Editing Boers

{{Short description|Descendants of Afrikaners beyond the Cape Colony frontier}}
{{Redirect|Boer|the surname|Boer (surname)|other uses|Boer (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|text= [[Dutch Surinamese|Boeroe]]s, descendants of Dutch conquers in [[Suriname]]}}
{{Use South African English|date= August 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Boers
| native_name      = {{native name|af|Boere|paren= omit}}
| image            = Boerfamily1886.jpg
| image_upright    = 1.2
| caption          = Boer family in 1886
| pop              = {{circa|1.5 million}}<ref>{{cite book|url= https://www.pology.com/article/051213.html|first= Jan|last= Stürmann|title= New Coffins, Old Flags, Microorganisms and the Future of the Boer|year= 2005|access-date= 2011-12-02}}</ref>
| languages        = [[Afrikaans]]
| religions        = [[Protestant Christianity]]
| related          = {{hlist|Other [[Afrikaners]]|[[Dutch people|Dutch]]| [[Flemish people|Flemish]]| [[French Huguenots]]| [[Germans in South Africa|Germans]]| [[Cape Coloureds]]}}
}}

'''Boers''' ({{IPAc-en|b|uːr|z}} {{respell|BOORZ}}; {{langx|af|Boere}}; {{IPA|af|ˈbuːrə|}}) are the descendants of the proto [[Afrikaans]]-speaking [[Free Burghers in the Dutch Cape Colony|Free Burghers]] of the eastern [[Cape Colony|Cape]] frontier<ref name="Du Toit 1998 1">{{cite book |url=https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&docId=27642806# |first= Brian M. |last= Du Toit |title= The Boers in East Africa: Ethnicity and Identity |year= 1998|page= 1 |access-date= 2011-12-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215023124/https://www.questia.com/read/27642806/the-boers-in-east-africa-ethnicity-and-identity |archive-date=15 February 2020}}</ref> in [[Southern Africa]] during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the [[Dutch East India Company]] controlled the [[Dutch Cape Colony]], which the United Kingdom incorporated into the [[British Empire]] in 1806.<ref name="Cameron 1991">
{{cite book|author1= Trewhella Cameron |author2= S. B. Spies|title= A new illustrated history of South Africa|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FqcvAQAAIAAJ|date= October 1991|publisher= Southern Book Publishers|isbn= 9781868123612}}</ref> The name of the group is derived from Trekboer then later "boer", which means "farmer" in [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and Afrikaans.<ref name= "isbn0-624-00533-X">{{cite book |author1= Bosman, D. B. |author2=Van der Merwe, I. W. |author3=Hiemstra, L. W.  |title= Tweetalige Woordeboek Afrikaans-Engels |publisher= Tafelberg-uitgewers |year= 1984 |isbn= 0-624-00533-X }}</ref>

In addition, the term {{lang|nl|Boeren}} also applied to those who left the [[British Cape Colony|Cape Colony]] during the 19th century to colonise the [[Orange Free State]], and the [[South African Republic|Transvaal]] (together known as the [[Boer Republics]]), and to a lesser extent [[Natalia Republic|Natal]]. They emigrated from the Cape to live beyond the reach of the British colonial administration, with their reasons for doing so primarily being the new Anglophone [[common law]] system being introduced into the Cape and the [[Slavery Abolition Act 1833|British abolition of slavery]] in 1833.<ref name="Cameron 1991"/>{{request quotation|date=September 2018}}<ref>
Compare:{{cite book| last1 = Walker| first1 = Eric Anderson| author-link1 = Eric A. Walker (historian)| chapter = 14: The Formation of new states, 1835–1854| editor1-last = Walker| editor1-first = Eric Anderson| editor1-link = Eric A. Walker (historian)| title = The Cambridge History of the British Empire| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ISg9AAAAIAAJ| volume = 8: South Africa, Rhodesia and the protectorates| location = Cambridge| publisher = Cambridge University Press| date = 1936| pages = 320–321 | access-date = 2018-09-15 | quote = In the latter part of 1834, the frontier districts were full of talk of a mass trek. Exploring parties rode out to South-West Africa, to the north-eastern Transvaal, and along the coast belt to Natal. [...] These preparations are conclusive evidence against the traditional idea that the two primary causes of the Great Trek were the inadequate compensation paid for emancipated slaves and the upsetting of D'Urban's settlement of the eastern frontier after the Kaffir War of 1834–5 by the combined forces of Downing Street and Exeter Hall. It is true that many Trekkers, and those the most vocal, came from the eastern frontier lands, but others came from the northern districts where there was no Kaffir menace. The overthrow of the settlement was only a subsidiary cause though a powerful one.}}</ref>

The term ''[[Afrikaners]]'' or ''Afrikaans people''<ref>{{Cite news|last=Pollak|first=Sorcha|title='The Irish remind me of Afrikaans people. They're quite reserved'|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/the-irish-remind-me-of-afrikaans-people-they-re-quite-reserved-1.4154039|access-date=2021-06-21|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref><ref name="iolDontCallMeBoer"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Afrikaans culture (ZA)|url=https://www.southafrica.net/za/en/travel/article/the-rich-and-diverse-afrikaans-culture|access-date=2021-06-21|website=southafrica.net}}</ref> is generally used in modern-day South Africa for the white Afrikaans-speaking population of [[South Africa]] (the largest group of [[White South Africans]]) encompassing the descendants of both the Boers, and the [[Cape Dutch]] who did not embark on the [[Great Trek]].

According to a genetic study, 4.7% of their DNA is of non-European origin. 1.3% being [[Khoisan]], 1.7% from [[Ethnic groups in South Asia|South Asia]] slightly less than 1% from [[East Asian people|East Asia]] and 0.8% from [[Black african|East and West Africa]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Schlebusch |first1=Carina |last2=Greeff |first2=Jaco |date=2021-05-20 |title=What genetic analysis reveals about the ancestry of South Africa's Afrikaners |url=https://theconversation.com/what-genetic-analysis-reveals-about-the-ancestry-of-south-africas-afrikaners-133242 |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Origin ==
=== European colonists ===
[[File:Flag of the Dutch East India Company.svg|thumb|upright=.75|Flag of the [[Dutch East India Company]]]]

The [[Dutch East India Company]] ({{langx|nl|Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie}}; VOC) was formed in the [[Dutch Republic]] in 1602, and at this time the Dutch had entered the competition for the colonial and imperial trade of commerce in Southeast Asia. The end of the [[Thirty Years' War]] in 1648 saw European soldiers and refugees widely dispersed across Europe. Immigrants from Germany, Scandinavia, and Switzerland traveled to the Netherlands in the hope of finding employment with the VOC. During the same year, one of their ships was stranded in [[Table Bay]] near what would eventually become [[Cape Town]], and the shipwrecked crew had to forage for themselves on shore for several months. They were so impressed with the natural resources of the country that on their return to the Dutch Republic, they represented to the VOC directors the advantages to be had for the Dutch Eastern trade from a properly provided and fortified station at the Cape. As a result, the VOC sent a Dutch expedition in 1652 led by [[Jan van Riebeek]], who constructed a fort and laid out vegetable gardens at Table Bay and took control over Cape Town, which he governed for a decade.

=== Free Burghers ===
{{Main|Free Burghers}}

VOC favoured the idea of freemen at the Cape and many workers of VOC requested to be discharged in order to become free burghers (citizens). As a result, Jan van Riebeek approved the notion on favourable conditions and earmarked two areas near the [[Liesbeek River]] for farming purposes in 1657. The two areas which were allocated to the freemen, for agricultural purposes, were named Greenfield and Dutch Garden. These areas were separated by the Amstel River (Liesbeek River). Nine of the best applicants were selected to use the land for agricultural purposes. The freemen or free burghers as they were afterwards termed, thus became subjects of VOC and were no longer its servants.<ref>Precis of the Archives of the Cape of Good Hope, January 1652 – December 1658, Riebeeck's Journal, H.C.V. Leibrandt, pp. 47–48</ref>

In 1671, the Dutch first purchased land from the indigenous [[Khoikhoi]] beyond the limits of the fort built by Van Riebeek; this marked the development of the [[Dutch Cape Colony|Colony proper]]. As the result of the investigations of a 1685 commissioner, the government worked to recruit a greater variety of immigrants to develop a stable community. They formed part of the class of {{lang|nl|vrijlieden}}, also known as {{lang|nl|vrijburgers}} ('free citizens'), former VOC employees who remained at the Cape after serving their contracts.<ref name=Hunt1>{{cite book|last=Hunt|first=John|editor-last=Campbell|editor-first=Heather-Ann|title=Dutch South Africa: Early Settlers at the Cape, 1652–1708|date=2005|pages=13–35|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|location=Philadelphia|isbn=978-1904744955}}</ref> A large number of {{lang|nl|vrijburgers}} became independent farmers and applied for grants of land, as well as loans of seed and tools, from VOC administration.<ref name=Hunt1/>

=== Dutch free immigrants ===
VOC authorities had been endeavouring to induce gardeners and small farmers to emigrate from Europe to South Africa, but with little success. They were only able to attract a few families through tales of wealth, but the Cape had little charm in comparison. In October 1670, however, the Chamber of Amsterdam announced that a few families were willing to leave for the Cape and Mauritius during the following December. Among the new names of burghers at this time are Jacob and Dirk van Niekerk, Johannes van As, Francois Villion, Jacob Brouwer, Jan van Eden, Hermanus Potgieter, Albertus Gildenhuis, and Jacobus van den Berg.<ref>G. M. Theal (1888). ''History of South Africa''. London. pp. 205–206</ref>

=== French Huguenots ===
During 1688–1689, the colony was greatly strengthened by the arrival of nearly two hundred French [[Huguenots]], who were political refugees from the religious wars in France following the revocation of the [[Edict of Nantes]]. They joined colonies at [[Stellenbosch]], [[Drakenstein]], [[Franschhoek]] and [[Paarl]].<ref>H. C. Viljoen, [https://web.archive.org/web/20091025222633/http://geocities.com/sa_stamouers/huguenots.htm "The Contribution of the Huguenots in South Africa"], 25 October 2009</ref> The influence of the Huguenots on the character of the colonists was marked, leading to the VOC directing in 1701 that only [[Dutch language|Dutch]] should be taught in schools. This resulted in the Huguenots assimilating by the middle of the 18th century, with a loss in the use and knowledge of [[French language|French]]. The colony gradually spread eastwards, and in 1754 land as far as [[Algoa Bay]] was included in the colony.

At this time the European colonists numbered eight to ten thousand. They possessed numerous slaves, grew wheat in sufficient quantity to make it a commodity crop for export, and were famed for the good quality of their [[South African wine|wines]]. But their chief wealth was in cattle. They enjoyed considerable prosperity.

Through the latter half of the 17th and the whole of the 18th century, troubles arose between the colonists and the government as the VOC administration was [[despotism|despotic]]. Its policies were not directed at development of the colony, but to profit the VOC. The VOC closed the colony against free immigration, kept the whole of the trade in its own hands, combined the administrative, legislative and judicial powers in one body, prescribed to the farmers the nature of the crops they were to grow, demanded a large part of their produce as a kind of tax, and made other exactions.

=== Trekboers ===
{{Main|Trekboers}}
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2021}}

From time to time, indentured VOC servants were endowed with the right of ''freeburghers'' but the VOC retained the power to compel them to return into its service whenever they deemed it necessary. This right to force into servitude those who might incur the displeasure of the governor or other high officers was not only exercised with reference to the individuals themselves; it was claimed by the government to be applicable to their children as well.

The [[tyranny]] caused many to feel desperate and to flee from oppression, even before the 1700 [[Trekboer|trekking]] began. In 1780, [[Joachim van Plettenberg]], the governor, proclaimed the [[Sneeuberge]] to be the northern boundary of the colony, expressing "the anxious hope that no more extension should take place, and with heavy penalties forbidding the rambling peasants to wander beyond". In 1789, so strong had feelings amongst the burghers become that delegates were sent from the Cape to interview the authorities at [[Amsterdam]]. After this deputation, some nominal reforms were granted.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
Image:Burchell02.jpg|Descending from the Sneeuberge, a scene near [[Graaff-Reinet]], by [[William John Burchell|Burchell]]
Image:Charles Michell03.jpg|Passing Cradock Pass, [[Outeniqua Mountains]], by [[Charles Collier Michell]]
Image:Daniell Trekboer.jpg|An [[aquatint]] by [[Samuel Daniell]] of Trekboers making camp
Image:TrekBoers crossing the Karoo.jpg|Trekboers crossing the [[Karoo]] by [[Charles Davidson Bell]]
</gallery>

It was largely to escape oppression that the farmers trekked farther and farther from the seat of government. VOC, to control the emigrants, established a magistracy at [[Swellendam]] in 1745 and another at [[Graaff Reinet]] in 1786. The [[Gamtoos River]] had been declared, {{circa|1740}}, the eastern frontier of the colony but it was soon passed. In 1780, however, the Dutch, to avoid collision with the [[Bantu peoples]], agreed with them to make the [[Great Fish River]] the common boundary. In 1795 the heavily taxed burghers of the frontier districts, who were afforded no protection against the Bantus, expelled the VOC officials, and set up independent governments at Swellendam and Graaff Reinet.

The trekboers of the 19th century{{who|date=February 2021}} were the lineal descendants of the trekboers of the 18th century. The end of the 19th century saw a revival of the same tyrannical monopolist policy as that in the VOC government in the [[South African Republic|Transvaal]]. If the formula, "In all things political, purely despotic; in all things commercial, purely monopolist", was true of the VOC government in the 18th century, it was equally true of [[Paul Kruger|Kruger]]'s government in the latter part of the 19th.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}{{Clarify|date=February 2021}}

The underlying fact which made the trek possible is that the Dutch-descended colonists in the eastern and northeastern parts of the colony were not cultivators of the soil, but of purely pastoral and nomadic habits, ever ready to seek new pastures for their flocks and herds, possessing no special affection for any particular locality. These people, thinly scattered over a wide territory, had lived for so long with little restraint from the law that when, in 1815, by the institution of "Commissions of Circuit", justice was brought nearer to their homes, various offences were brought to light, the remedying of which caused much resentment.

The Dutch-descended colonists in the eastern and northeastern parts of the colony, as a result of the [[Great Trek]], had removed themselves from governmental rule and become widely spread out. However, the institution of "Commissions of Circuit" in 1815 allowed the prosecution of crimes, with offences committed by the trekboers—notably including many against people they had enslaved—seeing justice. These prosecutions were very unpopular amongst the trekkers and were seen as interfering with their rights over the enslaved people they viewed as their property.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
Image:Trekboer migration map.png|A map of the expansion of the Trekboers (1700–1800)
Image:Nederlandse Kaapkolonie.svg|Evolution of the [[Dutch Cape Colony]] (1700–1800)
Image:Kapkolonie 1795.jpg|Administrative divisions of the Dutch Cape Colony 
</gallery>

<!-- Quote is too big. Either convert to prose or remove (August 2018)
{{Quote box
 |quote = The Dutch colony prospered to the extent that the Cape Town market for agricultural produce became glutted. With market stagnation and with slaves providing most of the manual labour in the colony, there were few economic opportunities for the burgeoning white population. Eventually more than half of these people turned to the self-sufficient life of the trekboeren (literally "wandering farmers" but perhaps better translated as "dispersed ranchers").<br>The Boers were hostile toward indigenous African peoples, with whom they fought frequent range wars, and toward the government of the Cape, which was attempting to control Boer movements and commerce. They overtly compared their way of life to that of the Israel patriarchs of the Bible, developing independent patriarchal communities based upon a mobile pastoralist economy. Staunch Calvinists, they saw themselves as the children of God in the wilderness, a Christian elect divinely ordained to rule the land and the backward natives therein. By the end of the 18th century the cultural links between the Boers and their urban counterparts were diminishing, although both groups continued to speak a type of Flemish.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/71276/Boer Encyclopædia Britannica Online] Boer (people)</ref>
 |source =  [[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]]
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== Invasion of the Cape Colony ==
{{Main|Invasion of the Cape Colony}}
The [[Invasion of the Cape Colony]] was a British military expedition launched in 1795 against the [[Dutch Cape Colony]] at the [[Cape of Good Hope]]. The Netherlands had fallen under [[French First Republic|the revolutionary government of France]] and a British force under [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] Sir [[James Henry Craig]] was sent to Cape Town to secure the colony from the French for the [[William V, Prince of Orange|Prince of Orange]], a refugee in England. [[Dutch Cape Colony#Commanders and governors of the Cape Colony (1652–1806)|The governor of Cape Town]] at first refused to obey the instructions from the Prince, but when the British proceeded to land troops to take possession anyway, he capitulated. His action was hastened by the fact that the [[Khoekhoe|Khoikhoi]], escaping from their former enslavers, flocked to the British standard. The burghers of Graaff Reinet did not surrender until a force had been sent against them; in 1799 and again in 1801 they rose in revolt. In February 1803, as a result of the [[peace of Amiens]] (February 1803), the colony was handed over to the [[Batavian Republic]] which introduced many reforms, as had the British during their eight years' rule. One of the first acts of General Craig had been to abolish torture in the administration of justice. The country still remained essentially Dutch, and few British citizens were attracted to it. Its cost to the British exchequer during this period was [[£]]16,000,000.{{Citation needed |date=March 2022}} The Batavian Republic entertained very liberal views as to the administration of the country, but had little opportunity to enact them.{{Citation needed |date=March 2022}}

When the [[War of the Third Coalition]] broke out in 1803, a British force was once again sent to the Cape. After an engagement (January 1806) on the shores of Table Bay, the Dutch garrison of [[Castle of Good Hope]] surrendered to the British under [[David Baird, 1st Baronet|Sir David Baird]], and in the [[1814 Anglo-Dutch treaty]] the colony was ceded outright by The Netherlands to [[The Crown|the British crown]]. At that time the colony extended to the line of mountains guarding the vast central plateau, then called Bushmansland (after a name for the [[San people]]), and had an area of about {{gaps|120|000}}&nbsp;sq&nbsp;km and a population of some {{gaps|60|000}}, of whom {{gaps|27|000}} were whites, {{gaps|17|000}} free Khoikhoi and the rest enslaved people, mostly non-indigenous blacks and Malays.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

=== Dislike of British rule ===
Although the colony was fairly prosperous, many of the Dutch farmers were as dissatisfied with British rule as they had been with that of the VOC, though their grounds for complaint were not the same. In 1792, [[Margraviate of Moravia|Moravian]] missions had been established which targeted the Khoikhoi, and in 1799 the [[London Missionary Society]] began work among both Khoikhoi and the Bantu peoples. The missionaries' championing of Khoikhoi grievances caused much dissatisfaction among the majority of the Dutch colonists, whose views temporarily prevailed, for in 1812 an ordinance was issued which empowered magistrates to bind Khoikhoi children as apprentices under conditions which differed little from [[slavery]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Theal |first=George McCall |title=History of South Africa |publisher=S. Sonnenschein, Lowrey, & Co. |year=1894 |edition=5th |location=London |pages=101–111}}</ref> Simultaneously, the movement for the [[Abolitionism in the United Kingdom|abolition of slavery]] was gaining strength in England, and the missionaries appealed from the colonists to the mother country.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

=== Slachter's Nek ===
A farmer named Frederick Bezuidenhout refused to obey a summons issued on the complaint of a Khoikhoi, and, firing on the party sent to arrest him, was killed by the return fire. This caused a small [[rebellion]] in 1815, known as [[Slachter's Nek Rebellion|Slachters Nek]], described as "the most insane attempt ever made by a set of men to wage war against their sovereign" by Henry Cloete. Upon its suppression, five ringleaders were publicly hanged at the spot where they had sworn to expel "the English tyrants". The feeling{{Clarify|reason=What feeling was it?|date=March 2021}} caused by the hanging of these men was deepened by the circumstances of the execution, as the scaffold on which the rebels were simultaneously hanged broke down from their united weight and the men were afterwards hanged one by one. An ordinance was passed in 1827, abolishing the old Dutch courts of {{lang|nl|[[landdrost]]}} and {{lang|nl|heemraden}} (resident [[magistrate]]s being substituted) and establishing that henceforth all legal proceedings should be conducted in English. The granting in 1828, as a result of the representations of the missionaries, of equal rights with whites to the Khoikhoi and other free [[coloured]] people, the imposition (1830) of heavy penalties for harsh treatment of enslaved people, and finally the emancipation of the enslaved people in 1834, were measures which combined to aggravate the farmers' dislike of government. Moreover, what the Boers viewed as the inadequate compensation for the freeing of the slaves, and the suspicions engendered by the method of payment, caused much resentment; and in 1835 the farmers again removed themselves to unknown country to escape the government. While emigration beyond the colonial border had been continuous for 150 years, it now took on larger proportions.{{Citation needed |date=March 2022}}

== Cape Frontier Wars (1779–1879) ==
{{main|Xhosa Wars}}
[[Image:Cape Colony00.jpg|thumb|upright=2|Map of the [[Cape Colony]] in 1809, early [[History of the Cape Colony from 1806 to 1870|British rule]]]]

The migration of the trekboers from the [[Cape Colony]] into the [[Eastern Cape]] parts of South Africa, where the native Xhosa people had established settlements, gave rise to a series of conflicts between the Boers and the Xhosas. In 1775 the Cape government established a boundary between the trekboers and the Xhosas at the Bushmans and Upper Fish Rivers. The Boers and Xhosas ignored the boundary, with both groups establishing homes on either side of the frontier. Governor van Plettenberg attempted to persuade both groups to respect the boundary line without success. The Xhosas were accused of stealing cattle and in 1779 a series of skirmishes erupted along the border which initiated the 1st Frontier War.<ref name=SMSA>"A short chronicle of warfare in South Africa", Compiled by the Military Information Bureau, Published: ''Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies'', Vol. 16, Nr. 13, 1986</ref>

The frontier remained unstable, resulting in the outbreak of the 2nd Frontier War in 1789. Raids carried out by Boers and Xhosas on both sides of the boundary caused much friction in the area which resulted in several groups being drawn into the conflict. In 1795, the British invasion of the Cape Colony resulted in a change of government. After the government takeover the British began to draw up policies with regards to the frontier resulting in a Boer rebellion in [[Graaff-Reinet]]. The policies caused the Khoisan tribes to join some Xhosa chiefs in attacks against British forces during the 3rd Frontier War (1799–1803).<ref name=SMSA />

Peace was restored to the area when the British, under the [[Treaty of Amiens]], returned the Cape Colony to the Dutch Batavian Republic in 1803. In January 1806 during a second invasion, the British reoccupied the colony after the [[Battle of Blaauwberg]]. Tensions in the Zuurveld led the colonial administration and Boer colonists to expel many of the Xhosa tribes from the area, initiating the 4th Frontier War in 1811. Conflicts between the Xhosas on the frontier led to the 5th Frontier War in 1819.<ref name=SMSA />

The Xhosas, due to dissatisfaction with vacillating government policies regarding where they were permitted to live, undertook large-scale cattle thefts on the frontier. The Cape government responded with several military expeditions. In 1834 a large Xhosa force moved into the Cape territory, which began the 6th Frontier War. Additional fortifications were built by the government and mounted patrols were not well received by the Xhosas, who continued with raids on farms during the 7th Frontier War (1846–1847). The 8th (1850–1853) and 9th Frontier Wars (1877–1878) continued at the same pace as their predecessors. Eventually the Xhosas were defeated and the territories were brought under British control.<ref name=SMSA />

== Great Trek ==
{{Main|Great Trek}}

[[Image:Great Trek map full.png|thumb|upright=2|A map charting the routes of the largest trekking parties during the first wave of the Great Trek (1835–1840) along with key battles and events.]]
The Great Trek occurred between 1835 and the early 1840s. During that period some 12,000 to 14,000 Boers (including women and children), impatient with British rule, emigrated from Cape Colony into the great plains beyond the [[Orange River]], and across them again into [[Natalia Republic|Natal]] and the vastness of the [[Zoutspansberg]], in the northern part of the Transvaal. Those Trekboers who occupied the eastern Cape were semi-nomadic. A significant number in the eastern Cape frontier later became {{lang|af|Grensboere}} ('border farmers') who were the direct ancestors of the [[Voortrekkers]].

The Boers addressed several correspondence to the British Colonial Government before leaving the Cape Colony as reasons for their departure. [[Piet Retief]], one of the leaders of the Boers during the time, addressed a letter to the government on 22 January 1837 in [[Grahamstown]] stating that the Boers did not see any prospect for peace or happiness for their children in a country with such internal commotions. Retief further complained about the severe financial losses which they felt had resulted from the laws of the British administration. While there was financial compensation for the freeing of the people they had enslaved, the Boers found it to be inadequate. They also felt that the English church system was incompatible with the [[Dutch Reformed Church]]. By this time the Boers had already formed a separate code of laws in preparation for the great trek and were aware of the dangerous territory they were about to enter. Retief concluded his letter with "We quit this colony under the full assurance that the English Government has nothing more to require of us, and will allow us to govern ourselves without its interference in future".<ref>History of the Emigrant Boers in South Africa, 2nd ed, G.M. Theal, London 1888.</ref>

== Boer states and republics ==
{{Main|Boer republics}}
[[File:BoerGriquaRepublics.svg|thumb|upright=2|Boer and Griqua Republics]]

As the [[Voortrekkers]] progressed further inland, they continued to establish Boer colonies on the interior of South Africa.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Description !! Dates !! Area
|-
| {{flagi|Flag of the Netherlands.svg}} [[Republic of Swellendam]] || 17 June – 4 November 1795 || [[Swellendam, Western Cape]]
|-
| {{flagi|Flag of the Netherlands.svg}} [[Graaff-Reinet|Republic of Graaff-Reinet]] ||1 February 1795 – November 1796|| [[Graaff-Reinet, Eastern Cape]]
|-
| {{flagi|Voortrekker Flag.svg}} [[Zoutpansberg]] ||1835–1864|| [[Limpopo]]
|-
| {{flagi|Voortrekker Flag.svg}} [[Winburg]] ||1836–1844|| [[Free State (province)|Free State]]
|-
| {{flagi|South African Burgers Flag.svg}} [[Potchefstroom]] ||1837–1844|| [[North West (South African province)|North West]]
|-
| {{flag|Natalia Republic}} ||1839–1902|| [[Eastern Cape]]
|-
| {{flagi|South African Burgers Flag.svg}} [[Potchefstroom|Winburg-Potchefstroom]]  ||1844–1843|| [[Potchefstroom, North West]]
|-
| {{flagi|Flag of Natalia Republic.svg}} [[KwaZulu-Natal|Republic of Klip River]] ||1847–1848|| [[Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal]]
|-
| {{flagi|Flag of the Netherlands.svg}} [[Lydenburg Republic]] ||1849–1860|| [[Lydenburg, Mpumalanga]]
|-
| {{flagi|Flag of the Netherlands.svg}} [[Utrecht Republic]] ||1852–1858|| [[Utrecht, KwaZulu-Natal]]
|-
| {{flag|South African Republic}} || 1852–1877, 1881–1902|| [[Gauteng]], [[Limpopo]]
|-
| {{flag|Orange Free State}} ||1854–1902|| [[Free State (province)|Free State]]
|-
| {{flagi|Flag of Transvaal.svg}} [[Klein Vrystaat]] ||1876–1891|| [[Piet Retief, Mpumalanga]]
|-
| {{flagi|Flag of the Republic of Goshen.svg}} [[State of Goshen]] ||1882–1883|| [[North West (South African province)|North West]]
|-
| {{flagi|Flag of Stellaland (early 1883).svg}} [[Republic of Stellaland]] ||1882–1883|| [[North West (South African province)|North West]]
|-
| {{flagi|Flag of Stellaland (1883-5).svg}} United States of Stellaland ||1883–1885|| [[North West (South African province)|North West]]
|-
| {{flagi|Flag of Nieuwe Republiek.svg}} [[Nieuwe Republiek|New Republic]] ||1884–1888|| [[Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal]]
|-
| {{flagi|Flag of the German Empire.svg}} [[Upingtonia|Republic of Upingtonia/Lijdensrust]] ||1885–1887|| [[Namibia]]
|}

== Anglo-Boer wars ==
{{Main|First Boer War|Second Boer War}}
[[File:Boer Family with a wagon - false colour image.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Boer family traveling by covered wagon circa 1900]]

Following the British annexation of the Transvaal in 1877, [[Paul Kruger]] was a key figure in organizing a Boer resistance which led to expulsion of the British from the Transvaal. The Boers then fought the [[Second Boer War]] in the late 19th and early 20th century against the British in order to ensure the republics of the Transvaal (the [[South African Republic|{{lang|af|Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek|nocat=true}}]]) and the [[Orange Free State]], remaining independent, ultimately capitulating in 1902.<ref>{{cite book |first=Martin |last=Meredith |title=Diamonds, Gold, and War: The British, the Boers, and the Making of South Africa |publisher=Public Affairs |year=2007 |page=[https://archive.org/details/diamondsgoldwarb00mere/page/74 74] |isbn=978-1-58648-473-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/diamondsgoldwarb00mere/page/74 }}</ref>

=== Boer War diaspora ===
{{See also|Afrikaner#Post Boer War diaspora|l1=Boer War diaspora}}

After the Second Boer War, a Boer [[diaspora]] occurred. Starting in 1903, the largest group emigrated to the [[Patagonia]] region of [[Argentina]] and to [[Brazil]]. Another group emigrated to the [[Kenya Colony|British colony of Kenya]], from where most returned to South Africa during the 1930s, while a third group under the leadership of General [[Ben Viljoen]] emigrated to [[Mexico]] and to [[New Mexico]] and [[Texas]] in the southwestern United States.

== 1914 Boer Revolt ==
{{Main|Maritz Rebellion}}
The Maritz Rebellion (also known as the Boer Revolt, the Five Shilling Rebellion or the Third Boer War) occurred in 1914 at the start of [[World War I]], in which men who supported the re-creation of the [[Boer republics]] rose up against the government of the [[Union of South Africa]] because they did not want to side with the British against the [[German Empire]] so soon after the war with the British.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

Many Boers had [[Germans|German ancestry]] and many members of the government were themselves former Boer military leaders who had fought with the Maritz rebels against the British in the Second Boer War. The rebellion was put down by [[Louis Botha]] and [[Jan Smuts]], and the ringleaders received heavy fines and terms of imprisonment. One, [[Jopie Fourie]], an officer in the [[South African Army|Union Defence Force]], was convicted for treason when he refused to take up arms alongside the British, and was executed by the South African government in 1914.

== Characteristics ==

=== Language ===
{{Main|Afrikaans}}

Afrikaans is a [[West Germanic languages|West Germanic language]] spoken widely in [[South Africa]] and [[Namibia]], and to a lesser extent in [[Botswana]] and [[Zimbabwe]]. It evolved from the Dutch vernacular<ref>K. Pithouse, C. Mitchell, R. Moletsane, Making Connections: Self-Study & Social Action, p.91</ref><ref name=Heese1971>{{cite book |publisher=A. A. Balkema |location=Cape Town |title=Die herkoms van die Afrikaner, 1657–1867 |ol=5361614M |author=J. A. Heese |date=1971 |oclc=1821706 |language=af |trans-title=The origin of the Afrikaner }}</ref> of [[South Holland]] ([[Hollandic dialect]])<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/kloe004herk01_01/kloe004herk01_01.pdf| title = Herkomst en groei van het Afrikaans – G.G. Kloeke (1950)}}</ref><ref name="Heeringade Wet2015">{{cite journal|last1=Heeringa|first1=Wilbert|last2=de Wet|first2=Febe|last3=van Huyssteen|first3=Gerhard B.|title=The origin of Afrikaans pronunciation: a comparison to west Germanic languages and Dutch dialects|journal=Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus|volume=47|year=2015|issn=2224-3380|doi=10.5842/47-0-649|url=https://www.ajol.info/index.php/splp/article/view/133815|doi-access=free}}</ref> spoken by the mainly Dutch colonists of what is now South Africa, where it gradually began to develop distinguishing characteristics in the course of the 18th century.<ref name="coetzee">{{Cite book |url=http://www.dbnl.org/arch/coet003stan01_01/pag/coet003stan01_01.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.dbnl.org/arch/coet003stan01_01/pag/coet003stan01_01.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Standaard Afrikaans |access-date=2014-09-17 |author=Abel Coetzee |publisher=Afrikaner Pers |year=1948 }}</ref> Hence, it is a [[daughter language]] of Dutch, and was previously referred to as ''Cape Dutch'' (also used to refer collectively to the [[Cape Dutch|early Cape colonists]]) or ''kitchen Dutch'' (a derogatory term used in its earlier days). However, it is also variously (although incorrectly) described as a [[Creole language|creole]] or as a partially [[Creolisation|creolised]] language.<ref group="n">Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see {{harvnb|Booij|1999|p=2}}, {{harvnb|Jansen|Schreuder|Neijt|2007|p=5}}, {{harvnb|Mennen|Levelt|Gerrits|2006|p=1}}, {{harvnb|Booij|2003|p=4}}, {{harvnb|Hiskens|Auer|Kerswill|2005|p=19}}, {{harvnb|Heeringa|de Wet|2007|pp=1, 3, 5}}.<br/>Afrikaans was historically called Cape Dutch; see {{harvnb|Deumert|Vandenbussche|2003|p=16}}, {{harvnb|Conradie|2005|p=208}}, {{harvnb|Sebba|1997|p=160}}, {{harvnb|Langer|Davies|2005|p=144}}, {{harvnb|Deumert|2002|p=3}}, {{harvnb|Berdichevsky|2004|p=130}}.<br/>Afrikaans is rooted in seventeenth century dialects of Dutch; see {{harvnb|Holm|1989|p=338}}, {{harvnb|Geerts|Clyne|1992|p=71}}, {{harvnb|Mesthrie|1995|p=214}}, {{harvnb|Niesler|Louw|Roux|2005|p=459}}.<br/>Afrikaans is variously described as a [[creole language|creole]], a partially creolised language, or a deviant variety of Dutch; see {{harvnb|Sebba|2007|p=116}}.</ref> The term is ultimately derived from Dutch {{lang|nl|Afrikaans-Hollands}} meaning ''African Dutch''.

=== Culture ===
[[File:G.S. Smithard; J.S. Skelton (1909) - The Voortrekkers.jpg|thumb|Painting depicting the Bullock wagons moving over the billowy plains, 2 January 1860]]
The desire to wander, known as {{lang|af|trekgees}}, was a notable characteristic of the Boers. It figured prominently in the late 17th century when the Trekboers began to inhabit the northern and eastern Cape frontiers, again during the Great Trek when the Voortrekkers left the eastern Cape ''en masse'', and after the major republics were established during the Thirstland ('{{lang|af|Dorsland}}') Trek.<ref name="ransford">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/ransford/chap13.htm | first=Oliver |last=Ransford |title=The Great Trek |year=1973 |chapter=13: Epilogue |access-date=2011-12-02}}</ref> One such trekker described the impetus for emigrating as, "a drifting spirit was in our hearts, and we ourselves could not understand it. We just sold our farms and set out northwestwards to find a new home".<ref name="ransford"/>
A rustic characteristic and tradition was developed quite early on as Boer society was born on the frontiers of white colonisation and on the outskirts of Western civilisation.<ref name="Du Toit 1998 1"/>

The Boer quest for independence manifested in a tradition of declaring republics, which predates the arrival of the British; when the British arrived, Boer republics had already been declared and were in rebellion from the VOC.<ref name="Mills">{{cite web |url=http://husky1.smu.ca/~wmills/course316/18White_Settlers.html |first=Wallace G. |last=Mills |title=White Settlers in South Africa to 1870 |access-date=2011-12-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235742/http://husky1.smu.ca/~wmills/course316/18White_Settlers.html |archive-date=26 September 2007  }}</ref>

=== Beliefs ===
The Boers of the frontier were known for their independent spirit, resourcefulness, hardiness, and self-sufficiency, whose political notions verged on anarchy but had begun to be influenced by republicanism.<ref name="Mills" />

The Boers had cut their ties to Europe as they emerged from the Trekboer group.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url = https://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/ransford/chap1.htm|first=Oliver |last=Ransford |title=The Great Trek |year=1973 |chapter=1: Trekboers | access-date=2011-12-02}}</ref>

The Boers possessed a distinct [[Protestant culture]], and the majority of Boers and their descendants were members of a [[Reformed Church]]. The {{lang|af|[[Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk]]}} ('Dutch Reformed Church') was the national Church of the South African Republic (1852–1902). The Orange Free State (1854–1902) was named after the Protestant [[House of Orange]] in the [[Netherlands]].

The [[Calvinist]] influence, in such fundamental Calvinist doctrines such as unconditional [[predestination]] and [[divine providence]], remains present in a minority of Boer culture, who see their role in society as abiding by the national laws and accepting calamity and hardship as part of their Christian duty. Many Boers have since converted denominations and are now members of [[Baptist]], [[Charismatic]], [[Pentecostal movement|Pentecostal]] or [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Churches]].

== Modern usage ==
During recent times, mainly during the [[apartheid]] reform and post-1994 eras, some white [[Afrikaans]]-speaking people, mainly with conservative political views, and of Trekboer and Voortrekker descent, have chosen to be called {{lang|af|Boere}}, rather than ''Afrikaners'', to distinguish their identity.<ref name="web. archive. org">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080422063509/http://www.chico.mweb.co.za/art/2007/2007mar/070309-bang.html Yolandi Groenewald. "Bang bang – you’re dead"], ''Mail & Guardian Online''.</ref> They believe that many people of [[Voortrekker]] descent were not assimilated into what they see as the [[Cape Province|Cape]]-based Afrikaner identity. They suggest that this developed after the [[Second Anglo-Boer War]] and the subsequent establishment of the [[Union of South Africa]] in 1910. Some Boer nationalists have asserted that they do not identify as a [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] element of the political spectrum.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20031001202018/http://rebellie.org/Raaktief/rk_openletter_ISS.htm Dr. Tobias Louw. "Open Letter to the Institute for Security Studies"], 1 October 2003</ref>

They contend that the Boers of the South African Republic and Orange Free State republics were recognised as a separate people or cultural group under international law by the [[Sand River Convention]] (which created the South African Republic in 1852),<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1741482| title = The Sand River Convention.}}</ref> the [[Bloemfontein Convention]] (which created the Orange Free State Republic in 1854), the [[Pretoria Convention]] (which re-established the independence of the South African Republic 1881), the [[London Convention (1884)|London Convention]] (which granted the full independence to the South African Republic in 1884), and the [[Peace of Vereeniging|Vereeniging Peace Treaty]], which formally ended the Second Anglo-Boer War on 31 May 1902. Others contend, however, that these treaties dealt only with agreements between governmental entities and do not imply the recognition of a Boer cultural identity ''per se''.

The supporters of these views feel that the Afrikaner label was used from the 1930s onwards as a means of politically unifying the white Afrikaans speakers of the Western Cape with those of Trekboer and Voortrekker descent in the north of South Africa, where the Boer Republics were established.<ref name="web. archive. org"/>

Since the Anglo-Boer war, the term {{lang|af|Boerevolk}} ('farmer people') was rarely used in the 20th century by the various regimes because of the effort to assimilate the {{lang|af|Boerevolk|italics=no}} with the Afrikaners. A portion of those who are the descendants of the {{lang|af|Boerevolk|italics=no}} have reasserted use of this designation.<ref name="web. archive. org"/>

The supporters of the ''Boer'' designation view the term ''Afrikaner'' as an artificial political label which usurped their history and culture, turning Boer achievements into Afrikaner achievements. They feel that the Western-Cape based Afrikaners – whose ancestors did not trek eastwards or northwards – took advantage of the republican Boers' destitution following the Anglo-Boer War. At that time, the Afrikaners attempted to assimilate the Boers into the new politically based cultural label.<ref name="web. archive. org"/><ref>[http://www.oulitnet.co.za/seminarroom/marais_swart.asp Sandra Swart. ''Journal of Southern African Studies.'' 30.4, Dec 2004] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308014642/http://www.oulitnet.co.za/seminarroom/marais_swart.asp |date=8 March 2010 }}.</ref><ref>Adriana Stuijt (former South African journalist). "Boer, Afrikaner Or White – Which Are You?" 2004.</ref>

In contemporary South Africa, ''Boer'' and ''Afrikaner'' have often been used interchangeably.{{dubious|date=May 2018}} {{lang|af|Afrikaner}} directly translated means ''African'', and thus refers to all Afrikaans-speaking people in Africa who have their origins in the Cape Colony founded by Jan Van Riebeeck. ''Boer'' is a specific group within the larger Afrikaans-speaking population.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A dictionary of contemporary world history : over 2800 entries|last1=Christopher|first1=Riches|last2=Palmowski|first2=Jan|isbn=9780191802997|year=1965|publisher=Oxford University Press |oclc=965506087}}</ref>{{verify source|date=May 2018}}

During apartheid, ''Boer'' was used by opponents of apartheid in various contexts, referring to institutional structures such as the [[National Party (South Africa)|National Party]], or to specific groups of people, such as members of the [[South African Police|Police Force]] (colloquially known as ''Boere'') and [[South African Army|Army]], Afrikaners, or [[white South Africans]] generally.<ref name="mg1">{{Cite web |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2011-05-19-shoot-the-boer-lost-in-translation/ |title='Shoot the boer': Lost in translation? |last=Quintal |first=Genevieve |website=The M&G Online |date=19 May 2011 |language=en |access-date=2019-03-16}}</ref><ref name="dmh">{{Cite web |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2010-03-29-kill-the-boer-a-brief-history/ |title='Kill the Boer': a brief history |last=Brkic |first=Branko |website=Daily Maverick |date=29 March 2010 |language=en |access-date=2019-03-16}}</ref> This usage is often viewed as pejorative in contemporary South Africa.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Boer – definition of Boer in A Dictionary of South African English – DSAE|url=https://dsae.co.za/entry/boer/e00946|access-date=2021-06-21|website=dsae.co.za}}</ref><ref name="iolDontCallMeBoer">{{Cite news|title=Don't call me a boer|url=https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/opinion/dont-call-me-a-boer-1610759|access-date=2021-06-21|website=iol.co.za|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=ConCourt rules 'boer' not offensive racist term {{!}} eNCA|url=https://www.enca.com/news/concourt-rules-boer-not-offensive-racist-term|access-date=2021-06-21|website=enca.com|language=en|archive-date=14 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514174621/https://www.enca.com/news/concourt-rules-boer-not-offensive-racist-term|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Politics ===
* [[Boere-Vryheidsbeweging]]
* [[Boerestaat Party]]
* [[Freedom Front Plus]]
* [[Front National (South Africa)|Front National]]
* [[Herstigte Nasionale Party]]
* [[National Conservative Party of South Africa]]

=== Education ===
The [[BCVO|Movement for Christian-National Education]] is a federation of 47 Calvinist private schools, primarily in the Free State and the Transvaal, committed to educating Boer children from grade 0 through to 12.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bcvo.co.za/ | title=Beweging vir Christelik Volkseie Onderwys |access-date=2011-12-01}}</ref>

=== Media ===
Some local radio stations promote the ideals of those who identify with the Boer people, like [[Radio Rosestad 100.6 FM]] (in Bloemfontein), [[Overvaal Stereo]] and [[Radio Pretoria]]. An internet-based radio station, ''[[Boervolk Radio]]'', promotes Boer separatism.

=== Territories ===
{{See also|Volkstaat}}

Territorial areas in the form of a {{lang|af|Boerestaat}} ('Boer State') are being developed as colonies exclusively for Boers/Afrikaners, notably [[Orania, Northern Cape|Orania]] in the Northern Cape and [[Kleinfontein]] near [[Pretoria]].

==Notable Boers== <!-- This section is linked from [[Lists of people by nationality]] -->
'''Voortrekker leaders'''
* [[Sarel Cilliers]]
* [[Andries Hendrik Potgieter]]
* [[Andries Pretorius]]
* [[Piet Retief]]

'''Great trek'''
* [[Racheltjie de Beer]]
* [[Dirkie Uys]]
* [[Marthinus Jacobus Oosthuizen]]

'''Participants in the Second Anglo-Boer War'''
* [[Koos de la Rey]], general; regarded as being one of the great military leaders of the Second Anglo-Boer War
* [[Danie Theron]], soldier
* [[Christiaan Rudolf de Wet]], general
* [[Siener van Rensburg]], considered a prophet by some

'''Politicians'''
* [[Louis Botha]], first prime minister of South Africa (1910–1919) and former Boer general
* [[Petrus Jacobus Joubert]], general and cabinet member of the Transvaal Republic
* [[Paul Kruger]], president of the [[Transvaal Republic]]
* [[Martinus Theunis Steyn]], 6th State President of the [[Orange Free State]]

'''Spies'''
* [[Robey Leibbrandt]]
* [[Fritz Joubert Duquesne]], Boer captain known as the ''Black Panther'' who served in the [[Second Boer War]]

== Persecution ==
Since the early 2000s, South African farmers, including many Boers, have faced a wave of violent attacks in rural areas, often involving extreme brutality such as torture and murder.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-12-01 |title=South African farmers fearing for their lives |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/9716539/South-African-farmers-fearing-for-their-lives.html |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Farmers tortured and killed in horror raids |url=https://www.news.com.au/world/africa/farmer-killings-farmers-tortured-and-killed-in-horrific-south-africa-raids/news-story/1aae3fe47328ada3b6a3d369675877df |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228142127/https://www.news.com.au/world/africa/farmer-killings-farmers-tortured-and-killed-in-horrific-south-africa-raids/news-story/1aae3fe47328ada3b6a3d369675877df |archive-date=2022-12-28 |access-date=2025-01-14 |work=news |language=en-GB}}</ref> These incidents, which have drawn international attention, have led many within the Boer community to fear for their safety. During a political rally for the far-left political party [[Economic Freedom Fighters]], [[Julius Malema]] and his supporters chanted, "Kill the Boer," while thousands of his supporters roared with approval and pointed their fingers in the air like guns.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eligon |first=John |date=2023-08-02 |title=‘Kill the Boer’ Song Fuels Backlash in South Africa and U.S. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/world/africa/south-africa-kill-boer-song.html |access-date=2025-05-13 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Some have emigrated to countries like Australia, while others have invested in private security measures to protect their families and property.<ref>{{cite web |date=2024-12-08 |title=Farmers in South Africa claim they are being targeted in 'horrific' attacks {{!}} The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/south-africa-white-farmers-plaasmoorde-cyril-ramaphosa-anc-economic-freedom-fighters-gabriel-stols-a8262306.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208194925/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/south-africa-white-farmers-plaasmoorde-cyril-ramaphosa-anc-economic-freedom-fighters-gabriel-stols-a8262306.html |access-date=2025-01-14 |archive-date=8 December 2024 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The ongoing attacks remain a significant concern for South Africa's rural communities. In 2020 a group of protestors in [[Senekal]] demanded that two men accused of murdering white farmers be handed over to them. The protest fell into chaos, and was described as “anarchic” by Justice Minister [[Ronald Lamola]]. Protestors attempted to force their way into the court cells, and a police vehicle was overturned and set alight.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-10-07 |title=South Africa white farmers condemned for storming Senekal courthouse |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54441374 |access-date=2025-01-14 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==In modern fiction==
The history of the Cape Colony and the Boers in South Africa is covered at length in the 1980 novel ''[[The Covenant (novel)|The Covenant]]'' by American author James A. Michener.

The Boers appear as a civilization in the 'Scramble to Africa' scenario in ''[[Civilization V: Brave New World]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kalle-online.net/blog/civilization-5-scramble-africa-scenario-strategy-achievement-guide/|title=Civilization 5 Scramble for Africa Scenario Strategy and Achievement Guide|last=Kalweit|first=Robert|date=30 May 2014|access-date=1 December 2024|website=kalle-online.net}}</ref> Paul Kruger leads the civilization during the scenario. The Boers' unique unit is the foreign volunteer.

== See also ==
{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|
* [[Boerboel]]
* ''[[Boerehaat]]''
* [[Boer goat]]
* [[Boer music]]
* [[Settler colonialism]]
* [[South African farm attacks]]
* [[Transvaal civil war]]
* [[Transvaal Colony]]}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=n}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

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{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Boers}}
* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=South Africa |display=South Africa § III. History |volume=25 |pages=469–81 |short=x}}
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Boer|year=1905 |short=x}}

{{Ethnic groups in South Africa}}
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[[Category:Afrikaner people|*]]
[[Category:Afrikaans words and phrases]]
[[Category:Dutch words and phrases]]
[[Category:Great Trek]]
[[Category:Society of South Africa]]