74-456: The Cape Mounted Riflemen were South African military units. There were two separate successive regiments of that name. To distinguish them, some military historians describe the first as the "imperial" Cape Mounted Riflemen (originally the "Cape Regiment" ), and the second as the "colonial" Cape Mounted Riflemen. The first, so-called "imperial", unit, was formed by the Dutch administration of
148-484: A shipbuilder 's office, and then switched jobs to become a short-hand writer and reporter. However, his fragile health caused him to emigrate to the Cape Colony in 1858 to recuperate, and here he decided to settle. He managed to acquire a free farm in what was known at the time as British Kaffraria (near what is today East London ), and began to get involved in local politics. His newly acquired property lay near
222-755: A "Federal Conference" in June 1880. However, local Cape opposition to it was so strong and widespread that Sprigg had to give up on the idea. Elsewhere in southern Africa, Frere's attempts to enforce confederation were sparking wars with the Xhosa , the Zulu Kingdom , the Pedi and the Transvaal Republic . A consequence of this was that Sprigg was prime minister during the disastrous First Boer War (1880–1881). This period also saw massive spending on defence and
296-514: A desire for political independence. In 1853, the Cape Colony became a British Crown colony with representative government. In 1854, the Cape of Good Hope elected its first parliament , on the basis of the multi-racial Cape Qualified Franchise . Cape residents qualified as voters based on a universal minimum level of property ownership, regardless of race. Executive power remaining completely in
370-458: A large proportion of the Cape's Black African citizens. (His successor as prime minister, Cecil John Rhodes , was to take these changes even further, by raising the franchise requirements in the Cape Colony and thus further countering the growing preponderance of Black and mixed-race voters.) This massive disenfranchisement faced furious resistance both from liberal parliamentarians and from Black political organisations who were strong supporters of
444-615: A parliamentary colour bar in 1909. In his later life he received an impressive array of awards and honours for his work in serving British rule in South Africa, such as KCMG and GCMG , as well as honorary doctorates from the University of Oxford and the University of Edinburgh ( LL.D. , July 1902 ). He died at his home in Wynberg, Cape Town on 4 February 1913, and was buried at St. Peter's Cemetery, Mowbray . Gordonia in
518-407: A replacement government were unsuccessful, as the Cape's most influential local leaders all refused his request to take office. Frere then turned to Sprigg, his closest local ally, and offered him the position of Prime Minister and Colonial Secretary . In spite of the frontier war, Sprigg famously left his family and farm on the border immediately, to assist Frere in forming a new Cape government. It
592-530: A vote of no confidence that was initiated by William Philip Schreiner in May 1898, but fought to keep his position through the resultant general election, which he lost after an acrimonious campaign; his ministry finally fell to a second motion of no confidence later in the year. Schreiner succeeded him as premier, just in time to bear the brunt of the crisis of the Second Anglo-Boer War . Schreiner
666-576: The 1820 Settlers . They also began to introduce the first rudimentary rights for the Cape's Black African population and, in 1834, abolished slavery ; however, the government proved unable to rein in settler violence against the San, which continued largely unabated as it had during the Dutch period. The resentment that the Boers felt against this social change, as well as the imposition of English language and culture , caused them to trek inland en masse. This
740-826: The Basutoland Gun War (1880–1881), the Matabeleland campaign (1893–1894), the Bechuanaland campaign in 1897, and the Second Boer War (1899–1902). During these wars, the CMR came to comprise the dominant portion of the whole of the Cape Forces . As before, during peacetime the CMR served as a police force. In 1913, the CMR were incorporated into the new Union Defence Force as the 1st South African Mounted Riflemen . In World War I they fought in
814-672: The Cape , now nominally controlled by the Batavian Republic , was occupied again by the British after their victory in the Battle of Blaauwberg . The temporary peace between the UK and Napoleonic France had crumbled into open hostilities, whilst Napoleon had been strengthening his influence on the Batavian Republic (which Napoleon would subsequently abolish and directly administer later
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#1732772576803888-710: The Cape Colony in 1793, to enlarge its garrison because of the threat posed by the war in Europe . It was known as the Pandour Corps , and consisted of Khoisan and Coloured men under White officers. The British retained the unit after taking over the colony in 1795, and renamed it the Cape Regiment . When the Dutch resumed the administration in 1803, they changed the name to the Corps van Vrye Hottentotten , i.e. "Corps of Free Hottentots " and again, in 1805, to
962-562: The Cape Corps of Cavalry and Infantry , or "Cape Corps" for short. In 1827, the infantry section was disbanded, leaving only the mixed-race cavalry unit. The resulting exclusively mounted corps was renamed Cape Mounted Riflemen . The unit was deployed in several operations and campaigns: the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Cape Frontier Wars , the siege of Durban (1842), and the Basuto War . The CMR were disbanded in 1870. In 1915
1036-621: The Cape of Good Hope , was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope . It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa , then became the Cape Province , which existed even after 1961, when South Africa had become a republic, albeit, temporarily outside the Commonwealth of Nations (1961–94). The British colony
1110-521: The Edict of Fontainebleau . This so-called "Huguenot experiment" was deemed a failure by the colonial authorities a decade later, as many of the Huguenot arrivals had little experience with agriculture and had become a net burden on the colonial government. There was a degree of cultural assimilation due to Dutch cultural hegemony that included the almost universal adoption of the Dutch language. Many of
1184-674: The German South-West Africa campaign (1914–1915). In 1922, they were deployed in operations to crush the Rand Revolt on the Witwatersrand . The 1st SAMR were disbanded in 1926, for financial reasons. The CMR blisterbeetle ( Hycleus oculatus ) is named after the Cape Mounted Riflemen. 11 Field Postal Unit Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( Dutch : Kaapkolonie ), also known as
1258-488: The Hottentot Ligte Infanterie , i.e. "Hottentot Light Infantry". After British rule was reinstated in 1806, the unit was called the Cape Regiment again. The regiment had its headquarters at Simonstown and formed a key component of the Cape's frontier defences, repeatedly distinguishing itself in the early frontier wars . In 1817, it was divided into mounted and infantry sections, and was renamed
1332-506: The Second Boer War (1899–1902), during which the supplying of the army in the field caused a massive artificial inflation of trade in Southern Africa. This, together with his policy of heavy expenditure, severely damaged the finances of the Cape Colony . However, in his final term in office, Sprigg distinguished himself more than anything else through his work on the suspension issue. He had begun his fourth term by closely toeing
1406-704: The Seven Provinces of the Dutch Republic , the mother country of the Dutch United East India Company . This prompted Great Britain to occupy the Cape Colony in 1795 as a way to better control the seas in order to stop any potential French attempt to reach India . The British sent a fleet of nine warships which anchored at Simon's Town and, following the defeat of the VOC militia at the Battle of Muizenberg , took control of
1480-533: The eastern-western division was largely laid to rest. The system of multi-racial franchise also began a slow and fragile growth in political inclusiveness, and ethnic tensions subsided. In 1877, the state expanded by annexing Griqualand West and Griqualand East – that is, the Mount Currie district ( Kokstad ). The emergence of two Boer mini-republics along the Missionary Road resulted in 1885 in
1554-532: The "Logan scandal" caused the Prime Minister at the time, Cecil John Rhodes , to lose much of his parliamentary support. Sprigg made himself available to Rhodes for a cabinet position and in the power vacuum he successfully re-secured the position of treasurer. Sprigg went on to become one of the most vocal and loyal of Rhodes's supporters. When the Jameson Raid forced Rhodes to resign in 1896, Sprigg
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#17327725768031628-640: The 1802 Treaty of Amiens . It was re-occupied by the British following the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806, and British possession affirmed with the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 . The Cape of Good Hope then remained in the British Empire , becoming self-governing in 1872. The colony was coextensive with the later Cape Province , stretching from the Atlantic coast inland and eastward along
1702-423: The 1865, 1875, 1891 and 1904 censuses. Groups marked "nd" are Not Distinguished in the censuses for those years. * Includes both free Coloured people and Whites Gordon Sprigg Sir John Gordon Sprigg , GCMG , PC (27 April 1830 – 4 February 1913) was an English -born colonial administrator and politician who served as prime minister of the Cape Colony on four occasions. Sprigg
1776-550: The 1994 creation of the present-day South African provinces , the Cape Province was partitioned into the Eastern Cape , Northern Cape , and Western Cape , with smaller parts in North West province. An expedition of the VOC led by Jan van Riebeeck established a trading post and naval victualing station at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. Van Riebeeck's objective was to secure a harbour of refuge for VOC ships during
1850-735: The Afrikaners, tension that was sharply exacerbated by the Confederation attempt and the subsequent rise of the Afrikaner Bond . These disagreements eventually culminated in the Second Boer War . This era also saw the origin of the South African Customs Union , and a slow but steady erosion of the rights of the Cape's Black citizens. Sprigg got an opportunity for a second term as prime minister when Thomas Upington resigned due to ill-health. His second term
1924-447: The British colonists and the Boers. Rhodes also brought in the first formal restrictions on the political rights of the Cape of Good Hope's black African citizens. The Cape of Good Hope remained nominally under British rule until the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, when it became the province of the Cape of Good Hope, better known as the Cape Province . The districts of the colony in 1850 were: Population figures for
1998-590: The Cape Colony, and around its borders. These conflicts were part of a wider surge of warfare across southern Africa , stemming from the attempt by the London Colonial Office to enforce a system of British-controlled Confederation onto the region. The CMR were involved in several of the more local conflicts, which directly involved the Cape Colony. In 1879, the CMR fought in the Moorosi campaign , where they gained much distinction. They also fought in
2072-476: The Cape constitution, supposedly as a preparation for a future confederation. Sprigg strongly supported confederation, as he had since his first Ministry, but he hesitated on the issue of suspending the country's constitution. However, after Rhodes died in 1902, he immediately declared his resolute opposition to the suspension proposal, speaking against it in London and arguably doing more than anyone else to protect
2146-538: The Cape government dragged towards bankruptcy. In fact, colonial instigation and mis-management of the Basuto Gun War is one of the main reasons why Lesotho eventually became an independent country, and not part of modern South Africa . Sprigg's imperialist policies towards neighboring states including calling in imperial troops during the Basuto Gun War , confiscation of tribal lands, and supporting
2220-487: The Cape governor with his own political ally Henry Bartle Frere with the intent of forcing the region into confederation, and Sprigg, along with fellow parliamentarian John Paterson , prudently re-aligned themselves as pro-federalists. Sprigg was to remain a federalist for the remainder of his career. As the previous opposition leader, John X. Merriman converted and joined the Molteno government, Sprigg and Paterson became
2294-490: The Cape's Prime Minister in 1890, he instigated a rapid expansion of British influence into the hinterland. In particular, he sought to engineer the conquest of the Transvaal, and although his ill-fated Jameson Raid failed and brought down his government, it led to the Second Boer War and British conquest at the turn of the century. The politics of the colony consequently came to be increasingly dominated by tensions between
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2368-564: The Cape's constitution and to defeat Milner's proposal. Meanwhile, the delicate balancing act that Sprigg needed to perform in order to survive politically became ever more precarious, until a string of defeats in parliament and in the 1904 election toppled his government for the final time. However, his work against suspension came later to be regarded as his greatest deed as a statesman and his strongest claim to political recognition. Although Sprigg served as prime minister four times— from 1878 to 1881, 1886 to 1890, 1896 to 1898 and 1900 to 1904—he
2442-569: The Cape's frontier, and was therefore surrounded by a large population of non-Christian Xhosa people – whom Sprigg regarded with considerable suspicion. This led him to become very concerned about issues of frontier security, and he regularly prioritised such issues in his political career. In 1869, he became the member of the Cape Parliament for East London. He notably ran the Commission for Frontier Defense which recommended that
2516-484: The Eastern Province and were descended from the 1820 Settlers . His government consequently came to be known as the "Settler Ministry". With Governor Henry Bartle Frere 's support, Sprigg finally succeeded in implementing the conclusion of his Commission for Frontier Defense , which had been fiercely blocked by the previous government. This involved the disarming of all Black Africans in the Cape, including
2590-495: The FAMP, whose efficiency and military capacity Molteno had a very high opinion of. The new government was also of the opinion that a competent FAMP force would remove the need for any outside British intervention in the region. Consequently, by 1876, the FAMP had grown to have units stationed at Komga, Queenstown, Palmietfontein, King Williams Town , Peddie, Butterworth, Kenhardt, Fort Murray, Ealing Post and Kokstad. An artillery unit
2664-535: The Transkei Xhosa lands meant that, for the first time, Xhosa people now comprised a majority of the Cape's population. Black African voters already formed a majority of the electorate in several Cape constituencies, and were beginning to form a considerable voting block, especially in the Eastern Cape where he resided. He circumvented this with his Registration Bill in 1887, which excluded communal land-owners from voting and thus effectively disenfranchised
2738-632: The Warren Expedition, sent to annex the republics of Stellaland and Goshen (lands annexed to British Bechuanaland ). Major-General Charles Warren annexed the land south of the Molopo River as the colony of British Bechuanaland and proclaimed a protectorate over the land lying to the North of the river. Vryburg , the capital of Stellaland, became capital of British Bechuanaland, while Mafeking (now Mahikeng ), although situated south of
2812-418: The accumulation of a large government debt. In response, Sprigg revived the deeply unpopular hut tax which had been terminated by his predecessor (Act 11 of 1872). At the time of taking office, Sprigg faced a parliament which was overwhelmingly supportive of the previous government which Frere had deposed. Sprigg's ability to assume office, and garnering the required majority in the elected Cape Parliament ,
2886-450: The authority of the British governor did not relieve tensions in the colony between its eastern and western sections. In 1872, after a long political battle, the Cape of Good Hope achieved responsible government under its first Prime Minister, John Molteno . Henceforth, an elected Prime Minister and his cabinet had total responsibility for the affairs of the country. A period of strong economic growth and social development ensued, and
2960-564: The colonists and the Khoe-speaking indigenes , followed by the Xhosa , both of which they perceived as unwanted competitors for prime farmland. VOC traders imported thousands of slaves to the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch East Indies and other parts of Africa. By the end of the eighteenth century the Cape's population swelled to about 26,000 people of European descent and 30,000 slaves. In 1795, France occupied
3034-425: The colonists who settled directly on the frontier became increasingly independent and localised in their loyalties. Known as Boers , they migrated beyond the Cape Colony's initial borders and had soon penetrated almost a thousand kilometres inland. Some Boers even adopted a nomadic lifestyle permanently and were denoted as trekboers . The VOC colonial period had a number of bitter, genocidal conflicts between
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3108-490: The colony's frontier with the Xhosa kingdoms in the Transkei . A new constitution that prohibited discrimination on the basis of race and instituted the non-racial Cape Qualified Franchise partially assuaged some of the Xhosa people 's grievances, leading to a period of relative peace on the frontier. Nevertheless, conflicts did erupt over the following decades, and the FAMP played a central role in policing them. The FAMP
3182-475: The de facto leaders of the opposition. As the machinations began for bringing the neighbouring states into the British confederation, tensions between the British Empire and the Cape government increased. Molteno himself had a deep suspicion of the British Empire, citing what he believed to be its incompetence and injustice, and he stubbornly obstructed London's decision to deploy imperial troops against
3256-819: The defence of the Cape Colony be separately administered for the Eastern and Western halves of the Colony and that the Cape's defences be racially segregated . Both suggestions were rejected outright by the prime minister at the time, John Molteno , a strong advocate of racial and regional unity in the Cape. Sprigg nonetheless joined Molteno's movement for responsible government , and in June 1875 he added his voice to those of other prominent local politicians (such as Saul Solomon , John X. Merriman and Molteno himself) in condemning as impractical Lord Carnarvon 's ill-advised scheme to confederate southern Africa under British rule. Lord Carnarvon nevertheless pushed ahead and replaced
3330-413: The earlier name, " Cape Corps ", was revived for a unit of Coloured soldiers. The name Cape Regiment was revived for another Coloured unit, in 1986. The Cape Colony government founded the second, so-called "colonial", in 1855, as the para-military Frontier Armed and Mounted Police (FAMP) . The function of this locally recruited multiracial force was to maintain law and order in the districts along
3404-434: The expansion of white settlement into Black African territory. This policy eventually crushed and subsumed the last independent Xhosa state, but led to the 1880 Transkeian Rebellion and a further string of conflicts elsewhere in southern Africa. Rising costs from the lingering wars forced him to cut back on infrastructure projects such as railway construction and other public works. Even his predecessor's veterinary bureau
3478-478: The fledgling colony's borders; in exchange they received tax exempt status and were loaned tools and seeds . Reflecting the multi-national nature of the early trading companies, the VOC granted vrijburger status to Dutch, Swiss, Scandinavian and German employees, among others. In 1688 they also sponsored the immigration of nearly two hundred French Huguenot refugees who had fled to the Netherlands upon
3552-514: The government of the Cape Colony as well as Boer settlers finally died down when the Xhosa took part in a mass destruction of their own crops and cattle , in the belief that this would cause their ancestors to wake from the dead. The resulting famine crippled Xhosa country and ushered in a long period of stability on the border. Peace and prosperity, in addition to the Convict crisis of 1849, led to
3626-468: The line of the Colonial Office in London, but this became increasingly difficult, as it brought him into conflict with the largest parties in the Cape parliament. His refusal to launch an inquiry into the harsh sentences passed during martial law lost him further support, which he needed if he was to appease the Colonial Office, but he finally took a stand when Alfred Milner ordered him to suspend
3700-402: The long voyages between Europe and Asia. Within about three decades, the Cape had become home to a large community of vrijlieden , also known as vrijburgers ('free citizens'), former VOC employees who settled in the colonies overseas after completing their service contracts. Vrijburgers were mostly married citizens who undertook to spend at least twenty years farming the land within
3774-527: The neighbouring Xhosa during the Xhosa Wars . Offers of titles and threats of dismissal failed to persuade him to back down, and an inevitable collision loomed between the Cape government and the British Empire. In 1878, Governor Frere appealed to the authority of the Colonial Office to suspend the elected Cape government, and assumed direct control of the country. Frere's first attempts to find
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#17327725768033848-595: The original non-racial franchise. However, through persistence and mastery of parliamentary procedure, Sprigg successfully passed the measure. He was much less successful in his railway policy. His attempts to extend the Cape's railways to Natal and the Transvaal Republic failed, due to the continued tensions remaining from the earlier confederation scheme and its resultant wars. In addition, his 1889 railway proposals were massively impractical and expensive. The costs came to 7,500,000 pounds and caused his second ministry to fall on 16 July 1890. A few years later, in 1893,
3922-560: The protectorate border, became the protectorate's administrative centre. The border between the protectorate and the colony ran along the Molopo and Nossob rivers. In 1895, British Bechuanaland became part of the Cape Colony. However, the discovery of diamonds around Kimberley and gold in the Transvaal led to a return to instability, particularly because they fuelled the rise to power of the ambitious imperialist Cecil Rhodes . On becoming
3996-524: The same year). The British , who set up a colony on 8 January 1806, hoped to keep Napoleon out of the Cape, and to control the Far East trade routes. The Cape Colony at the time of British occupation was three months' sailing distance from London . The White colonial population was small, no more than 25,000 in all, scattered across a territory of 100,000 square miles. Most lived in Cape Town and
4070-463: The soldiers and citizens in its own armed forces. His resultant "Peace Preservation Act" (1878) caused immediate uprisings across the country, that swiftly flared into overt wars. Against the advice of many in parliament, Sprigg went ahead with applying the act in Basutoland – at the time administered by the Cape. The resulting Basuto Gun War , together with continued conflict with the Xhosa, saw
4144-581: The southern coast, constituting about half of modern South Africa: the final eastern boundary, after several wars against the Xhosa , stood at the Fish River . In the north, the Orange River , natively known as the ǂNūǃarib (Black River) and subsequently called the Gariep River, served as the boundary for some time, although some land between the river and the southern boundary of Botswana
4218-606: The surrounding farming districts of the Boland , an area favoured with rich soils, a Mediterranean Climate and reliable rainfall. Cape Town had a population of 16,000 people. In 1814 the Dutch government formally ceded sovereignty over the Cape to the British , under the terms of the Convention of London . The British started to settle the eastern border of the Cape Colony, with the arrival in Port Elizabeth of
4292-433: The territory. The United East India Company transferred its territories and claims to the Batavian Republic (the Revolutionary period Dutch state) in 1798, and went bankrupt in 1799. Improving relations between Britain and Napoleonic France , and its vassal state the Batavian Republic , led the British to hand the Cape of Good Hope over to the Batavian Republic in 1803, under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens . In 1806,
4366-468: The wartime atmosphere, Molteno's party consequently lost the majority of its parliamentary support. Eventually, the most influential MP at the time, Saul Solomon , cautiously gave his support to Sprigg, who was then able to take office with the required majority. Unlike the preceding, relatively mixed government, Sprigg's cabinet consisted exclusively of British South Africans, dominated by pro-imperialist politicians who all hailed, like Sprigg himself, from
4440-493: Was a favour which Frere greatly valued, and, writing to Carnarvon (12 January 1879), he praised the important and historic role played by " .. the gallant little English farmer, who left his "laager" on the rebel frontier to help me when the Molteno-Merriman conspiracy to humble Sir Arthur Cunynghame, and through him the English Government, was so nearly successful." Frere appointed Sprigg on condition that he supported confederation, so Sprigg dutifully began making arrangements for
4514-489: Was added in 1874. The FAMP were also re-organised for rapid mobility; lightly equipped and possessing considerable local knowledge, they formed a very effective police force for the rough and mountainous frontier terrain. Finally in 1878, the FAMP were fully militarised, as a unit of the Colonial Forces , and renamed Cape Mounted Riflemen . A change in the Cape Government in 1878, and the new Sprigg Government's expansionist policies, led to outbreaks of conflict, both within
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#17327725768034588-425: Was always appointed by the British governor, never elected democratically. He was appointed as a Privy Counsellor of the United Kingdom in 1897. The Dictionary of South African Biography (Vol.II) described him thus: "Small, determined and conceited, Sprigg well deserved Merriman's appellation of "The little Master". He coveted power and clung to it tenaciously, being content to change his colleagues, as long as he
4662-412: Was born in Ipswich , England, into a strongly Puritan family. His father was a pastor and his strictly conservative up-bringing had a lifelong effect on Sprigg's values (until the end of his life, one of Sprigg's proudest claims was that his ancestor had been one of Oliver Cromwell 's chaplains). He was educated at Ipswich School , as well as a series of other private schools. He started his career in
4736-416: Was closed. In spite of his good relationship with the Colonial Office, Sprigg had little grass-roots support locally, and when Frere was recalled to London to face charges of misconduct, his government fell. He was succeeded as prime minister by locally born Thomas Charles Scanlen . Sprigg's subsequent terms as prime minister came at a time of increased tension between the colonists of British descent and
4810-439: Was dominated by two major issues: the voting rights of Black African citizens of the Cape, and the issue of railways. The Cape constitution guaranteed equal voting rights for citizens of all races through its " Cape Qualified Franchise " system, however Sprigg was concerned about the rapid political mobilisation of the Cape's large and growing African population. In addition, the recent annexation (during Sprigg's first Ministry) of
4884-463: Was due to several key factors. Firstly, Frere placed the considerable authority of the Crown and the British Empire behind Sprigg. Secondly, the representative of the Molteno government, in its public response to Frere's action, made the strategic error of attacking the legitimacy of the Governor and thereby of the authority of the British Crown itself. Expressing anti-imperialist sentiments could be highly offensive in conservative Victorian society, and in
4958-466: Was forced to resign in June 1900 because of his anti-war stance, and Sprigg, who was seen in London as an acceptably pro-imperialist candidate, was appointed prime minister for the fourth and last time, though still without parliamentary sanction. However he was now officially representing a political party, the pro-imperialist Progressives which had been established by diamond magnate and colonialist Cecil Rhodes . Sprigg's final ministry coincided with
5032-420: Was his increasing disagreement with the powerful Afrikaner Bond party, caused partly by his continued political assistance to Rhodes. In early 1898 he attempted to restructure the electoral system so as to favour the predominantly urban towns with a higher population of British South Africans over the predominantly rural towns with a higher Boer population, but his "redistribution bill" was defeated. He then lost
5106-403: Was known as the Great Trek , and the migrating Boers settled inland, eventually forming the Boer Republics . British Immigration continued in the Cape, even as many of the Boers continued to trek inland, and the ending of the British East India Company 's monopoly on trade led to economic growth. At the same time, the long series of Xhosa Wars fought between the Xhosa people in the east and
5180-439: Was later added to it. From 1878, the colony also included the enclave of Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands , both in what is now Namibia . It united with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa in 1910, and was accordingly renamed the Province of the Cape of Good Hope . South Africa became a sovereign state in 1931 by the Statute of Westminster . In 1961, it became the Republic of South Africa . Following
5254-405: Was left undisturbed in office. Moreover, his tremendous patience and mastery of parliamentary procedure gave him great advantages over more inspired but less diligent politicians. On the whole, he was a man of integrity and has a strong claim to be placed high in the ranks of South African statesmen." Sprigg retired from politics after 1904, although he reappeared briefly in 1908 and voted against
5328-600: Was once again the best stop-gap candidate for premier. In 1897 he traveled to London to attend Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, where a brief controversy ensued. He publicly offered a cruiser to the Royal Navy , on behalf of the Cape, and received an honorary LLD from Edinburgh and an honorary DCL from Oxford. However, upon his return, he was forced to withdraw his promise to the Admiralty, which had not been authorised by parliament. The major theme of his third ministry
5402-618: Was operationally deployed in the Transkei in 1858, against the Koranna in 1869, in apprehending the Zulu chief Langalibalele in 1873, in Griqualand West in 1875, and in the 9th Frontier War (1877–1878). When the Cape attained " Responsible Government " in 1872, its new Prime Minister John Molteno shifted the focus of government policy to internal development, rather than territorial expansion. Nonetheless, his government expanded
5476-651: Was preceded by an earlier corporate colony that became an original Dutch colony of the same name , which was established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) . The Cape was under VOC rule from 1652 to 1795 and under rule of the Napoleonic Batavia Republic from 1803 to 1806. The VOC lost the colony to Great Britain following the 1795 Battle of Muizenberg , but it was ceded to the Batavia Republic following
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