COMMENT | Gertrude Kamya Othieno | The claim by South African Boers – descendants of Dutch settlers – that they have a legitimate right to the land because they arrived before the Bantu-speaking people reflects a wider colonial mindset that shaped European expansion in both the Americas and Australia. This narrative, often used to justify territorial control, overlooks crucial facts and erases the rich, pre-existing cultures of indigenous peoples. A comparison of Boer expansion in South Africa with European colonization in the Americas and Australia reveals similar patterns of justification and expulsion.
Colonization as “discovered”
The Boers’ claim to the right to South African lands reflects the mindset of European colonizers who saw America and Australia as “empty” or terra nullius. This legal concept disregarded the presence of Native Americans and Aborigines, allowing European settlers to justify their claims. The Boers depicted their inland expansion during the Great Migration as a pioneering movement into an untamed wilderness, conveniently ignoring the long-established presence of African communities.
Colonization in North America began with the voyages of Columbus in 1492, while Australia was claimed by the British in 1788. Both were driven by a sense of divine or cultural mission to bring “civilization” to lands perceived as underutilized or unowned in the European context. Similarly, the Boers saw themselves as God’s chosen people, entitled to land through religious and cultural superiority.
The myth of before arrival
The legitimacy of the Boer claim is grounded in a distorted historical timeline. Their claim to have arrived in South Africa before the Bantu reflects the belief held by European settlers that they were the first to “discover” America and Australia. This myth was constructed to justify land ownership, despite significant archaeological and historical evidence to the contrary.
In reality, Bantu-speaking peoples had been migrating to southern Africa for roughly 1,000 years before the Dutch arrived at the Cape in 1652. During the inland movement of the Boers into regions such as the Highveld in the 19th century, they encountered well-established African communities, including the Zulu, Xhosa and Sotho. This situation is similar to European settlers in North America, who encountered sophisticated Native American societies, and the British in Australia, where Aborigines had lived for over 60,000 years before colonization.
Perpetration and conflict
Like European settlers in the Americas and Australia, the Boers engaged in violent conflicts with South Africa’s indigenous population, leading to displacement through warfare, forced displacement, and dishonorable treaties. In North America, colonizers often waged wars and implemented forced displacement strategies, such as the Trail of Tears, to claim indigenous lands for European agricultural expansion. The British in Australia systematically pushed Aboriginal communities from their ancestral lands.
The Boers, who believed they had a right to the land, clashed violently with African groups, particularly during events such as the Anglo-Zulu War. Their westward expansion was marked by a Calvinist belief in their divine right to the land, which mirrored the colonial attitudes of their European counterparts.
Misunderstanding of land use and ownership
A key parallel between the Boers and European settlers lies in different perceptions of land ownership. Indigenous peoples in the Americas, Australia and South Africa often practiced communal land use, managing land collectively rather than holding on to individual ownership. This communal perspective conflicted with the European emphasis on private property.
In South Africa, the Boers introduced European agricultural methods and established private farms, disregarding the communal and migratory practices of the Khoisan and Bantu peoples. Similarly, European settlers in North America and Australia imposed their property systems on land traditionally used in common by indigenous groups, reinforcing the idea that these lands were “unclaimed”.
Conclusion
The Boers’ claim to South African land, based on the belief that they were the first inhabitants, follows the same colonial logic that justified European control of the Americas and Australia. In all three cases, the narrative of being the “first” settlers serves to erase the presence of indigenous peoples and legitimize conquest. The enduring impact of these colonial ideologies is evident today in ongoing battles over land rights and historical justice in South Africa, North America and Australia. Understanding these parallels is essential to recognizing the complexity of colonial history and its enduring consequences.
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Gertrude Kamya Othieno | Political sociologist in social development (Alumna – London School of Economics/Political Science) | Email – gkothieno@gmail.com
