrants boers led by Andries Pretorius since the Natal.

Foundation of the republic

The January 17th 1852, the treaty Sand River is signed between the representatives of Boers of the north of the Vaal river and the British. This convention recognizes the independence of Transvaal (territories located beyond Vaal) then inhabited by 5.000 boers families (either a total population of 40.000 people) and it proscribes the re-establishment of slavery as well as the sale of weapons to the indigenous tribes. But Transvaal then does not constitute a state territorialement made up and plain although he asserts a territory extending from the Vaal river to the Limpopo river. There then does not exist less than three republics boers in the north of Vaal whereas the free State of Orange is the subject of a similar convention of independence.

Pretorius had in fact carried out the negotiations with the British without the least mandate of Volksraad, the Parliament boer. The partisans of Potgieter showed Pretorius of usurpation of the capacity and breach.

The March 16th 1852, the volksraad ratifies nevertheless in Rustenburg convention Sand River after the reconciliation of Potgieter and Pretorius. The Capitale of Transvaal is then fixed at Potchefstroom.

Potgieter dies in the end of the year 1852 follow-up by Pretorius in July 1853, leaving Boers temporarily without charismatic chief.

The successor designated to succeed Andries Pretorius was his own son, Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, appreciated to have put fine at the arguments on the religious character or Laic which the government of Transvaal was to take. In 1855, it founds Pretoria, which it baptizes in the honor of his father, and of which it wishes to make him hold the role of South-African capital.

In 1856, Pretorius makes countryside near its fellow-citizens to convince them to constitute a central government with the executive reinforced instead of small self governments of districts, sourcilleux of their autonomy. He thus managed to organize the meeting of a constituent assembly.

In December 1856, after three weeks of debate, the elected officials of the assembly of Transvaal, vote the fundamental law establishing the Republic of South Africa (" Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek" - ZAR).

A pastoral and agricultural republic

Slightly populated, the free Orange Transvaal and State are kinds of pastoral patriarchates, with the infrastructures of most summary. The ZAR is primarily made up farms disseminated on thousands of kilometers.

If the constitution of Transvaal (Grondwet) is very levelling in the definition of the rights of the Citoyen, the Right to vote is however reserved for only the boers (Burghers and wire of burghers) present on the territory before convention Sand River. Besides she proclaims the inequality of the white and the coloured persons that it is in the State or the Church (article 9). Nevertheless, following the treated S signed by the indigenous boers and chiefs, the land Property right is declared inalienable in the 8 tribal territories recognized within the ZAR.

The members of the assembly of Transvaal (or volksraad ) were elected for two years. The administrative authority was represented by an assisted president of an executive council. The constitution laid out that all the members of the assembly and the council were to be members of the Dutch reformed church of European blood. The constitution affirmed the character boer thus republic. If it excluded from the Citoyenneté the blacks, the Métis and the Asian ones, it restricted the rights of Boers arrived of fraiche date on the territory and excluded from the elective functions any naturalized white which is not calvinist. The space-time restriction of the citizenship had been imposed by the representatives of the district of Lydenburg. Although this restriction is softened thereafter with respect to Boers, the uilanders (foreign) Anglophone S of Johannesburg will vigorously dispute it in the years 1890, and will be one of the causes of the Raid Jameson and the Guerre of Boers.

Nevertheless, the districts of Lydenburg and Zoutpansberg refused to ratify the new constitution and in 1857, made secession of the ZAR, chaired by Marthinus Wessel Pretorius since the January 6th 1857.

In 1860, the two districts and that of Utrecht are finally incorporated in the ZAR and Pretoria, recognized as capital of the Republic of South Africa whereas Pretorius tries to link the ZAR at the free Orange State.

Attempts at unification with Orange

Relations with the indigenous tribes

Within the ZAR, the relations with the eight tribal territories were not very conflict what were not the case of the relations of Boers with the Sothos tribes. Starting from 1866, the kommandos of Transvaal lend strong hand to the boers Orange in open war with Basutholand.

As for the daily relations between boers and blacks, they are not controls initially by any law except the restrictions imposed by fundamental law. Thus “no native is authorized to be established close to the agglomerations, with the detriment of the inhabitants, without a permission express of Assemblée". " Any native must be carrying a pass given by his Master, a missionary, a chief of tribe or a landrost (mayor)” in the aim of protection the permanent workers against the vagrants. The law imperceptibly distinguishes the descendants from the blacks come from the Cape with Voortrekkers from those which live in the tribal territories and for which these provisions are mainly intended.

In 1866, the legislation boer is modified. Whereas the old legislation had been written to discourage the work of the blacks in the white territories by making obligation with the black populations come to be established out them tribal territories to work on the farms for at least a year including six month on a purely free basis, the new legislation henceforth imposed reasonable wages as of the first work hour.

The annexation of Transvaal (1877-1881)

In 1877, Transvaal is in situation of Banqueroute and is threatened by an imminent offensive of the armies Zoulou S coming from the Natal.

Lord Carnavon, the Minister for the British colonies, a partisan of the creation of a Federation of South Africa, thinks whereas the inhabitants of Transvaal could only be delighted by an annexation by the England. The January 4th 1877, to sir Theophilus Shepstone penetrates in the republic boer with 25 men of the police force assembled of the Native one. It goes then without resistance until Pretoria where it acts in concert with the authorities around bottles of Sherry and of champagne. The discussions lead to the annexation of Transvaal by the British Empire the April 12th 1877. The vice-president of the republic, Paul Kruger, is then one of the rare leaders boers to be opposed to it. By twice, it goes to London to protest but in vain. It founds then a triumvirate with Piet Joubert and Marthinus Wessel Pretorius to organize an armed resistance which is able to pass to the action only to the end of the year 1880.

The December 16th 1880, the rebels boers proclaim the independence of Transvaal with Potchefstroom. The December 20th, they attack and destroy a British military convoy with Bronkhorstspruit. Several British garrisons of Transvaal are then besieged by commandos boers between the December 22nd 1880 and the January 6th 1881.

Boers being vêtus generally of khaki or neutral civil clothing, they are easily dissimulated with the sight of their enemies whereas the scarlet red uniform of the British soldiers makes the latter of the easy targets for the embusqués snipers.

The January 28th 1881, the battle of Laing' S Nek shows a defeat of the Cavalerie and British Infanterie. She is followed by another victory boer to the battle of Schuinshoogte the February 8th 1881.

Humiliation final of British has place with battle of Majuba Hill February 27th 1881, which is completed on the crushing defeat of the troops of the Reine Victoria which enter 92 killed soldiers, 134 wounded and 59 other captive facts then, that with similar manpower of 400 men, Boers deplored one killed and 5 wounded.

This defeat leads British the Prime Minister William Gladstone, not very inclined to continue the hostilities, to sign a treaty of Armistice the March 6th 1881, supplemented by a final peace treaty the March 22nd 1881 by which Boers of Transvaal found to them autonomy while remaining under British sovereignty. The treaty is then ratified by the convention of Pretoria the August 3rd 1881.

In 1884, the convention of London gives again its full sovereignty in Transvaal reorganized in its original shape of Republic of South Africa.

The Kruger years

Henceforth directed by Paul Kruger, the boers aspired to turn over now to their life of farmer, without real another aspiration.

The sudden irruption starting from 1886 of the industrial system in a company based on the will to preserve a certain social order, a rural lifestyle and the refusal of the external interferences, was going to have considerable internal repercussions, threatening the established order by the descendants of Voortrekkers and moving the economic center of gravity of South Africa of the colony of the Cape in Transvaal.

In 1886, prospectors discovered a considerable gold layer in the Witwatersrand (“Barrier of White Water”), one stops mountainous located of 100 kilometers at the east up to 50 kilometers at the south of Pretoria. Almost day at the following day, a mushroom town emerged. It very quickly took the name of Johannesburg and was going to attract with it thousands of adventurers of the whole world in search of Or. For president Paul Kruger, the discovery of gold was far from having an advantage. He proclaimed thus Instead of you to delight, you would make better cry, because this gold will soak our country with blood . Johannesburg was going quickly to become more the big city of Transvaal, with the fur-and-with-measurement of the installation of the uitlanders (foreign) close to the mines. Those quickly exceeded of number Boers on the layer, although remaining a minority in Transvaal itself. The South-African government, aggravated by the presence of the uitlanders , refused the Right to vote to them and taxed gold bearing industry heavily. In answer, the uitlanders exerted a pressure on the British authorities, in order to obtain the inversion of the government boer.

In 1895, Cecil Rhodos, Prime Minister for the Colony of the Cape and richissime business man, supported an attempt at Coup d'etat carried out by Leander Starr Jameson. This one showed a lamentable failure and by the resignation of Rhodos.

Nevertheless, walk towards the war was going to continue.

In 1899, the president Marthinus Steyn of the free Orange State invited Lord Alfred Milner and Paul Kruger with a conference with Bloemfontein, which began the May 30th but the negotiations stumbled.

In September 1899, Joseph Chamberlain, British secretary with the colonies, sent a Ultimatum to requiring Kruger supplements it equality of rights for the British citizens residing at Transvaal. Kruger anticipating that the war was inevitable, launched its own ultimatum before to have even received that of Chamberlain.

It gave 48 hours to the British to evacuate their troops of the borders of Transvaal, or the war would be declared to them in agreement with their ally, the free State of Orange.

This one began the October 12th 1899 when Boers attacked the colony of the Cape and the colony of the Native one.

The war of Boers and the defeat of Transvaal

See also: War of Boers

In the first weeks, Boers take the advantage. The British are surprised and do not have enough manpower but the troops boers undisciplined and are treated on a hierarchical basis little. Instead of continuing their advantage, they choose a certain tactical opposition to progress and besiege cities like Mafeking whereas the roads towards Durban and the Cape were free access.

The British offensive begins again as of February 1900. The May 18th, the head office of Mafeking is raised. Everywhere the boers are on the defensive then make retirement. The British troops, ordered by Lord Roberts took again the initiative only with the arrival of reinforcements the February 4th 1900.

As from March, the Britanniques troops progress in the middle of the two republics boers. Bloemfontein, the capital of the free Orange State, falls the March 13rd. Then the June 5th, it is the turn of Pretoria, evacuated by the South-African government cut off in the east from Transvaal.

If the British think the acquired victory, they will face still two years with an active Guérilla which will disorganize the lines of communication and supply British.

The command of the British army then decides to build every 100 yards of the strengthened stations, surrounded and connected by barbed wire, in order to reduce the movements of the groups of guerilla. Thus, it is not less than 8.000 stations strengthened on nearly 6.000 kilometers which will be drawn up in the South-African landscape. The British then have 450.000 men (British and colonial troops) stationed in the area to fight the guerilla.

This policy is accompanied by a strategy by the burned ground intended to cut Boers of their base camps. The campaigns of Transvaal and Orange are thus emptied, stocks of vivres are requisitioned or destroyed, burned harvests and the evacuated farms. The boers families are then gathered in Concentration camps.

With final, 30.000 farms are destroyed as well as forty small towns. A quarter of the population boer, is 116.572 people, was interned at the side of 120.000 black Africans. Nearly 30.000 women and children boers died, mainly of Malnutrition or for lack of Hygiène, in the British camps.

In May 1902, a peace treaty is finally signed with Vereeniging ratifying the defeat of the Boers and the final annexation of Transvaal and the free Orange State to the British crown.

In spite of the support of the public opinion and governments of the major part of the European countries, the resistance of Boers was vain and president Kruger finishes his life in exile with Clarens, in Suisse where he dies in 1904.

The British colony of Transvaal

At the exit of the war, Transvaal is bloodless.

Several former generals boers, undertake a European round in order to try to collect funds to rebuild the two old republics economically. The general boer Louis Botha writes even an article with British the Prime Minister giving all the advantages to him which would have the British Empire to help with the rebuilding of the 2 overcome countries. Little time after, the British Parliament resolves the sum of 8 million books to help with the rebuilding.

In May 1904, with Jan Smuts and other veterans boers, Botha launches out in the policy and founds a political party afrikaner, “Het Volk” (people), preaching the national reconciliation and the autonomy of South Africa.

After the victory of the liberals to the the United Kingdom in 1905, Botha sends Smuts to London to negotiate the principle of the autonomy of Transvaal.

In December 1906, the colony of Transvaal and in June 1907, that of Orange, receive finally the authorization to form their own government.

The March 4th 1907, Het Volk, which also rejoins english-speaking favorable to autonomous South Africa, gains the elections of Transvaal and Louis Botha becomes the Prime Minister about it. He is not long in carrying out important displacements in Europe letting Smuts manage the go concern of Transvaal.

At the time of the imperial conference, he proclaims the honesty of Afrikaners to the Empire and offers diamond Cullinan to the king Edouard VII. In thanks, it obtains a budgetary extension of 5 million books which makes it possible Botha to create an agricultural bank of assistance to the farmers, to develop the Railroad and to introduce a free primary education. But he does not manage to make admit the Afrikaans like Official language with parity with the English.

In October 1908, from the hundreds of delegated of all South Africa came to take part in a constitutional conference with Durban devoted in the future political of South Africa. It is a question of deciding between the partisans of the unit mode, of the federal, confederal mode even colonial. Several compromises were adopted thanks to the mediation of Jan Smuts concerning the choice of the South-African capital (makes three capitals of them), the official languages (Dutch and English) and even the standard size of the spacing of the ways of railroad. The general agreement is finally adopted thanks to the delegates of Transvaal and is retranscribed in a final making figure of constitution project at the summer 1909, and unanimously approved resolution delegates.

The constitution project was ratified by the Parliament of the Cape, that of Orange and Transvaal. It is by Référendum that it was approved with the Native one.

The May 31st 1910, the British Parliament ratifies South Africa Act establishing the Dominion Union of South Africa. And it is Botha, the boer of Transvaal, which is chosen by Lord Gladstone to form the first provisional government of the young Union whereas Pretoria takes the statute of executive capital where seat the government. To symbolize this new statute, Smuts calls upon Herbert Baker to build on a hill of the city a gigantic palate of government, the Union Buildings.

A South-African province (1910-1994)

In 1910, Transvaal is one of the four British colonies founders of the Union of South Africa at the side of the old colony of the Cape, Native, and the free Orange State.

Until 1994, Transvaal will be a province of South Africa, politically very preserving and quickly dedicated to the nationalist theses of Afrikaners of Daniel Malan.

Since, with the first multiracial elections, the territory of Transvaal is divided between four new provinces: that of Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging (renamed Gauteng in 1995), that of Eastern Transvaal (become Mpumalanga in 1995), that of Northern Transvaal (renamed province of North in 1995, then Limpopo in 2001) and that of the North-western.

Presidents of Transvaal (Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek)

Marthinus Wessel Pretorius : 1857 - 1863

Willem Cornelis Janse van Rensburg : 1863 - 1864

Marthinus Wessel Pretorius : May 1864 - 1871

Thomas François Burgers: 1871 - 1877

Annexation of Transvaal by the British: 1877 - 1881

Troika (Pretorius, Kruger and Petrus Joubert): 1881 - 1883

Paul Kruger: 1883 - 1902

Emblems of Transvaal (ZAR)

Adoptee in 1857 The traditional flag of Transvaal is known under the name of “ vierklor ”.

It remained the flag of the republic boer until in 1902, except for the period 1874 - 1875, briefly replaced by the flag Voortrekker.

In 1902, the end of the war of the boers puts also fine at the independence of Transvaal.

In 1927, the flag reappears within the new national flag of South Africa. Indeed, the vierklor is associated with the right-hand side of the Union Jack and the flag of the free Orange State in the middle of the white band of the Drapeau of South Africa (1927-1994).

Starting from 1994, it does not have any more an official representation. It remains still a very strong symbol of the community afrikaner, proudly asserted not only by the white radicals but also by associations and moderate representatives of the community afrikaner.

Contrary to the national flag of 1927 which represented the gathering of the white communities of South Africa, it is associated less with the Apartheid but more with the community afrikaner.

So it is even more often used than the old national flag. One can see it in particular in front of the house of Paul Kruger in Pretoria and in alternation with other flags afrikaners in Voortrekker Monument of Pretoria. It is also the official flag of the embryo of Volkstaat with Orania.

The anthem of Transvaal was Volkslied van Transvaal .

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