Why the British were defeated at the battle of Majuba Hill 1881

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·         Why the British were defeated at the battle of Majuba Hill 1881

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·         By 1880 British troops in South Africa at this time, the initial advantage lay with the Boers. The first engagement on 20th December involved a small British column of 264 men.

·         British attackers were slaughtered by deadly Boer fire and half the British were killed or wounded.

·         British attack on Laing Nek met a well defeated 2000 Boer force.

·         The British overestimated the efficiency of their soldiers and underrated the Boers.

·         At the battle of Majuba Hill (1881), 500 British soldiers could not defend their position against a Boer attack on the hill.

·         The death of Bristin soldiers at Majuba Hill battle depioralsied others. Over 92 British soldiers died while the Boers only suffered slight casualties.

·         Many British reinforcements from Natal and the cape colony were blocked by the Boer forces.

·         The British feared that a continued war Campaign on the Boers in Transvaal would inspire an Afrikaner rebellion in the Cape.

·         Boer determination and courage worked against the British.

·         By August 1881 the Transvaal independence was therefore recognized subject to the Pretoria Convention.

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·         Results of the Pretoria Convention (1881)

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·         It united the Boers in Transvaal and the Orange Free State.

·         It consolidated Afrikaaner nationalism.

·         Gave rise to Boer leaders like Paul Kruger and Joubert. Paul Kruger's prestige and popularity was boosted.

·         It increased Boer pride and need for sovereignty as a race apart.

·         It gave ground for the London Convention! Treaty of 1884 which confirm it. Transvaal was free from British dominance.

·         The Boer states of Goshenland and Stellaland remained free of Transvaal control.

·         The Boers of Transvaal were encouraged to interfere in African state politics.

·         The Boers got courage to oppose the Federation Question/ Scheme.

·         British control of Transvaal foreign affairs was confirmed.

·         Transvaal lost its independence to the British.

·         It led to the Anglo-Boer tension that culminated into the infamous Jameson Raid of 1895 and the Second Anglo-Boer wars 1899-1902.

·         The Terms of the treaty didn't benefit the British or the Boers.

·         In Zululand, the Boers replaced Din Zulu with Cetewayol Utswayo.

·         Many Africans on the east borders of Transvaal lost their land to the Boers, as the British failed to intervene.

·         It increased African-Boer conflicts in Nguni and Basutoland.

·         It gave prominence of British personalities like Jameson and Cecil Rhodes and the war Generals.

·         It encouraged colonial imperial rivalries involving the Germans and the Portuguese to support the Boers.

·         The Boers weakened the Zulu state.

·         The conflicts with the Africans led to loss of life and property

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·         The First Anglo-Boer War 1880 - 1881

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·         One of the most important wars in the political life of South Africa brought about by the discovery of minerals was the Anglo-Boer war.

·         The first Anglo-Boer war was the first imperialist war to be fought on the African continent, in other words the war was a white man's affair. It is also called the Gentleman's war.

·         The Africans were not a factor in causing the war and at best were drivers, cooks, weapon bearers, guides, etc.

·         Causes of the war

·         The British Annexation of Transvaal in 1877. When the Boers established the Transvaal state they were a threat to the British. It should be noted that in 1875-76, the Bapedi fought a war with the Boers under ChiefSehkuhkuni. The Boers after this war were very exhausted and in April 1877 the British government annexed Transvaal, which caused bad relations.

·         The British mal-administration. There was increasing British unpopularity in their Transvaal administration after annexation with harsh, ruthless and cruel rule. This led to the first Anglo-Boer war.

·         The immediate cause of war was a tax incident. The British sold property of a Boer farmer who had refused to pay taxes. A band of 300 Boers managed to rescue Boer property confiscated which action brought Boer nationalism and the need to struggle for economic survival.

·         The motives of the British Prime Minister, Lord Gladstone. He came to power after Disraeli. After becoming Prime Minister in Britain, he was interested in continued annexation of Boer areas. Earlier in his election campaigns he had promised end to annexation of Transvaal. The Boers thought that he could end the annexation and when he refused, they were disappointed and they rebelled.

·         Note, that the war started at the battle of Majuba hill in 1881and after this, the Boers defeated the British. To end the war, the two signed a Convention at Pretoria in 1881.

·         By 1838, the Boers had penetrated into Zululand and took over the Blood River Territory. The British rejected this, annexed Natal in 1843 and took over Zululand after the battle of Ulundi July 1879 during the Anglo-Zulu war, which annoyed the Boers.

·         Both the Boers and the British wanted the mineral wealth of Kimberley and Witwatersrand. The long-term hostilities and conflicts between the Boers and British.

·         The idea of Federation which came up in 1854 provided the Boers with an opportunity to demonstrate their hostility against the British. The Boers considered the attempts by Sir George Grey and Lord Caemarvon as a post Trek British imperialism which was to be opposed.

·         British land alienation, forced labour and disrespect of the Dutch culture in the Transvaal republic provided a reason for the war in 1880.

·         The British presence in Transvaal did not have a strong military backing with only 3,500 troops and this encouraged the Boers to use their numerical superiority for an attack.

·         Boer memory of British mistreatment at the cape before the Great Trek.

·         The Boers were struggling in an attempt to attain a representative assembly in Transvaal and Natal.

·         The war was meant to defeat the British and repudiate the loans as far as the Boers were concerned. While to the British it was meant to put the Boers under effective rule so as to recover their loans.

·         Naturally the Boers of Transvaal had for so long wanted a strong and independent Republic controlled by themselves. Following the discovery of minerals, Paul Kruger was determined to attain self rule. His statesmanship had a forceful personality and could not compromise want could affect Boer independence.

·         Course of the First Anglo-Boer war 1880-81

·         From November 1880, the Boers were as time immemorial hostile with provocative moves against the British.

·         The Boers on a number of occasions had hoisted the Transvaal Republic flag instead of the Union jack of the British. The response of the British to these moves was with mixed feelings.

·         The British control of Transvaal propelled them to have a tight control over the Boers in the commercial sector. At one time it happened when the British confiscated property of a Boer farmer for failure to pay taxes.

·         In December 1880, a band of3oo Boer Commando's was dispatched to attack the British to recover property confiscated from the Boer farmer.

·         The Boers managed to recover the property, which increased and strengthened their desire to be free as people. A British expedition traveling from Lydenberg to Pretoria under Col. Anstruther was even attacked by Boer commandos on horses. By the end of December 1880, the Boers had designed all military garrisons and forts of the British in Transvaal.

·         In January 1881 a relieving contingent of reinforcements from the state of Natal under Sir. General George Colley was interrupted by the Boers at Laing's Nek, as Sir. George CoUey had to retreat to mountain enclaves to have a brief safety.

·         In February 1881, Sir. George Colley suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Boers at the battle of Majuba Hill, as he himself died after the battle due serious injuries.

·         After the battle of Majuba Hill, the British were forced to accept defeat and called for peace. By 22 March 1881, Sir. Evelyn Wood who took over from Sir. George Colley signed a peace treaty.

·         Despite the treaty, the Boers refused to lay down their weapons, as fighting continued until August 1881 when the Convention at Pretoria was signed to end the war.

·         The Pretoria Convention therefore concluded the war since the major battle at Majuba Hill had ended as the British were given a bloody nose. The terms of the Pretoria Convention were endorsed in the London Convention of 1884.

·         The Boers were granted full internal self- government by the London Convention of 1884 while foreign affairs remained in the hands of the British. Although the Boers won the battle, it appeared as if they had lost the war by the terms of the Convention at Pretoria.

·         Results of the War

·         The results were positive and negative

·         British troops suffered great loss of life and the Boers suffered slight casualties. There was also destruction of property and general misery.

·         The British used the scorched earth policy and concentration camps to weaken the Boers. Many crops and livestock were destroyed or looted, as children and women became homeless.

·         To end the war, the Pretoria Convention was signed in.August 1881 with the following terms:

·         (a) The Republican government of Transvaal was recognized.

·         (b) The British were to have limited authority in Transvaal,

·         (c) British goods were allowed freely in Transvaal,

·         (d) The Uitlander civil and political rights were to be protected,

·         (e) In view of the foreign policy, Transvaal was to contact the Cape.

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·         The Boers were not to mistreat Africans,

·         Equal civil rights were to be extended to all in the Republics and the civil rights of the Uitlanders were to be protected,

·         (h) Slavery was forbidden in the Republics,

·         (i) Free right of entry to British subjects into the Transvaal.

·         The Pretoria Convention did not do much for the Boers because British dominancy remained.

·         After the-war it appeared as if the Boers had won the battle but had lost the war. The first Anglo-Boer war therefore gave the Boers self rule, but under the British.

·         The war increased Boer nationalism and esteem.

·         The war created unity of the two Boer Republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State.

·         The Uitlanders by the Pretoria Convention were granted citizenship rights in all the Boer Republics, could participate in politics and not to suffer any more segregation.

·         The war was a set back to the federation of the South African white states.

·         The war increased the race for territorial acquisition in South Africa as the British hurried to establish their supremacy in the interior like Bechuanaland 1885 and other parts of Central Africa or (Matebele and Mashonaland).

·         The war led to the growth of Afrikaaner nationalism and desire for self-rule. The first Anglo-Boer war was a foundation for the future wars between the Boers and British, like the 1895 Jameson's raid and the second Anglo-Boer war 1899 - 1902.

·         Hostilities and tension between the Boers and British increased.

·         The war led to the destruction of property, as farms were looted, trade was disrupted, as women and children became homeless.

·         The London Convention of 1884 granted full internal self- government to the Boers foreign affairs, which remained in the hands of the British.

·         British annexation of the Republic of Transvaal 1877

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·         In 1877, the British annexed the Boer Republic of Transvaal (the South African Republic).

·         The Boers who did not wish to come again under British control felt insulted by the annexation.

·         The Boers also regarded it as yet another British attempt to make life difficult for them. Their memories of British rule at the Cape Colony 1795 -1803, 1806 and other events that followed resurfaced and were indeed vivid with vitality.

·         Why the British annexed the Republic of Transvaal in 1877

·         The British believed that annexation of Transvaal was important to achieve the idea of Federation of the white states in South Africa, since Transvaal was a crucial Boer state, the British believed that if it approved the Federation Question, other Boers states could also follow suit.

·         The British also believed by annexing the Transvaal they could make the state stable, improve reforms and stabilize the state with a number of developments.

·         The government of President Thomas Francois Burghers of Transvaal had instabilities and the British feared this could spill over into the Natal state. Therefore the security of British colonies neighboring Transvaal was very crucial to the British.

·         The discovery of diamonds in the Boer Republic worried the British and created jealous among them. These minerals had made the Boers flourish in magnificence with to provide their won defense and non- reliance on the British.

·         By 1877, Transvaal was insolvent or undercapitalized and was susceptible to any colonial power to colonize it. Inflation was nearing with whooping debts.

·         The British feared that German, Portugal or any European power might join to form a state in the Boers, which would threaten British interests in Southern Africa if not the whole of Africa.

·         To the British, the Transvaal administration was too weak and poor which needed formal control by the British. The British had feared any African control of any part of the state.

·         Between 1875-76, Chief Sekhukhuni of the Pedi had made the Republic exhausted militarily during the Bapedi-Boer war.

·         The Zulu under Cetshwayo had also revived the warrior tradition with over 40,000 regiments, as they threatened to invade the weak Republic of Transvaal. This worried the British who reacted with annexation in 1877.

·         The annexation of Transvaal Republic in 1877 by the British was' a response to constant appeal by Boer traders and leaders like Paul Kruger to save the Republic from complete disastrous events unfolding.

·         Annexation was a step towards union of the white states, which would allow them to adopt a common policy towards the African people. The British knew that at anyone time, the Africans could rebel against colonial rule in South Africa.

·         Annexation of Transvaal by the British was the only solution to bring the Boers under British control at the time.

·         Boer failure to establish a secure and stable government worried the British. The British feared that the disunity between the disorganized Boers in Transvaal could cause further instability. This forced the British to step into restore order by annexing Transvaal in 1877.

·         Results of the British annexation of the Republic of Transvaal in 1877

·         This was positive and negative;

·         It changed relations between the Boers and the Africans for example many African groups like the Zulu and the Bapedi could not fear the free-Burghers in the interior militarily.

·         Many Dutch speakers in the whole of South Africa felt insulted by the annexation of Transvaal. They even abandoned or were non-committal to the idea of federation of the white states in South Africa.

·         The annexation of Transvaal by British sowed seeds for the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer wars in South Africa including the first one 1880-81, the Jameson's Raid 1895 and the Second Anglo-Boer war 1899-1902.

·         It increased Afrikaaner nationalism and the need to regain independence of Transvaal.

·         Chief Sekhukhuni of the Pedi was in opposition to retain his independence and existence until 1879 when the British defeated him and took control of his state.

·         From 1877, the Boers became very suspicious of British designs, plans in their Republics and any opportunity could cause war.

·         The annexation of Transvaal in 1877 led to the rise of a radical Boer leader as President Stephanus Johannes Paul Kruger .

·         Kruger was determined at all costs to keep the Republic free of foreign control especially the British.

·         His need to keep Transvaal free led to his re-election in 1883, 1888, and 1893 and again in 1898. The Boers were now united than ever before against the British in South Africa.