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74-642: Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province . It was inhabited by the Griqua people – a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans -speaking nation of mixed-race origin, who established several states outside the expanding frontier of the Cape Colony . It was also ancestral home to the Tswana and Khoisan peoples . In 1873 it

148-564: A Khoisan language . Subsequently, South Africa's national motto , ǃKe e ǀxarra ǁke , was derived from the extinct ǀXam language . The Northern Cape was one of three provinces made out of the Cape Province in 1994, the others being Western Cape to the south and Eastern Cape to the southeast. Politically, it had been dominated since 1994 by the African National Congress (ANC). Ethnic issues are important in

222-620: A big issue in the province. Unemployment was reported to be at 24.9% during Q4, 2013. Unemployment also declined from 119,000 in Q4, 2012 to 109,000 in Q4, 2013. The Northern Cape is also home to the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), which is located 75 km North-West of Carnarvon . The economy of the Northern Cape relies heavily on two sectors, mining and agriculture, which employ 57% (Tertiary Sector) of all employees in

296-530: A dispute and Kok left for Philippolis . From 1813 to 17 July 1871, the town and its surrounding area functioned as Waterboer's Land . Waterboer himself lived in a "palace", which in reality was a house with six rooms. A monument for Waterboer was later erected near the town's hospital. Robert Moffat and his wife Mary Moffat , on their way to the town of Kuruman , were residing in Griquatown when their daughter, also Mary (later Mrs. David Livingstone ),

370-519: A formal request to the Cape Government to request incorporation; a request that coincided with renewed pressure on the Cape Government to agree to the union. On being presented with a request from Nicholas Waterboer for union with the Cape Colony , there had begun a protracted debate over whether Griqualand West should be joined to the Cape in a confederation , or whether it should be annexed to

444-473: A higher proportion of the population in the Northern Cape than in any other province except for the Western Cape . In the 2022 census, 54.6% of the population reported their first language as Afrikaans , 35.7% as Setswana , 4.5% as Xhosa , and 2.4% as English . The Northern Cape is the only province in which native Afrikaans-speakers form a majority of the population. It is also the province with

518-587: A majority in the provincial legislature, the ANC reached an agreement with the Democratic Party (DP), which voted for the ANC's Manne Dipico as premier in exchange for the election of the DP's sole MLP, Ethne Papenfus, as speaker of the legislature. The National Party formed the official opposition. In the 1999 provincial election , the ANC substantially increased its vote share and won an overall majority in

592-625: A settlement in Platfontein in 1999 by the Mandela government. The precolonial history of the Northern Cape is reflected in a rich, mainly Stone Age, archaeological heritage . Cave sites include Wonderwerk Cave near Kuruman, which has a uniquely long sequence stretching from the turn of the twentieth century at the surface to more than 1 million (and possibly nearly 2 million) years in its basal layer (where stone tools , occurring in very low density, may be Oldowan ). Many sites across

666-692: Is dominated by the Karoo Basin and consists mostly of sedimentary rocks and some dolerite intrusions. The south and south-east of the province is high-lying, 1,200–1,900 metres (3,900–6,200 ft), in the Roggeveld and Nuweveld districts. The west coast is dominated by the Namaqualand region, famous for its spring flowers. This area is hilly to mountainous and consists of granites and metamorphic rocks . The central areas are generally flat with interspersed salt pans. Kimberlite intrusions punctuate

740-720: Is the Orange (or Gariep ) River Basin, draining the interior of South Africa westwards into the Atlantic Ocean. (The political philosopher Neville Alexander has used the idea of the 'Garieb' as a metaphor for nationhood in South Africa, a flowing together, in preference to the rainbow metaphor where the diverse colours remain distinct). The principal tributary of the Orange is the Vaal River , which flows through part of

814-505: Is the basis of the economy in the southern Karoo areas of the province. 30°S 22°E  /  30°S 22°E  / -30; 22 Griekwastad In 1801 William Anderson and Cornelius Kramer, of the London Missionary Society , established a station among the Griqua at Leeuwenkuil . The site proved too arid for cultivation. In about 1805 they moved the station to another spring further up

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888-728: Is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa . It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley . It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park , part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and an international park shared with Botswana . It also includes the Augrabies Falls and the diamond mining regions in Kimberley and Alexander Bay . The Namaqualand region in

962-868: The Augrabies Falls , and seldom actually flowing into the Orange River, is the Molopo River , which comes down from the Kalahari in the north. With its tributary, the Nossob River , it defines part of the international boundary between South Africa and Botswana . Further tributaries of the Molopo River include the Kuruman River , fed by the Moshaweng River and Kgokgole River , and the Matlhwaring River . Flowing west into

1036-834: The Cape and the Khoikhoi already living there. They turned into a semi-nomadic Afrikaans -speaking nation of horsemen who migrated out of the Cape Colony and established short-lived states on the Colony's borderlands, similar to the Cossack states of imperial Russia. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) did not intend the Cape Colony at the Southern tip of Africa to become a political entity. As it expanded and became more successful, its leaders did not worry about frontiers. The frontier of

1110-596: The Congress of the People (COPE), a new splinter party from the ANC, had a strong showing and replaced the DA as the official opposition. Jenkins was later replaced as Premier by Sylvia Lucas in 2013. The 2014 election saw the ANC returned to power once again with an increased mandate, while DA once again became the official opposition, after the collapse of COPE. The newly formed Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) also entered

1184-625: The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) won a seat in the legislature for the first time since 2004. Zamani Saul replaced Lucas as premier after the election. The Northern Cape Province is divided into five district municipalities . The district municipalities are in turn divided into 27 local municipalities : Population 50,000+ Population 10,000+ Population < 10,000 As reported by the Northern Cape Provincial Government, unemployment still remains

1258-511: The Northern Cape Provincial Legislature . The premier then selects the members of the provincial Executive Council (cabinet). The current premier is Zamani Saul of the African National Congress (ANC), who has held the position since 2019. The provincial legislature is elected every five years by a system of party-list proportional representation . In the most recent provincial election, held in 2024 ,

1332-642: The Vaal and Orange rivers. This was land through which the Griqua regularly moved with their herds and it was additionally situated in part on land claimed by both the Griqua chief Nicholas Waterboer and by the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State . In 1870, Transvaal President Marthinus Wessel Pretorius declared the diamond fields as Boer property and established a temporary government over

1406-556: The Vaal River , but existed for an extremely short time. During the following year, Boer forces unsuccessfully attempted to regain the territory through negotiation. British Governor Sir Henry Barkly was asked to mediate. Barkly set up the Keate Committee to hear evidence and, in the famous "Keate Award", ruled against the Boer Republics and in favour of Nicholas Waterboer. At this juncture, Waterboer offered to place

1480-527: The diamond rush to the Kimberley area resulted in industrial archaeological landscapes in those areas which herald the modern era in South African history. The Northern Cape is South Africa's largest province, and distances between towns are enormous due to its sparse population. Its size is just shy of the size of the American state of Montana and slightly larger than that of Germany. The province

1554-471: The ANC won a plurality of the vote but failed to win an overall majority of seats. After the election, the ANC declined to form a formal coalition, but the ANC's Zamani Saul was reelected as premier with support from the Patriotic Alliance and Freedom Front Plus . The Democratic Alliance (DA) is the second largest party in the province and forms the official opposition . The results of

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1628-673: The Atlantic, in Namaqualand , is the Buffels River and, further south, the Groen River . Mostly arid to semiarid, few areas in the province receive more than 400 mm (16 in) of rainfall per annum and the average annual rainfall over the province is 202 mm (8.0 in). Rainfall generally increases from west to east from a minimum average of 20 mm (0.79 in) to a maximum of 540 mm (21 in) per year. The west experiences most rainfall in winter, while

1702-513: The Basters who were recruited to war chose instead to abandon their paternal society and to strike out and live a semi-nomadic existence beyond the Cape's frontier. The resulting stream of disgruntled, Dutch-speaking, trained marksmen leaving the Cape hobbled the Dutch capability to crew their commandos. It also created belligerent, skilled groups of opportunists who harassed the indigenous populations

1776-668: The Cape Colony in a total union. The former view was supported by Lord Carnarvon and the British Colonial Office in London – as a first step to bringing all of southern Africa into a British-ruled confederation. The latter view was put forward by the Cape Parliament , particularly by its strong-willed Prime Minister John Molteno , who had initially opposed any form of union with the unstable and heavily indebted territory, and now demanded evidence from Britain that

1850-614: The Cape, or kept totally independent from it. After striking a deal with the Home Government and receiving assurances that local objections had been appeased, he passed the Griqualand West Annexation Act on 27 July 1877. The act specified that Griqualand West would have the right to elect four representatives to the Cape parliament, two for Kimberley and two for the Barkly West region. This number

1924-612: The Digger's Republic and the Republic of Griqualand West) and was also chosen as president. Klipdrift was promptly renamed "Parkerton" after the new president, who began to collect taxes (often at gunpoint). Factions in the Republic also implored the British Empire to impose its authority and annex the territory. By December of the same year about 10 000 British settlers made their home in the new republic. The republic sat next to

1998-527: The Free State Boers, like their Transvaal Republic neighbours, had drifted into financial straits. A paper currency had been instituted, and the notes, known as "bluebacks", soon dropped to less than half their nominal value. Commerce was largely carried on by barter , and many cases of bankruptcy occurred in the state. But as British annexation in 1877 saved the Transvaal from bankruptcy, so did

2072-541: The Griqua controlled several political entities which were governed by Kapteins or Kaptyns (Dutch for "Captain", i.e. leader) and their Councils, with their own written constitutions. The Griqua had also largely adopted the Afrikaans language before their migrations. Adam Kok I, the first Kaptein of the Griqua and recognised by the British, was originally a slave who had bought his own freedom. He led his people north from

2146-528: The Karoo rocks, giving the province its most precious natural resource, diamonds . The north is primarily Kalahari Desert, characterised by parallel red sand dunes and acacia tree dry savanna. Northern Cape has a shoreline in the west on the South Atlantic Ocean. It borders the following areas of Namibia and Botswana: Domestically, it borders the following provinces: The major river system

2220-535: The Langeberg Mountains, but with evidence of influence as far as the Upington area in the eighteenth century. From that period the archaeological record also reflects the development of a complex colonial frontier when precolonial social formations were considerably disrupted and there is an increasing 'fabric heavy' imprint of built structures, ash-heaps, and so on. The copper mines of Namaqualand and

2294-869: The Northern Cape from the vicinity of Warrenton . The Vaal, in turn, has tributaries within the province: the Harts River and the Riet River , which has its own major tributary, the Modder River . Above the Orange-Vaal confluence, the Seekoei River drains part of the northeastern Karoo into the Orange River above the Vanderkloof Dam . Next downstream from the Orange-Vaal confluence is the Brak River , which flows nonperennially from

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2368-714: The Orange Free State and the Griqua authorities, the Griqualand West Land Court was established in 1875, under Justice Andries Stockenström . Waterboer's claims to the diamond fields, strongly presented by his agent David Arnot, were based on the treaty concluded by his father with the British in 1834 and on various arrangements with the Kok chiefs; the Orange Free State based its claim on its purchase of Adam Kok's sovereign rights and on long occupation. The difference between proprietorship and sovereignty

2442-417: The Orange Free State, of which the one at Jagersfontein is the richest. Capital from Kimberley and London was soon provided with which to work them. After annexing Griqualand West, the British initially attempted to incorporate it into the Cape Colony, and put significant pressure on the Cape Government to annex it. The new Prime Minister of the Cape, John Molteno refused, citing the enormous public debt of

2516-666: The Orange Free State. A furore resulted, as accusations were leveled that Stockenström was biased, and sympathetic towards the Orange Free State President Johannes Brand . A form of resolution eventually came about in July 1876, when Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon , at that time secretary of state for the colonies, granted the Free State payment "in full satisfaction of all claims which it considers it may possess to Griqualand West." In

2590-519: The Western Cape (around the small le Fleur Griqua settlement at Kranshoek); and at Kokstad. The total Griqua population is unknown. The people were submerged by several factors. The most important factor were the racist policies of the Apartheid era, during which many of the Griqua people took on the mantle of "Coloured" fearing that their Griqua roots might place them at a lower level with than

2664-402: The agriculturalist Batswana , who migrated into the area from the north. They comprised the majority of the population throughout the region's history, up until the present day. By the early 19th century the whole area came to be dominated by the powerful Griqua people , who gave the region its name. The Griqua are a mixed people who originated in the intermarriages between Dutch colonists in

2738-578: The blacks. Genetic evidence indicates that the majority of the present Griqua population is descended from European, Khoikhoi and Tswana ancestors, with a small percentage of Bushman ancestry. (1820 split in the Griqua nation) (Continuation of dynasty in symbolic role until present day) Source: 28°45′00″S 24°46′00″E  /  28.7500°S 24.7667°E  / -28.7500; 24.7667 Northern Cape Province The Northern Cape ( Afrikaans : Noord-Kaap [ˈnuərtkɑːp] ; Tswana : Kapa Bokone ; Xhosa : Mntla-Koloni )

2812-474: The borders with the Free State in the southeast and with Namibia to the northwest. The river is also used to irrigate the many vineyards in the arid region near Upington . Native speakers of Afrikaans comprise a higher percentage of the population in the Northern Cape than in any other province. The Northern Cape's four official languages are Afrikaans, Tswana , Xhosa , and English . Minorities speak

2886-460: The case of Driekops Eiland near Kimberley), in a river bed. In the north eastern part of the province there are sites attributable to the Iron Age such as Dithakong . Environmental factors have meant that the spread of Iron Age farming westwards (from the 17th century – but dating from the early first millennium AD in the eastern part of South Africa) was constrained mainly to the area east of

2960-514: The colony was indeterminate and ebbed and flowed at the whim of individuals. While the VOC undoubtedly benefited from the trading and pastoral endeavours of the trekboers, it did little to control or support them in their quest for land. The high proportion of single Dutch men led to their taking indigenous women as wives and companions, and mixed-race children were born. They grew to be a sizeable population who spoke Dutch and were instrumental in developing

3034-485: The colony. These children did not attain the social or legal status accorded their fathers, mostly because colonial laws recognised only Christian forms of marriage. This group became known as Basters , or bastards. The colonists, in their paramilitary response to insurgent resistance from Khoi and San people, readily conscripted the Basters into commandos. This ensured the men became skilled in lightly armed, mounted, skirmish tactics. Equipped with guns and horses, many of

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3108-498: The diamond fields. The administration of this body was not satisfactory to the Boers, the diggers, the Griqua or the indigenous Tswana. Tension rapidly grew between these parties until Stafford Parker, a former British sailor, organised a faction of the diggers to drive all of the Transvaal officials out of the area. At the settlement of Klipdrift, on 30 July 1870 Stafford Parker declared the independent Klipdrift Republic (also known as

3182-483: The east receives most of its moisture from late summer thunderstorms. Many areas experience extreme heat, with the hottest temperatures in South Africa measured along the Namibian border. Summers maximums are generally 30 °C (86 °F) or higher, sometimes higher than 40 °C (104 °F). Winters are usually frosty and clear, with southern areas sometimes becoming bitterly cold, such as Sutherland , which often receives snow and temperatures occasionally drop below

3256-460: The influx of British and other immigrants to the diamond fields, in the early 1870s, restore public credit and individual prosperity to the Boers of the Free State. The diamond fields offered a ready market for stock and other agricultural produce. Money flowed into the pockets of the farmers. Public credit was restored. " Bluebacks " recovered par value, and were called in and redeemed by the government. Valuable diamond mines were also discovered within

3330-410: The interior of the Cape Colony. Probably because of discrimination against his people, they again moved north—this time outside the Cape, taking over areas previously controlled by San and Tswana people . This area, where most of the Griqua nation settled, was near the Orange River, just west of the Orange Free State, and on the southern skirts of the Transvaal. It came to be called Griqualand West , and

3404-399: The legislature for the first time. Sylvia Lucas was re-elected to her first full term as premier. In the 2019 election , the Northern Cape was considered competitive, with the DA hoping to win the province. In the end, the ANC returned as the majority party, albeit with a reduced majority. The DA was once again the official opposition with an increased seat total. The EFF made gains, while

3478-399: The length of the Orange River. Once free of the colonies, these groups called themselves the Oorlam. In particular, the group led by Klaas Afrikaner became notorious. He attracted enough attention from the Dutch authorities to cause him to be rendered to the colony and banished to Robben Island in 1761. One of the most influential of these Oorlam groups was the "Griqua". In the 19th century,

3552-525: The local Griqua attorney-general reported to the Cape Supreme Court , which got concurrent jurisdiction with the High Court of Griqualand West in the territory. The implementation of the act was set for 18 October 1880, when Griqualand West was formally united with the Cape Colony, followed soon afterwards by Griqualand East. Today, Basters are a separate ethnic group of similarly mixed origins living in south-central Namibia; Northern Cape at Campbell and Griquatown; (the historic territory of Griqualand West);

3626-413: The local population would be consulted in the process. Suspicious of British motives, in 1876 he travelled to London as plenipotentiary to make the case that union was the only viable way that the Cape could administer the divided and underdeveloped territory, and that a lop-sided confederation would be neither economically viable, nor politically stable. In short, Griqualand West should either be united with

3700-418: The most recent provincial election in 2024 are as follows: The ANC consistently has been the largest party in the Northern Cape since the end of Apartheid, although its position has been less dominant than it traditionally has been in most other provinces. In the first democratic provincial elections in 1994 , the ANC emerged as the largest party but failed to win an overall majority of seats. In order to form

3774-412: The opinion of Dr Theal, who has written the history of the Boer Republics and has been a consistent supporter of the Boers, the annexation of Griqualand West was probably in the best interests of the Orange Free State. "There was," he states, "no alternative from British sovereignty other than an independent diamond field republic." At this time, largely owing to the exhausting struggle with the Basutos ,

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3848-419: The original area, which now came to be called Griqualand West, Andries Waterboer took over control and founded the powerful Waterboer dynasty. The Waterboer Kapteins ruled the region until the influx of Europeans accompanying the discovery of diamonds, and to some degree afterwards too. In 1834, the Cape Colony recognized Waterboer's rights to his land and people. It signed a treaty with him to ensure payment for

3922-425: The other official languages of South Africa and a few people speak indigenous languages such as Nama and Khwe . The provincial motto, Sa ǁa ǃaĩsi 'uĩsi ("We go to a better life"), is in the Nǀu language of the Nǁnǂe (ǂKhomani) people. It was given in 1997 by one of the language's last speakers, Ms. Elsie Vaalbooi of Rietfontein , who has since died. It was South Africa's first officially registered motto in

3996-486: The politics of the Northern Cape. For example, it is the site of the Orania settlement, whose leaders have called for a Volkstaat for the Afrikaner people in the province. The Northern Cape is also the home of over 1,000 San who emigrated from Namibia following the independence of the country; they had served as trackers and scouts for the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War , and feared reprisals from their former foes. They were awarded

4070-422: The population described themselves as being atheist, agnostic, or having no religious affiliation. The Northern Cape provincial government is based in Kimberley , the provincial capital. The Northern Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa also sits in Kimberley. Like South Africa's other provinces, the Northern Cape has a parliamentary system of government, with the provincial premier elected by

4144-438: The province, mostly in open air locales or in sediments alongside rivers or pans, document Earlier, Middle and Later Stone Age habitation. From Later Stone Age times, mainly, there is a wealth of rock art sites – most of which are in the form of rock engravings such as at Wildebeest Kuil and many sites in the area known as ǀXam -ka !kau , in the Karoo . They occur on hilltops, slopes, rock outcrops and occasionally (as in

4218-429: The province. Most famous for the diamond mines around Kimberley , it also has mining activities for Manganese and iron ore. The Northern Cape also has a substantial agricultural area around the Orange River , including most of South Africa's sultana vineyards. Some Wine of Origin areas have been demarcated. The Orange River also attracts visitors who enjoy rafting tours around Vioolsdrif . Extensive sheep raising

4292-418: The provincial legislature. Thereafter the ANC would continue to maintain a majority in the legislature until 2024 . After the 2004 election , the ANC's Dipuo Peters replaced Dipico as Premier, and the Democratic Alliance (DA) replaced the New National Party as the official opposition. Following the 2009 election , which was again won the by ANC, the ANC's Hazel Jenkins became the new Premier, while

4366-449: The right to own & develop all of the land through which they moved, but only those areas in which they would settle. Other areas they could continue to move through, but were not given automatic title to own and develop. This resulted in the denial of many of the titles issued by the powerful Griqua Captain Nicolaas Waterboer , outside of his core areas around Griquatown and Albania, were also denied. It also effectively ruled in favour of

4440-473: The second-highest proportion of Setswana speakers, after North West province. The population of the Northern Cape is overwhelmingly Christian . As of the 2022 census, 97.8% of the population described themselves as Christians , the highest proportion among South Africa's provinces. Among other religions, 0.8% of the population described themselves as Muslim , and 0.7% of the population stated that they practiced Traditional African religions. Only 0.3% of

4514-407: The south and is in turn fed by the Ongers River , rising in the vicinities of Hanover and Richmond respectively. Along the Orange River near the town of Kakamas , the Hartebeest River drains the central Karoo . Above Kenhardt the Hartebeest is known as the Sak River , which has its source on the northern side of the escarpment, southeast of Williston . Further downstream from Kakamas, below

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4588-466: The territory under the administration of Queen Victoria . The offer was accepted, and on 27 October 1871 the district, together with some adjacent territory to which the Transvaal had laid claim, was proclaimed (under the name of Griqualand West Colony) British territory. Territorial disputes continued, even after the British annexation. When the annexation had taken place, a party in the Orange Free State volksraad had wished to go to war with Britain but

4662-466: The territory was centered on its capital "Klaarwater", later renamed Griekwastad ("Griquatown"). While much of the Griqua people now settled, many remained nomadic, and Adam Kok's people later split into several semi-nomadic nations. After a significant schism, a portion of the Griqua nation migrated to the south-east under the leadership of Adam Kok's son Adam Kok II (to the south-east they were later to found Philippolis and then Griqualand East . In

4736-445: The territory, as well as objections from portions of the indigenous and settler communities of Griqualand. Local control continued to pass increasingly from the Griqua kaptijns into the hands of the growing digger community of the diamond fields. The prospect of complete dis-empowerment in a "Diamond Fields Republic" became a significant concern of the remaining Griqua. Under pressure, the embattled Griqua leader Nicolaas Waterboer send

4810-429: The town is best known for the semi-precious stones found there, particularly tiger's eye and jasper . Sheep farming occurs with dorpers , a South African breed, which can now be found in places such as Australia . On 6th April 2012 ( Good Friday ), Griekwastad farmer Deon Steenkamp (44), his wife Christelle (43) and their daughter Marthella (14) were killed. Later, Marthella was also found to have been raped during

4884-413: The use of the land for mining. In both Griqualands, East and West, the Griqua were demographically outnumbered by the pre-existing Bantu people and, in some areas, by European settlers, and thus the two Griqualands maintained their Griqua identity only through political control. In the years 1870–1871 a large number of diggers moved into Griqualand West and settled on the diamond fields near the junction of

4958-449: The valley and called it Klaarwater . Their second choice was little better than their first, and for many years a lack of water prevented any further development. The name of the settlement was changed later to Griquatown or Griekwastad in Afrikaans . They lived among a mixed nomadic community of the Chaguriqua tribe and "bastaards" (people of mixed origin) from Piketberg . Their two leaders Andries Waterboer and Adam Kok II later had

5032-408: The west is famous for its Namaqualand daisies . The southern towns of De Aar and Colesberg found within the Great Karoo are major transport nodes between Johannesburg , Cape Town and Gqeberha . Kuruman can be found in the north-east and is known as a mission station. It is also well known for its artesian spring and Eye of Kuruman . The Orange River flows through the province, forming

5106-410: The wiser counsels of its president prevailed. The Orange Free State did not abandon its claims, believing that the diamond fields were the means of restoring the credit and prosperity of the Free State. Griqualand West was not financially viable, and carried with it enormous public debt. The matter continued for a considerable time and caused immense tension in southern Africa. In the face of claims from

5180-503: The −10 °C (14 °F) mark. As of the 2022 census , the Northern Cape had a population of 1,355,629, an increase of 18.3% from the prior census in 2011 . It is least populous and by a considerable margin the least densely populated of South Africa's nine provinces. The median age is 27, an increase of 2 years from 2011. In the 2022 census, 50.1% of the population described themselves as Black African , 41.6% as Coloured , 7.3% as White and 0.8% as Indian/Asian . Coloureds form

5254-459: Was born in 1821. There is now a museum that is dedicated to her rather than the founder of the town, William Anderson. That Griekwastad was later the capital of British Colony Griqualand West from 1873 to 1880, with its own flag and currency, before it was annexed into the Cape Colony . During the Apartheid era from 1969 till 2001, it was the garrison of the 4 Armoured Regiment, an SADF Tank Battalion equipped with Eland Mk7 Tanks. Nowadays,

5328-473: Was confused or ignored. That Waterboer exercised no authority in the disputed district was admitted. In a crucial finding Stockenström ruled that, as the Griqua people were nomadic, the Griqua chiefs (or "captains" ) were rulers over a people, but not over a fixed territory. The Griqua people had also only arrived in this part of southern Africa a little over 50 years before, in the early nineteenth century. The Griqua captains therefore did not automatically get

5402-411: Was doubled in 1882 ( Act 39 of 1882 ). The Cape Government also enforced its non-racial system of Cape Qualified Franchise . This meant that all resident males could qualify for the vote, with the property-ownership qualifications for suffrage applied equally, regardless of race. This was welcomed by the Griqua, but rejected by the recently arrived diggers of the Kimberley diamond fields. In the judiciary,

5476-533: Was proclaimed as a British colony, with its capital at Kimberley , and in 1880 it was annexed by the Cape Colony . When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, Griqualand West was part of the Cape Province but continued to have its own "provincial" sports teams. The indigenous population of the area were the Khoi-khoi and Bushmen peoples, who were hunter-gatherers or herders. Early on they were joined by

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