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The Eastern Frontier of the Cape Colony during the Batavian Period (1803–1806)1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2009

William M. Freund
William M. Freund
Affiliation:
Kirkland College, New York
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Extract

At the opening of the nineteenth century, the colonial order in South Africa was most seriously challenged on the eastern frontier, dramatized in white rebellions and the successful Xhosa-Khoi war of 1799–1802. The colonial government of the Batavian Republic, administering the Cape between 1803 and 1806, was obliged to deal with this challenge. Despite formal liberal proclamations, the Batavians believed that it was necessary to expel the Xhosa east of the Fish river and subordinate the Khoi to the white farmers once again. Their rule continued to depend on local control by the white minority. During this period, the Xhosa remained in the territory claimed by the colony. The Batavians were unsuccessful in breaking or regulating the interrelationship of white and Xhosa which was the most significant factor in frontier dynamics. At the same time, due to divisions among the Xhosa, the weakness of the whites and the skill of Lodewijk Alberti, a frontier official, the colonial order was significantly re-stabilized.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of African History , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , October 1972 , pp. 631 - 645
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1972

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References

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66 This paper has omitted a discussion of the northern frontier and of the San, who were still carrying on a very successful resistance against white expansion, but it may be stated briefly that the brutal war carried on against the San by the colonial commandos continued unabated in the Batavian period, despite the fitfully benevolent intentions of the government.Google Scholar