2.2 Resistance against british control

The children had to help their mothers. Sons of Boers who were not yet 16 years old, became part of the Boer commandos. One of the clinching factors in the South African War was that the soldiers were worried about their families in the concentration camps. With the women in the concentration camps, there was nobody to supply the fighting farmers with food, shelter or ammunition. The leaders of the commandos were therefore forced to make peace.

Activity 3:

[lo 1.5, 3.5, 3.6]

1 . Write a paragraph to explain the contribution of the women to the SA War.

2 . What forced Cronje to surrender at Kimberley? What other action could he possibly have taken?

3 . Draw a blockhouse here.

(In Scorched Earth by Fransjohan Pretorius you will find clear pictures.)

(Please try the internet under “Anglo Boer War”.)

Activity 4:

[lo 2.1, 2.2, 2.3]

• Read through the following concessions in Source D, that were granted to the burghers (SA War survivors) into the Peace Treaty of Vereeniging.

QUESTION: What do you think did the British Government gain by these concessions?

SOURCE 1

1. Prisoners of war could return to South Africa.

2. The Dutch language would be accepted in schools.

3. The burghers were allowed to keep their weapons for self defence..

4. Rural committees were founded to resettle survivors and to help supply food, housing, seed and cattle to farm with.

Answers:

Revision activity 1:

[lo 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5]

DESCRIBE how children lived during the mineral revolution:

• a) on the farms during the SA War and
• b) around the mines or in a kampong.

Revision activity 2: explanatory notes

[lo 2.1]

• Be sure that you understand what the meaning of the following words. When in doubt, find the word in the previous readings.

technicians : professionals in their area of expertise in industry, e.g. carpenters working in wood or machinists like drilling operators

job provision : providing jobs/work for the benefit of a country’s economy

annex : take over OR including a territory

kampongs : a communal living place, obviously fenced off rooms for black workers

repatriate : sending people back to their land of origin, motherland

segregation : dividing people on account of culture, language or race

self-government : the right to make your own decisions and choose your own representatives to your government

besieged : to have an area surrounded by troops

liberated : when help arrives to free people in an area surrounded by troops

union : a group of people doing the same work uniting to form a body to defend the rights of the members

• Here you see a few words in List A. Next to each explanation in List B, write down the word from List A that, in your own opinion, corresponds best to the explanation.

LIST A:Words:

union, liberated, besieged, segregation, self-government, repatriation, union, carpenters

LIST B:

1 . Technicians that receive their education by working in wood, like building cupboards, shelves, etc.

2 . People taken as slaves/workers taken from their motherland, sent back to their place of origin.

3 . When people are restricted from working or travelling outside their Bantustan, homeland or reserve.