Lesotho & South Africa Series Part 2: South Africa

South Africa is a land of nine provinces, and we are going to be looking at the history of South Africa from the perspectives of these nine provinces and different African ethnic groups.

The Zulu Empire was founded by King Shaka I in the early 1800s. King Shaka played a key role in the territorial expansion of the Zulu Kingdom / Empire.

The Zulu Kingdom would last for 81 years, and would be replaced by a British colony called Natal, and two Boer republics, Natalia and Nieuwe.

Natalia would be absorbed into the British colony of Natal, while Nieuwe would join the Transvaal Republic, one of the only two recognised Boer republics alongside the Orange Free State.

The Transvaal Republic would last for 5 decades, before being replaced by the British colony of Transvaal. This new colony would last for 8 years, before joining the greater Union of South Africa, which arguably gained independence from the UK in 1931.

On the other hand, the territory of the Orange Free State originally belonged to the Basotho people led by king Moshoeshoe I. To read more about the legacy of King Moshoeshoe I, read my article about Lesotho here: https://aaykanrajan.wixsite.com/soulforlife/post/my-100th-post

The Orange Free State was absorbed into the British Empire in 1902 as the Orange River Colony for 8 years, before joining the Union of South Africa.

In 1948, apartheid, a political system of racial segregation was implemented in South Africa. Apartheid was disadvantageous to Blacks.

In 1961, things only got worse for the Blacks as South Africa became a republic.

This meant that South Africa was completely independent from the UK, giving the apartheid government absolute control over South Africa.

The Blacks were not happy with apartheid.

In 1952, Nelson Mandela, a leader of the Black community in South Africa who opposed apartheid, helped escalate the struggle as a leader of the Defiance Campaign, which encouraged Black participants to actively violate laws.

A decade later, he was arrested for attempting to overthrow the apartheid government, which released him from prison 28 years later. While he was in prison, bantustans, or Black homelands began forming.

4 years after his release from prison, Nelson Mandela contested in the 1994 South African general elections, which is considered to be the end of apartheid.

Nelson Mandela emerged victorious in the 1994 elections. A grateful man who believed in racial equality, he appointed F.W. De Klerk, the last leader of the apartheid government as his deputy, alongside a Black.

The territory of the Orange Free State forms the present-day South African province of Free State.

The territory of the colony of Natal forms the present-day South African province of KwaZulu-Natal.

The territory of the colony of Traansvaal forms the present-day provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, along with a part of North West province.

So, now we have 5 provinces covered.

For the sixth province, let's delve into the formation of North West province.

North West province was also formed from part of the Cape Province ( a former South African province ) and the territory of the bantustan of Bophuthatswana, which was abolished in 1994.

Cape Province was split into 3 parts, besides part of its territory being absorbed into North West Province. These 3 provinces are Northern Cape, Western Cape and Eastern Cape.

So, now we have covered all 9 provinces of South Africa.

Next, we will delve into the history of Cape Province, which was formed in 1910, upon the formation of the Union of South Africa.

Cape Province was preceded by the British Cape Colony. The British Cape Colony, was precede directly by 2 Boer republics, the Dutch Cape Colony and British Bechauanaland.

The territory of the Dutch Cape Colony was inhabited by nomadic Tswana-Namib hunter-gatherers and Dutch people. These nomadic hunter-gatherers, called the San, make up 2% of Botswana's population and 3% of Namibia's population.

The territory of British Bechuanaland, on the other hand, was inhabited by British settlers, Dutch left over from the Boer republic of Stellaland and Tswana people, Botswana's major ethnic group. Before 1882, there were Griqua people living in the region. Griquas are people of mixed African and European ancestry.

Most South Africans are Christians and Zulus are the largest ethnic group in the country, making up less than 22% of South Africa's population. This proves that South Africa is an ethnically diverse nation.

Current flag of South Africa

Current coat of arms of South Africa

Flag of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1912

Flag of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1928

Coat of arms of the Union of South Africa and the Republic of South Africa from 1961 to 2000. In the year 2000, the current coat of arms of South Africa replaced this coat of arms.