South Africa's Colonial Experience

            South Africa experienced 309 years of colonization. However, their colonial experience under the rule of the Dutch and the British molded South Africa into what it is now. South Africans had to deal with their land being taken from them and racial discrimination from these European powers; nonetheless, it unified their people and led to their eventual independence.

            South Africans had a fairly well colonial experience under the Dutch, in the beginning. When the Dutch first settled, the native South Africans, such as the Khoikhoi, lived in harmony with the Dutch. None of the Khoikhoi were enslaved or treated inhumanely. However, the Dutch and Khoikhoi’s peaceful relationship began to go sourer when trade between the two and colonists attempting to take their land led to a series of wars. Along with wars, the Dutch infected the Khoikhoi with smallpox. These two contributing factors led to almost the total demise of the Khoikhoi society. Surviving members either moved away from the Cape or went it labor close to serfdom on colonial farms. The San, South African hunter-gatherers, also were pushed from their land and were forced to live by cattle raiding. Colonists put forth a “systematic eradication”, which eventually led to South Africa being separated by a colonial dominated west region and east region (3).

            South Africans colonial experience with the British was almost opposite to that of the Dutch. Initially, Racially discriminate legislation was enforced so that the Khoikhoi and other free blacks would work for as little as possible. To add to their racial discrimination, the British passed the Hottenton Code in 1809, which required all Khoikhoi and free blacks carry passes saying where their residents was and who they worked for. Those caught without the passes could be forced into labor by white masters. Later, these British policies against blacks were abolished and blacks began to be treated more as equals. Police forces were established in which Khoikhoi’s held positions in. In addition, the British freed all slaves and granted land back to native South Africans and sought peace with them. However these new policies angered the Boer colonists, forcing them to move in what was the called the Great Trek, which brought the creation of 2 more colonies that eventually unified with the other 2 South African colonies creating the Union of South Africa.