Reports From The Dorsland And Other Pioneering Regions

‘Shortly after his appointment as lecturer in Stellenbosch, historian PJ van der Merwe turned his attention to the Northwest. In those days the region was mostly unknown to people outside this part of the world. Like today, there was uncertainty then about the boundaries of this region and its sub-regions … Berigte uit die Dorsland, compiled by Van der Merwe’s daughter, Margaretha Schäfer, contains more than 200 of his magazine and newspaper articles. The articles, based on interviews and observations, offer a wealth of important information that he gathered during two extensive visits to the Northwest and surrounding regions … He realised, long before most historians, that a personal interview with someone, who has had a particular experience, was an important historical source. But, it was essential to test the evidence and verify it with that of other people. The articles in Die Burger, Die Huisgenoot, Die Landbouweekblad and Sarie Marais are accompanied by excellent photographs taken by Van der Merwe.’ HERMANN GILIOMEE

"Shortly after his appointment as lecturer in Stellenbosch, historian PJ van der Merwe turned his attention to the Northwest. In those days the region was mostly unknown to people outside this part of the world. Like today, there was uncertainty then about the boundaries of this region and its sub-regions ... Berigte uit die Dorsland, compiled by Van der Merwe's daughter, Margaretha Schäfer, contains more than 200 of his magazine and newspaper articles. The articles, based on interviews and observations, offer a wealth of important information that he gathered during two extensive visits to the Northwest and surrounding regions ... He realised, long before most historians, that a personal interview with someone, who has had a particular experience, was an important historical source. But, it was essential to test the evidence and verify it with that of other people. The articles in Die Burger, Die Huisgenoot, Die Landbouweekblad and Sarie Marais are accompanied by excellent photographs taken by Van der Merwe."--Page ii.

This work on the pioneering history of the Boers in the Cape Colony (South Africa) before the Great Trek (1835-1846) is primarily based on research in various archives and libraries. However, the author PJ van der Merwe (1912-1979) found it desirable to personally visit different areas mentioned in the book to get to know the country and the people better and to gather oral tradition and personal information. In carrying out this fieldwork during 1938 and 1939, the author covered 15,000 miles by car and questioned hundreds of people (old pioneers, farmers, teachers, magistrates, school inspectors, livestock inspectors, surveyors and police agents). This investigation not only enabled him to better interpret the sometimes fragmentary data found in the archives and old travel descriptions, but also served to supplement it.

The Lower !Garib, or Orange River, flows through the historical Namaqualand and since 1990 has formed the international border between Namibia and South Africa. The contributors to this volume focus on this hardly discussed stretch of the Orange River to understand the region's social history, geography, and economy. This book brings together scholars from Namibia, South Africa, and overseas, as well as the knowledge and analysis from people living in the region. In concise chapters and short portraits, they discuss the region's past and present from a variety of perspectives.

Translated by Margaretha Schaefer, Pioneers of the Dorsland provides a journalistic account of PJ van der Merwe's travels to the Northwest where he interviewed farmers, clergymen, teachers, businessmen, policemen, officials of the magistrate court, divisional council and school board. Van der Merwe introduces the narrative by explaining that it focuses on the peculiar migratory way of life of the region's half-nomadic pioneers. He highlights his efforts as an exhaustive attempt that may prove useful to any future historian interested in the area. Van der Merwe also published other similar works during his time as a researcher, traveller, historian and journalist - Die Noordwaartse Beweging van die Boere voor die Groot Trek, 1770-1842, Die Trekboer in die Geskiedenis van die Kaapkolonie, 1657-1842 and Trek: Studies oor die Mobiliteit van die Pioniersbevolking aan die Kaap. Pioneers of the Dorsland is also available in Afrikaans.

This is the only comprehensive account of all eight species in the genus Adansonia. It describes the historical background from the late Roman period to the present. It covers the extraordinary variety of economic uses of baobabs. There are also appendices on vernacular names, gazetteer, economics, nutrition and forest mensuration. This book fills a gap in the botanical literature. It deals with a genus that has fascinated and intrigued scientists and lay persons for centuries.

The Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) is one of the most intriguing conflicts of modern history. It has been labeled many things: the first media war, a precursor of the First and Second World Wars, the originator of apartheid. The difference in status and resources between the superpower Great Britain and two insignificant Boer republics in southern Africa was enormous. But, against all expectation, it took the British every effort and a huge sum of money to win the war, not least by unleashing a campaign of systematic terror against the civilian population. In The Boer War, winner of the Netherland's 2013 Libris History Prize and shortlisted for the 2013 AKO Literature Prize, the author brings a completely new perspective to this chapter of South African history, critically examining the involvement of the Netherlands in the war. Furthermore, unlike other accounts, Martin Bossenbroek explores the war primarily through the experiences of three men uniquely active during the bloody conflict. They are Willem Leyds, the Dutch lawyer who was to become South African Republic state secretary and eventual European envoy; Winston Churchill, then a British war reporter; and Deneys Reitz, a young Boer commando. The vivid and engaging experiences of these three men enable a more personal and nuanced story of the war to be told, and at the same time offer a fresh approach to a conflict that shaped the nation state of South Africa.