Reflections on the old Orange Free State

 The Orange Free State was formed on 23 February 1854,the Bloemfontein Convention (BC), after the British had decided to abandon the Orange River Sovereignty.

Initially, the OFS (Oranjie Vrystaat, in Afrikaans) was beset with difficulties from hostile neighbouring tribes and they suggested a Union with the British, at the Cape. This was flatly rejected as the new country had no wealth and was only a source of expense.

After, the First Bautho War ended inconclusively in 1858, the following year the Free Staters turned to the Transvaal but were informed by the British that such a move would end the Bloemfontein Convention. Already the British did not want a strong Afrikaner State in the North. However, in reality, such a Union would not have breached the BC but this was the first of many violations.

After the second Basutho War (starting in the middle of 1865), heavy losses were inflicted on Moshesh and he sued for peace in April the following year. This was only a ruse to buy time and July 1867 the third such conflict between Boer and Basutho erupted, with another defeat for Moshesh.

Having defeated the British on three earlier occasions the wily King now sought their protection as retribution approached. Sir Philip Wodehouse,at the Cape, issued a proclamation, on 12 March 1868, declaring the Basutos to be under British protection and the OFS was warned off.

The Boers were incensed because they felt the British had left the place in chaos in 1854 and had not given assistance in the 12 years of conflict until Moshesh was staring into the abyss of defeat.

The sending of Cape Mounted Police was another violation of the BC in which the British had pledged not to interfere North of the Orange River. President Brand and the OFS Volksraad protested, but the delegation to London was of no avail.

A new 'scrap of paper' was signed,on 12 February 1869, at Aliwal (Cape Colony) and renewed pledges of non-interference were signed. But then came the discovery of diamonds in a district that had been part of the old OR Sovereignty and was now part of the OFS.

So the attempt to nullify the Treaty of Aliwal was attempted with Waterboer, a Griqua chief making claims with Britain as his champion. The Lt-Gov of Natal,Keate,decided in favour of Waterboer while Sir Henry Barkly at the Cape  annexed the diamond territory for Britain,not Waterboer. This was the politics of the complete farce, or the stand-and-deliver diplomacy of the road agent (highwayman) of old.

President Brand had great difficulties controlling OFS indignation and bitterness at such perfidy. 

However, in 1876 a British judge threw out the Waterboer claims and so Brand sought the return of the land but the Imperial Government claimed it could not now be undone, instead offering 90,000 pounds in compensation. Given that diamonds extracted between 1871-1914 were worth about 139 million pounds it would seem a steal-which it was!.

These actions on the diamonds fields of the OFS was a fore runner to the political tactics after gold was later found in the Transvaal. British paramountcy had been threatened and rich prosperous Boer Republics could not be tolerated as Presidents Kruger (ZAR) and Steyn (OFS) were to find out in 1899.