2.3 The people frome europe and asia

Social sciences: history

Grade 5

Shaping a new society in s.a.

Module 8

The people from europe and asia

More and more seafarers called at the southern tip of Africa, especially to replenish their stock of fresh water and also to introduce the “country” to the rest of the world.

Some people left their countries of origin to settle here permanently. People who settle in another country are called immigrants.

The first white people who came to settle here were a group from the Netherlands who came with Jan van Riebeeck to Table Bay in 1652. They had been commissioned to build a fort and establish gardens. The Dutch vessels that passed the Cape on their way from Europe to the East would then be able to take fresh water, fruit and vegetables on board for the sailors.

The task that Jan van Riebeeck had been set demanded very hard work. While the Khoina still possessed land and livestock they did not want to work for the Dutchmen. After the arrival of the first large group of slaves in 1658, the Dutch East India Company regularly supplied the authorities at the Cape with slaves. When the British took over the Cape in 1795 there were more slaves than free burghers. In 1834 new laws were passed that determined that all slaves were to be emancipated. At the Cape the descendants of the slaves intermarried with people from the other groups. For instance, many children had a white father and a mother who had been a slave. A new population group was created. They were neither Malay slaves nor Negro slaves; neither white people from Europe, nor Khoina.

The Cape coloured people are descendants of the Khoina: emancipated slaves, free blacks, whites and Muslims. These coloured people initially worked as farm labourers, fishermen and artisans. They were given the vote at the Cape in 1853.

Activity 1:

To understand chronology and time about people from europe

Lo [3.3]

Early settlers from Europe

1. Imagine that you are a member of a Khoina tribe. Try to picture the meeting between your people and the Europeans. The sources below should be of some help to you!

SOURCE 1

SOURCE 2

One day some strange ships sailed into your bay. It did not seem as if the people were only going to load fresh water and then leave again, as previous ships had done. Most of them had long hair that reached down to their shoulders. Some of them wore huge hats, and one could see their hair sticking out from under these hats. Many of them also had hair on their faces. It was only when they started speaking to each other in their strange voices that one could make out that most of them were men.

Although it was sunny, they all wore clothes and leather shoes that covered most of their bodies. They looked much different from the Khoina. Most of these strange people were quite a bit taller than the Khoina, and their faces were red from the sun.

1. Imagine that you are Jan van Riebeeck. Your group of Dutch people have just landed in Table Bay …

After this first encounter with the Khoina, the Dutchmen, too, were amazed by the Khoina’s clothing, eating habits, appearance and language.