The British wanted to control South Africa because it was one of the trade routes to India. British rule made their country increasingly a country of industry and business. The Boers also felt that the native Africans were inferior and should be treated as slaves. The British insisted that Africans should have rights.

Why did the British settle in South Africa?

Initially British control was aimed to protect the trade route to the East, however, the British soon realised the potential to develop the Cape for their own needs. With colonialism, which began in South Africa in 1652, came the Slavery and Forced Labour Model.

What did Britain do to South Africa?

When Great Britain imperialized South Africa in 1870s, they took over most of the natural resources and industries. Mining for diamonds and gold were two of the major industries that the economy was centered around.

When did Britain take over South Africa?

The British occupied the Cape in 1795, ending the Dutch East India Companys role in the region. Although the British relinquished the colony to the Dutch in the Treaty of Amiens (1802), they reannexed it in 1806 after the start of the Napoleonic Wars.

Why was South Africa colonized?

In 1657 the colonial authorities started a process of allotting farms to European settlers (free burghers) in the arable regions around Cape Town, where wine and wheat became the major products. Increased European encroachment ultimately led to the colonisation and occupation of South Africa by the Dutch.