Fransjohan Pretorius

The Dutch social democrats and the South African war, 1899–1902

Abstract This article examines the attitude of the Dutch Social Democrats towards the South African War (1899–1902). At the beginning of the war the SDAP (Social Democratic Workers’ Party) had three seats in the Staten‐Generaal (Parliament). By 1902 this had increased to seven. The South African War created a wave of nationalism in the Netherlands. The Boers were of Dutch descent, and the Dutch generally saw the war as their own. As much as it wanted to assist the Transvaal, the Dutch government, however, could not afford to annoy Britain upon whom she depended for commercial protection of her East Indian colonies. In Social Democratic circles there was a mixed reaction to the war, particularly as their enemy, the Dutch bourgeoisie, had taken the side of the Boers. Arguments were raised for and against on the one hand, humanitar‐ianism and the law of nations, and on the other, historic‐materialistic considerations. The organs of the SDAP—De Sociaaldemokraat and later Het Volk—supported the Boer cause. The...

Reading practices and literacy of Boer combatants in the South African War of 1899–1902

In investigating the reading practices of Boer combatants during the South African War, diaries, letters, and reminiscences were consulted. The state of literacy reveals a picture of a small number of highly literate men, a larger group of adequately literate men, a still larger group of semi-literates, and the illiterate. Reading matter included the Bible, newspapers, and books. Issues raised are: Did literacy (or illiteracy) influence military decision-making or troop morale? Were certain works making some impact on the battlefield? Was the practical experience the Boers had gained before the war more successful in planning strategy and tactics than literacy?

The historicity of recent Afrikaans historical fiction on the Anglo-Boer War

The historicity of recent Afrikaans historical fiction on the Anglo-Boer War Authors of creative writing in the Afrikaans language find a rich source of dramatic material in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899 to 1902. Themes from this war that lend themselves superbly to be woven into historical novels and short stories, are the concentration camps (where 28 000 Boer civilians died); the bitterness that plagued Afrikaners in the aftermath of the war; the pride in Boer heroism on the battlefield; important historical figures; treason that lurked in Boer ranks; the relations, usually fraught, with the British, with black people, with fellow-burghers and those with Boer women, often at an individual level. Then there were the experiences of prisoners of war; and the Boers’ heartfelt religiosity—on the one hand the deepening of the spiritual experience and on the other the incidence of apostasy; the disillusionment of defeat; and the challenge of reconstruction after the war. In this paper recent historical fiction that has appeared since 1998 from distinguished Afrikaans writers on the Anglo-Boer War is assessed to establish its historical authenticity. The author determines whether what is portrayed is historically correct; what was possible but verges on the improbable, and what is factually incorrect. The works of Christoffel Coetzee, Ingrid Winterbach, Sonja Loots, P.G. du Plessis, Karel Schoeman, Zirk van den Berg, Margaret Bakkes, Jeanette Ferreira, Engela van Rooyen and Eleanor Baker are assessed. Finally, an attempt is made to indicate the fruits of co-operation between the writer of historical fiction, the publisher and the historian. Keywords: Afrikaans historical fiction, Anglo-Boer War, historical authenticity.

The Second Anglo-Boer War: An Overview

Two definite phases can be discerned in the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899 to 1902: the conventional (setpiece-battle) phase from the outbreak of the war on II October 1899 to the Battle of Dalmanutha (Bergendal) between 21 and 27 August 1900; and the guerrilla phase from September 1900 to the end of the war on 31 May 1902. However, it makes more sense to add a transitional phase, stretching from March to August 1900, which contains characteristics of both major phases. With the conventional phase we specifically mean that period when the two opposing forces were mustered against each other on the battleground and both attempted to defeat or push back the other in a direct confrontation. That is, when the opposing armies both pursued a combat strategy. The nature of the guerrilla phase - marked by a change in the Boer strategy - will be discussed below.

Of Gold and Iron: Collaborators in the Winburg District

Abstract In Belgium, France and the Netherlands, state-induced punishments were inflicted on collaborators with the German occupation. In this article, Boer collaboration with the British is explored by recounting the careers of three high-profile officers of the Winburg commando, Commandants Harry Theunissen, Fanie Vilonel and Gerrie van der Merwe. There were hundreds of ordinary men and women in the district who also collaborated, but after the war there was no Boer state to bring them to book and the Dutch Reformed Church, as the only coherent social structure to survive the war was, unsurprisingly, more inclined to reconciliation than to retribution. Within post-war Afrikaner society there were furthermore social and political pressures for not settling accounts with those who had been disloyal. Consequently, collaborators were speedily reintegrated into society and the mythology of a united and heroic struggle against British imperialism could be sustained. Today the individualistic and pragmatic way in which Boers responded to occupation helps us to see the past and therefore also the present and the future in a different light.

“Caught between the Boers and the British” – Northern Natal Afrikaners and the Boer Occupation of Klip River County (October 1899-June 1900)

No Abstract. Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies , Vol 34, Nr 1, 2006