The country became a fully sovereign nation state within the British Empire, in 1934 following enactment of the Status of the Union Act. The monarchy came to an end on 31 May 1961, replaced by a republic as the consequence of a 1960 referendum, which legitimised the country becoming the Republic of South Africa.
When did South Africa become independent?
| Union of South Africa Unie van Zuid-Afrika (Dutch) Unie van Suid-Afrika (Afrikaans) | |
|---|---|
| • 1936 | Edward VIII |
| • 1936–1952 | George VI |
| • 1952–1961 (last) | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | |
What was South Africa called before?
The name “South Africa” is derived from the country’s geographic location at the southern tip of Africa. Upon formation, the country was named the Union of South Africa in English and Unie van Zuid-Afrika in Dutch, reflecting its origin from the unification of four formerly separate British colonies.
What happened in 1910 South Africa?
In 1910, the South Africa Act was passed in Britain granting dominion to the White minority over Native (African), Asiatic (mostly Indian) and “Coloured and other mixed races”. This Act brought the colonies and republics – Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal and Orange Free State – together as the Union of South Africa.
When did the British arrive in South Africa?
After the Napoleonic wars, Britain experienced a serious unemployment problem. Therefore, encouraged by the British government to immigrate to the Cape colony, the first 1820 settlers arrived in Table Bay on board the Nautilus and the Chapman on 17 March 1820.
When was South Africa colonized by the British?
Cape Colony, British colony established in 1806 in what is now South Africa. With the formation of the Union of South Africa (1910), the colony became the province of the Cape of Good Hope (also called Cape Province). For more detail, see Cape Province.
Is South Africa Dutch or British?
Increased European encroachment ultimately led to the colonisation and occupation of South Africa by the Dutch. The Cape Colony remained under Dutch rule until 1795 before it fell to the British Crown, before reverting back to Dutch Rule in 1803 and again to British occupation in 1806.
Did Oliver Tambo have siblings?
The Boers, also known as Afrikaners, were the descendants of the original Dutch settlers of southern Africa. … By mid June 1900, British forces had captured most major Boer cities and formally annexed their territories, but the Boers launched a guerrilla war that frustrated the British occupiers.
Who discovered South Africa?
The Portuguese mariner Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to explore the coastline of South Africa in 1488, while attempting to discover a trade route to the Far East via the southernmost cape of South Africa, which he named Cabo das Tormentas, meaning Cape of Storms.
When did the Zulu arrive in South Africa?
Zulu settlement and early life in Natal. It is thought that the first known inhabitants of the Durban area arrived from the north around 100,000 BC.
Why are they called Boers?
The term Boer, derived from the Afrikaans word for farmer, was used to describe the people in southern Africa who traced their ancestry to Dutch, German and French Huguenot settlers who arrived in the Cape of Good Hope from 1652.
Was South Africa a British colony?
The two European countries who occupied the land were the Netherlands (1652-1795 and 1803-1806) and Great Britain (1795-1803 and 1806-1961). Although South Africa became a Union with its own white people government in 1910, the country was still regarded as a colony of Britain till 1961.
Where was Zuma born?
1934 – The Union of South Africa parliament enacts the Status of the Union Act, which declares the country to be “a sovereign independent state”. The move followed on from Britain’s passing of the Statute of Westminster in 1931, which removed the last vestiges of British legal authority over South Africa.