Ryk Tulbagh is appointed Governor of the Cape Colony on March 30, 1750.
1754
According to demographic estimates, the Cape Colony had 5,510 Europeans and 6,279 slaves.
1755
The foundation stone for Cape Town’s Old Town House is placed.
The Cape Colony has a Smallpox pandemic on May 1. A total of 2,372 persons are killed.
Water became limited in southern Africa in the late 1700s, and a catastrophic drought triggered the mahlatule famine in 1800. During the 1700s, Portuguese traders introduced maize to Africa, which quickly displaced other grains as the most common food source. Maize farming required more water, and when the drought hit, thousands of people went hungry. This sparked strife over livestock, grain, and water, finally leading to war. Violent competition among tribes in what is now Mozambique over ivory and other trade commodities also led to the mfecane’s eventual devastation.
The competition between tribes to deliver products to Portuguese traders created the “amabutho,” a regimental system in which young males are incorporated into their tribe’s military force based on their age. Shaka Zulu perfected this method and built the most powerful army in southern Africa.
What happened in South Africa in the 1700s?
The first “placaat” (ordinance or statute) restricting Asian slave importation is issued. Dlamini chiefdoms migrate south from Delagoa Bay and settle on land north of the Phongolo River, forming the future Swazi nation’s core.
What new southern African states arose after 1750?
Other kingdoms that arose included Swaziland, Gaza, the Ndebele, who replaced the Rozwi, Ngoni, Kololo, and Lesotho. Many people were displaced, and fearful populations fled their homes in locations like the Orange Free State, Natal, and the Transvaal.
What did South Africa look like before it became South Africa?
The territory was occupied by two European countries: the Netherlands (1652-1795 and 1803-1806) and the United Kingdom (1795-1803 and 1806-1961). Despite the fact that South Africa formed a Union with its own white people government in 1910, the country was nevertheless considered a British colony until 1961.
