South Africa

The Republic of South Africa (Republiek van Suid-Afrika) was originally inhabited by Khoisan-speaking hunter-gatherers, but these were largely displaced in the 4th or 5th century CE by Bantu-speaking tribes, of whom the Xhosa and Zulu were the most prominent. Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to reach Southern Africa, naming the southern tip the Cabo da Boa Esperança (Cape of Good Hope) but building no settlements or making any land claims. The first Euoprean settlement was founded by Jan van Riebeeck in 1652 on behalf of the Dutch East India Company, and would eventually become Cape Town. Dutch settlers followed shortly thereafter and would engage the local Xhosa in what came to be known as the Cape Frontier Wars between 1779 and 1879, a struggle over land use and possession. Several Boer republics, including the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, would emerge out of the Dutch victories.

Having assumed control of the Cape of Good Hope in 1795 as established the Cape Colony, Britain began its own settlement program and became involved in a border dispute between Boers in the Transvaal and the Zulu nation, leading to the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. With the discovery of gold and silver in the region still later, Britain intensified its plans to dominate the region. Rivalry over mineral rights and control of the land would spark the First Anglo-Boer War lasting from 1880-1881, and the much longer Second Anglo-Boer War which ran from 1899 to 1902. Following a British victory, the Boer republics would be incorporated as British possessions, forming the Union of South Africa in 1910 (a British dominion). German South-west Africa would come under administration of the Union after the First World War, which achieved independence from the UK in 1931.

A policy of legally institutionalized segregation (later called apartheid) which had its origins in the Boer republics, would become systematized by the Nationalist Government after 1948, effectively putting control of the nation in the hands of the white (European) minority. In May 1961, the nation elected to leave the British Commonwealth and became the Republic of South Africa. Yet, despite opposition the policy of apartheid was continued, leading to boycotts of South Africa by various Western nations and a growing movement of discontent and an interest in African nationalism by the non-white population.

The African National Congress (ANC) had been founded in the early 20th century as a means of uniting all black Africans under one political ideal. Its opposition to apartheid began in the 1940s and 1950s, with a period of strikes, boycotts and civil disobedience. In response to the killing of 69 people by the government during a protest, the armed wing of the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe (or MK)the "Spear of the Nation," came into being. The ANC philosophy became one of armed resistance, as they did not feel non-violent campaigns towards change were working. Although apartheid-era policies of discrimination, illegal incarceration, and violence by the government are undisputed, the guerilla campaign of the MK would ultimately condone its own acts of terrorism, including sabotage, kidnapping, torture, and attacks on rural families. The ANC would ally itself with several other nationalist insurgency movements, including SWAPO (Southwest Africa), ZANLA (Rhodesia), the MPLA (Angola), and FRELIMO (Mozambique).

The South African government

Post-1994

• Soldier 2000. First large scale issue was in 1994. Before that issued in small numbers (eg. to 12 SAI Bn). In general use with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF)