How the Dutch settlers established and expanded their Colony at the Cape/ the Cape Frontier Expansion

How the Dutch settlers established and expanded their Colony at the Cape/ the Cape Frontier Expansion

The Dutch Cape Colony started as a temporary calling station consisting of a few houses on the shores of the Table Bay.

They were determined to expand their Colony at whatever cost;

More land was needed for farms and ranches (supposed) than could be found between the Table Mountain and the Table Bay.

The Cape grew from a small trading station into a colony with settlers and slaves. The Dutch farmers and ranch- men had pushed the Cape frontiers in a1l directions, especially north to the east.

The settlement was started by a few Dutch settlers who arrived at the Cape in April 1652 Jed by Jan Van Riebeeck. Soon after settling at the Cape, Riebeeck began to work as instructed by his bosses. He was joined by more settlers and by 1662 the settlement contained had about 120 settlers.

In 1676, the idea of establishing a good Dutch Colony in and around the Cape was approved. Following this decision, new settlements were established beyond the Cape. The Dutch expanded northwards and eastwards, that is from the original Cape boundary achieved mainly by individual white farmers. This expansion was due to their nomadic way of life. By 1685, there were about 150 white families in the major settlements like Stellens Bosch and Graft Reiner. Only 30 ready white families were in the Cape Town.

The Dutch Colony grew strong and became self sufficient by the end of the Seventeenth Century. The whites got seriously involved in producing meat and wine.

From 1705, the DElCO exercised firm control over the original Cape Colony land and taxed the settler farmers greatly.

A number of the affected settlers decided to move further in land. They led a semi nomadic life, which provided a reasonable living and were able to provide such things as meat, soap and butter to the Cape white settlers.

The pastoral settlers found it necessary 10 own larger farms. Farms were often bigger than 2,500 hectares. Many pastoral farmers in the interior were happy because they occupied large pieces of land without applying for licenses from the company or even paying rent to it.

The expansion of the Dutch Colony went on throughout the Eighteenth Century. By 1780, the Fish River had become the Eastern Boundary. In 1778, the Northeastern Boundary was near Colesbury.