1902, 1910, 1961 and all that.........
Monday, this week, came and went without notice – after all it was just another start to the working week. Yet the day, 31 May, is a day of significance in South African history.
On this day in 1902 the Boers finally accepted the terms of surrender that brought the bitter and long ‘Boer War’ to an end. They did so at Vereeniging after a protracted debate which had began in mid April.
The immediate and direct result of the surrender was that the two former Boer republics lost their independence and had to submit to British sovereignty. A change in British government 1906, however, saw the new Prime Minister, Campbell-Bannerman, grant self-government to the defeated former enemies.
The settled conditions allowed the Governments of Natal, the Orange River Colony, Transvaal, Rhodesia and the Cape to consider the concept of a South African Union or a South African Confederation. This resulted in the ‘South African National Convention’ meeting in Durban (see photo) to begin the process of producing the ‘Draft South Africa Act’. The National Convention met again in Capetown in early January, 1909. The draft act was then submitted to the four Colonial Parliaments for consideration. Rhodesia decided not to join.
In Natal there was strong support for a Federal type of Union with the matter being resolved by referendum for a unitary form. Then after a few further amendments at a meeting in Bloemfontein, approval by Britain, the Union of South Africa came into being on the 31 May, 1910.
Half a century later the descendents of the defeated Boers controlled, absolutely, not only their former republics but the Cape, Natal and South West Africa (Namibia) as well. The long cherished ideal of living in a Republic once more emerged. South Africa left the Commonwealth and on the 31 May, 1961 the Republic of South Africa came into being to survive until the 1990’s.
To return to the beginning. The Boer War was fought because the two components of the white population in the Transvaal both wanted to dominate. The Boers said it was for liberty. The British said it was for equality. The majority of the inhabitants, who were not white, gained neither.
The question of the ‘native’ vote was part of the peace negotiations in 1902. It was again debated by the National Convention in 1908 but as before was left ‘for a future government to decide.’ The question of a broad democracy lurked at first in the background eventually becoming the deciding issue nearly a century later. The matter should have been resolved sooner but in the early 1900’s even the vote for women was a national joke in Britain. Thus a long view of history and the context of events is needed. The 31st day of May is a good day to ponder such events.
Monday, this week, came and went without notice – after all it was just another start to the working week. Yet the day, 31 May, is a day of significance in South African history.
On this day in 1902 the Boers finally accepted the terms of surrender that brought the bitter and long ‘Boer War’ to an end. They did so at Vereeniging after a protracted debate which had began in mid April.
The immediate and direct result of the surrender was that the two former Boer republics lost their independence and had to submit to British sovereignty. A change in British government 1906, however, saw the new Prime Minister, Campbell-Bannerman, grant self-government to the defeated former enemies.
The settled conditions allowed the Governments of Natal, the Orange River Colony, Transvaal, Rhodesia and the Cape to consider the concept of a South African Union or a South African Confederation. This resulted in the ‘South African National Convention’ meeting in Durban (see photo) to begin the process of producing the ‘Draft South Africa Act’. The National Convention met again in Capetown in early January, 1909. The draft act was then submitted to the four Colonial Parliaments for consideration. Rhodesia decided not to join.
In Natal there was strong support for a Federal type of Union with the matter being resolved by referendum for a unitary form. Then after a few further amendments at a meeting in Bloemfontein, approval by Britain, the Union of South Africa came into being on the 31 May, 1910.
Half a century later the descendents of the defeated Boers controlled, absolutely, not only their former republics but the Cape, Natal and South West Africa (Namibia) as well. The long cherished ideal of living in a Republic once more emerged. South Africa left the Commonwealth and on the 31 May, 1961 the Republic of South Africa came into being to survive until the 1990’s.
To return to the beginning. The Boer War was fought because the two components of the white population in the Transvaal both wanted to dominate. The Boers said it was for liberty. The British said it was for equality. The majority of the inhabitants, who were not white, gained neither.
The question of the ‘native’ vote was part of the peace negotiations in 1902. It was again debated by the National Convention in 1908 but as before was left ‘for a future government to decide.’ The question of a broad democracy lurked at first in the background eventually becoming the deciding issue nearly a century later. The matter should have been resolved sooner but in the early 1900’s even the vote for women was a national joke in Britain. Thus a long view of history and the context of events is needed. The 31st day of May is a good day to ponder such events.
posted by Malcolm @ 9:58 pm
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