Theme
Land
Events involving occupation, grants, purchases, leases, concessions, displacement, and competing claims to land.
Source required before publication.
Events
c. 1480 (before Dias)Khoekhoe pastoral communities established at the Cape1657VOC officials formulate territorial separation measuresFebruary 1657First free burgher farms established along the Liesbeeck RiverMay 1659–April 1660First Khoikhoi–Dutch War1660VOC constructs a fortified Liesbeeck frontierApril 1660Negotiated peace ends the First Khoikhoi–Dutch War1672VOC concludes disputed land-transfer agreements with Khoekhoe leadersAugust 1672VOC establishes an agricultural outpost at Hottentots Holland1673VOC records a land transaction with Chaitain Dhouw18 July 1673Second Khoikhoi–Dutch War begins25 June 1677Cochoqua submission ends the seventeenth-century Khoikhoi–Dutch war1680Stellenbosch settlement founded16 July 1685Constantia granted to Simon van der Stel1687Upper Berg River Valley opened to free-burgher settlementc. 1690sTrekboer pastoral expansion emerges beyond the settled districts1705–1707Burgher opposition to Willem Adriaan van der Stel intensifies3 July 1714VOC establishes the loan-place system1743Swellendam is founded1778VOC extends eastern boundary to the Fish and Bushmans rivers1779–1781First Frontier War1780–1781Van Jaarsveld’s commandos claim to clear the Zuurveld1786Graaff-Reinet is foundedAugust 1788–29 April 1790Jan Paerl leads a Khoekhoe resistance movement1789–1793Second Frontier War1799–1803Third Frontier War1811–1812Fourth Frontier War6 August 1813Cape loan places become eligible for perpetual quitrent1829Kat River Settlement established1834–1835Sixth Frontier War1835–1840The Great Trek20 October 1836Battle of Vegkop4–6 February 1838Retief–Dingane deed and the killing of Retief's party1846–1847Seventh Frontier War (War of the Axe)1850–1853Eighth Frontier War1858First Basotho War1861–1863Adam Kok III leads the Griqua trek to Nomansland1865–1868Seqiti War and the later Basotho Wars27 October 1871Griqualand West proclaimed British territory16 May 1876Boer–Pedi war begins1877–1878Ninth Frontier War30 October 1888Rudd Concession signed with Lobengula1894Glen Grey Act19 June 1913Natives Land Act becomes law1936Native Trust and Land Act extends land restrictions1948–1960Apartheid-era removals1950Group Areas Act1955Sophiatown forced removals begin1966District Six declared a white Group Area2013Economic Freedom Fighters founded9 November 2023Slangrivier title-deed programme reaches its final handover