125-670: The Kruger Millions is a legendary hoard of gold reputed to have been hidden in South Africa or sent overseas by or on behalf of President Paul Kruger to avoid it being captured by the British during the Second Boer War . The legend begins on the 29 May 1900, as the British prepared to take Pretoria, Paul Kruger and the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek (Z.A.R.) government fled the capital to Middelburg and had given orders to empty
250-599: A Mr. J. P. Kloppers, who was an employee of the then government, stated in an affidavit, that he had seen the Government on wheels, in the three last mentioned stations, at two of which, he received salaries for the officials at Noordkaap. These salaries were paid out 75% in "Bluebacks" (paper money) and 25% in properly minted gold coins. Towards the end of 1901, the Government convoy went to Steenkampsberg, where Mr. Kloppers again visited them. He states that he definitely did not see any more coined pounds, or blanks at that stage. As
375-545: A diary in which he had noted clearly and carefully in detail that on 31 August 1900 that gold was handed over to a German firm, Wilken and Ackerman, in Lourenço Marques (Maputo). There were 62 cases of gold and this firm credited the account of the government of the Z.A.R. for the full value. They supplied the Boer forces with a large amount of provisions and necessities amongst which was a total of 44,000 bags of flour. In terms of
500-475: A framework, the nationalist government classified all peoples into three races ( Whites , Blacks , Indians and Coloured people (people of mixed race) ) and developed rights and limitations for each. The white minority (less than 20%) controlled the vastly larger black majority. The legally institutionalised segregation became known as apartheid . While whites enjoyed the highest standard of living in all of Africa, comparable to First World Western nations,
625-456: A generally temperate climate because it is surrounded by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans on three sides, because it is located in the climatically milder Southern Hemisphere , and because its average elevation rises steadily toward the north (toward the equator) and further inland. This varied topography and oceanic influence result in a great variety of climatic zones. The climatic zones range from
750-480: A genuine Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek National Bank bag certainly lends some credence to the stories that some of the Kruger Millions were sent to Europe. Due to the nature of secret war time activity there is not a lot of written evidence and all parties involved have since passed. This unfortunately leaves a lot of room for speculation and disagreement including in this article and as such the marvel and mystery of
875-681: A half after the discovery of the cape sea route, Jan van Riebeeck established a victualling station at the Cape of Good Hope, at what would become Cape Town , on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. In time, the cape became home to a large population of vrijlieden , also known as vrijburgers ( lit. ' free citizens ' ), former company employees who stayed in Dutch territories overseas after serving their contracts. Dutch traders also brought thousands of enslaved people to
1000-409: A high point of 62 years in 1992 to a low of 53 in 2005, and the failure of the government to take steps to address the pandemic in its early years. In May 2008, riots left over 60 people dead. The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions estimated that over 100,000 people were driven from their homes. The targets were mainly legal and illegal migrants , and refugees seeking asylum, but a third of
1125-459: A new addition to the story) that lay hidden in the Blyde River area in the province of Mpumalanga . Later this same story was picked up by a journalist Gustav Preller and adapted it to himself becoming the main protagonist. In 'The Star' of 7 November 1931, he wrote of the important role he played in preventing the gold of the Z.A.R. from landing in the hands of the British forces. This story gave
1250-522: A period of intense political and economic crisis since 2020 with growing numbers of international institutions, businesses and political figures warning that the country risks collapsing into a failed state due to high unemployment, low economic growth, low business investment, rising levels of violent crime, disorder, political corruption, and state capture . The country has been undergoing an energy crisis since 2007, resulting in routine rolling electricity blackouts due to loadshedding . According to
1375-470: A period of significant upheaval, led to the formation of various African kingdoms, including the Zulu Kingdom . The region was further colonised, and diamonds and gold were discovered , bringing a shift towards industrialisation and urbanisation. The Union of South Africa was created in 1910 out of the former Cape , Natal , Transvaal , and Orange River colonies, becoming a republic in 1961 . Though
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#17328696198831500-610: A privy-mark also labelled with "The Lost Hoard" on the 2019 quarter oz gold proof Krugerrand. Both sets come with a booklet on the history of the Kruger Ponds by Professor François Malan and a replica of the Z.A.R. National Bank bag in which they were found. How these coins came to be in the Netherlands and later the Swiss vault and who owned them or provided the necessary provenance has not been disclosed but that they were supposedly found in
1625-607: A rather exciting for the general public with many people descending on Ermelo to find their fortune. This story ultimately proved to be a rather elaborate hoax to attract tourism to Ermelo by Athol Stark, the Ermelo councillor who headed up the Tourism Board for the town. "Kruger" ponds only started being minted in 1892 not 1889 as the story attests. In 2016, an April Fools article by the Northcliff Melville Times claimed that
1750-643: A second term in office by the National Assembly against the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters , Julius Malema . South Africa is in southernmost Africa, with a coastline that stretches more than 2,500 km (1,553 mi) and along two oceans (the South Atlantic and the Indian). At 1,219,912 km (471,011 sq mi), South Africa is the 24th-largest country in the world. Excluding
1875-684: A shipping line and in January 1890 the Chancellor began looking for a German shipping company to set up a line to Africa subsidized for over ten years with 900,000 marks a year. As no company was ready, the Reich announced the establishment of a shipping company. On 19 April 1890 DOAL was founded with a capital of six million marks by a consortium of German banks and the Hamburg merchants Adolph Woermann , F. Laeisz, August Bolten, and Hansen & Co. C. Woermann took over
2000-469: A system of non-racial franchise had existed in the Cape, it was gradually eroded, and the vast majority of Black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994. The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous racial segregation . After a largely non-violent struggle by the African National Congress and other anti-apartheid activists both inside and outside
2125-406: A total of 258,742 ounces of unaccounted gold. Of interest, it is documented that 788,000 Z.A.R. 1900 Ponds had been minted in the first five months of 1900. This seems very unlikely as the most ever minted in a full year was 336,000 in 1895 on the only minting press available " Oom Paul " - the feat would just be physically impossible if they continued to work the same hours, which they did, up until
2250-617: A transition of policies and government. In 1990, the National Party government took the first step towards dismantling discrimination when it lifted the ban on the ANC and other political organisations. It released Nelson Mandela from prison after 27 years of serving a sentence for sabotage. A negotiation process followed. With approval from the white electorate in a 1992 referendum , the government continued negotiations to end apartheid. South Africa held its first universal elections in 1994 , which
2375-576: Is believed the coins remained for over a hundred years. According to the SA Mint the coins were originally stored in the Netherlands before being sent to Switzerland for safe keeping during World War II. The Lost Hoard coins have subsequently been sold as individual lots by the SA Mint in two sets. The first set features an 1893-1900 Lost Hoard Kruger half-pond together with a privy-mark labelled "The Lost Hoard" proof 2019 1/10 gold oz Krugerrand. The second set comprises an 1893-1900 Lost Hoard Kruger full pond and
2500-580: Is considered one of the most unequal countries in the world, if not the most unequal. 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 British colonies. Since 1961, the long formal name in English has been
2625-651: Is known as Namaqualand , which becomes more arid near the Orange River. The little rain that falls tends to fall in winter, which results in one of the world's most spectacular displays of flowers carpeting huge stretches of veld in spring (August–September). South Africa also has one offshore possession, the small sub-Antarctic archipelago of the Prince Edward Islands, consisting of Marion Island (290 km or 110 sq mi) and Prince Edward Island (45 km or 17 sq mi) South Africa has
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#17328696198832750-570: Is often referred to as the " rainbow nation " to describe the country's multicultural diversity, especially in the wake of apartheid. Recognised as a middle power in international affairs, it maintains significant regional influence and is a member of BRICS , the African Union , SADC , SACU , the Commonwealth of Nations , and the G20 . A developing , newly industrialised country , South Africa has
2875-475: Is rare. The coldest place on mainland South Africa is Buffelsfontein in the Eastern Cape , where a temperature of −20.1 °C (−4.2 °F) was recorded in 2013. The Prince Edward Islands have colder average annual temperatures, but Buffelsfontein has colder extremes. The deep interior of mainland South Africa has the hottest temperatures: a temperature of 51.7 °C (125.06 °F) was recorded in 1948 in
3000-694: Is surrounded by the Great Escarpment whose eastern, and highest, stretch is known as the Drakensberg . Mafadi in the Drakensberg at 3,450 m (11,320 ft) is the highest peak. The KwaZulu-Natal–Lesotho international border is formed by the highest portion of the Great Escarpment which reaches an altitude of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). The south and south-western parts of the plateau (at approximately 1,100–1,800 m above sea level) and
3125-521: Is the administrative capital, while Cape Town , as the seat of Parliament , is the legislative capital. Bloemfontein has traditionally been regarded as the judicial capital. The largest and most populous city is Johannesburg , followed by Cape Town and the busiest port city in sub-Saharan Africa, Durban . Archaeological findings suggest that various hominid species existed in South Africa about 2.5 million years ago, and modern humans inhabited
3250-469: The Dutch East India Company were shipwrecked at the cape for several months. The sailors were able to survive by obtaining fresh water and meat from the natives. They also sowed vegetables in the fertile soil. Upon their return to Holland, they reported favourably on the cape's potential as a "warehouse and garden" for provisions to stock passing ships for long voyages. In 1652, a century and
3375-596: The Highveld . This relatively well-watered area is home to a great proportion of the country's commercial farmlands and contains its largest conurbation (Gauteng). To the north of Highveld, from about the 25° 30' S line of latitude, the plateau slopes downwards into the Bushveld , which ultimately gives way to the Limpopo River lowlands or Lowveld . The coastal belt, below the Great Escarpment, moving clockwise from
3500-682: The Indian Ocean trade . The events around Mapungubwe's collapse circa 1300 are unknown, however trade routes shifted north from the Limpopo to the Zambezi , precipitating the rise of Great Zimbabwe . The hill was abandoned and Mapungubwe's population scattered. In 1487, the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias led the first European voyage to land in southern Africa. On 4 December, he landed at Walfisch Bay (now known as Walvis Bay in present-day Namibia). This
3625-828: The International Court of Justice regarding Israel 's conduct in the Gaza Strip as part of the Israel–Hamas war , alleging that Israel had committed and was committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. South Africa has repeatedly hosted senior leaders of Hamas , the group responsible for the October 7th massacre in Israel. Following the 2024 general elections , the African National Congress saw its share of
3750-484: The International Monetary Fund , South Africa is suffering from "massive corruption" and state capture. The Zondo Commission , established in 2018 in order to investigate allegations of corruption and state capture released its findings in 2022. It found rampant corruption at every level of government, including Transnet , Eskom , and Denel , as well as law enforcement , intelligence agencies , and
3875-713: The Native Location Act of 1879 and the system of pass laws . Eight years after the end of the Second Boer War and after four years of negotiation, the South Africa Act 1909 granted nominal independence while creating the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910. The union was a dominion that included the former territories of the Cape, Transvaal and Natal colonies, as well as the Orange Free State republic. The Natives' Land Act of 1913 severely restricted
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4000-729: The Outeniqua and Langeberg ranges to the south and the Swartberg range to the north is known as the Little Karoo , which consists of semi-desert shrubland similar to that of the Great Karoo, except that its northern strip along the foothills of the Swartberg Mountains has a somewhat higher rainfall and is, therefore, more cultivated than the Great Karoo. The Little Karoo is famous for its ostrich farming around Oudtshoorn . The lowland area to
4125-873: The Pedi people . King Sekhukhune managed to defeat the army on 1 August 1876. Another attack by the Lydenburg Volunteer Corps was also repulsed. On 16 February 1877, the two parties signed a peace treaty at Botshabelo . The Boers' inability to subdue the Pedi led to the departure of Burgers in favour of Paul Kruger and the British annexation of the South African Republic. In 1878 and 1879 three British attacks were successfully repelled until Garnet Wolseley defeated Sekhukhune in November 1879 with an army of 2,000 British soldiers, Boers and 10,000 Swazis. The Anglo-Zulu War
4250-489: The Prince Edward Islands , the country lies between latitudes 22° and 35°S , and longitudes 16° and 33°E . The interior of South Africa consists of a large, in most places almost flat plateau with an altitude of between 1,000 m (3,300 ft) and 2,100 m (6,900 ft), highest in the east and sloping gently downwards towards the west and north, and slightly so to the south and south-west. This plateau
4375-630: The Rund-um-Afrika route. A year after the Nazi Party was elected, German shipping was reorganized in 1934, in which the large shipping groups were divided. HAPAG and NDL had to surrender their shares in Woermann Line and DOAL to the German Reich. In 1936 two larger turbine steamships were launched: Pretoria and Windhuk , of 16,662 GRT each. In 1942, during World War II , this line and
4500-405: The Second Boer War (1899–1902) and, although suffering heavy casualties due to Boer attrition warfare , they were ultimately successful due in part to scorched earth tactics such as concentration camps , in which 27,000 Boer civilians died due to a combination of disease and neglect. South Africa's urban population grew rapidly from the end of the 19th century onward. After the devastation of
4625-646: The South African Party and National Party merged to form the United Party , seeking reconciliation between Afrikaners and English-speaking whites. In 1939, the party split over the entry of the union into World War II, as an ally of the United Kingdom, a move which National Party followers opposed. In 1948, the National Party was elected to power. It strengthened the racial segregation begun under Dutch and British colonial rule. Taking Canada's Indian Act as
4750-798: The South African Republic , the Natalia Republic , and the Orange Free State . In the interior, the Cape Colony expanded at the expense of the Batswana and Griqua , and Boer expansion caused great instability in the Middle Orange River region. The Matabele kingdom came to dominate the eastern interior, and raided the Venda kingdom. The discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1884 in
4875-512: The Vaal River valley. Settlements of Bantu-speaking peoples , who were iron-using agriculturists and herdsmen , were present south of the Limpopo River (now the northern border with Botswana and Zimbabwe ) by the 4th or 5th century CE. The Bantu slowly moved south. The earliest ironworks in modern-day KwaZulu-Natal Province are believed to date from around 1050. The southernmost group
5000-788: The Xhosa Wars , as both sides competed for the pastureland near the Great Fish River, which the colonists desired for grazing cattle. Vrijburgers who became independent farmers on the frontier were known as Boers , with some adopting semi-nomadic lifestyles being denoted as trekboers . The Boers formed loose militias , which they termed commandos , and forged alliances with Khoisan peoples to repel Xhosa raids. Both sides launched bloody but inconclusive offensives, and sporadic violence, often accompanied by livestock theft, remained common for several decades. Great Britain occupied Cape Town between 1795 and 1803 to prevent it from falling under
5125-519: The civil service . It documented evidence of systemic corruption , fraud , racketeering , bribery , money laundering , and state capture. It investigated the African National Congress party and Jacob Zuma, whom it concluded were complicit in state capture through their direct assistance to the Gupta family . "The Commission estimated the total amount of money spent by the state which was 'tainted' by state capture to be around R57 billion. More than 97% of
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5250-490: The largest economy in Africa by nominal GDP. It is tied with Ethiopia for the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa, and is a biodiversity hotspot with unique biomes , plant, and animal life. Since the end of apartheid, government accountability and quality of life have substantially improved. However, crime , poverty , and inequality remain widespread. Having the highest Gini coefficient of 0.63, South Africa
5375-522: The "Republic of South Africa" and Republiek van Suid-Afrika in Afrikaans . The country has an official name in 12 official languages . Mzansi , derived from the Xhosa noun uMzantsi meaning "south", is a colloquial name for South Africa, while some Pan-Africanist political parties prefer the term " Azania ". South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological and human-fossil sites in
5500-633: The 11 September 1900. On his arrival at Lourenço Marques however he was put under house arrest by the Portuguese Governor at the behest of the local British Consul preventing him from boarding the first outgoing steamer, the Herzog of the German East Africa Line . About a month later Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands concluded a deal with Britain to extricate Kruger on a Dutch warship, HNLMS Gelderland . It has long been speculated that Kruger
5625-456: The 14th largest emitter of carbon dioxide, primarily from its heavy reliance on coal and oil for energy production . As part of its international commitments, South Africa has pledged to peak emissions between 2020 and 2025. South Africa signed the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity on 4 June 1994 and became a party to the convention on 2 November 1995. It has subsequently produced a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan , which
5750-511: The 4 June 1900. There are however many examples of the 1898 minted coins, none of the 1899 coin (the 1899 die created in Germany had been confiscated on route by the British before it got to Pretoria) and rimmed and non-rimmed pond blanks that were ready for striking. The latter, called the kaal pond (naked pound) were used by the Z.A.R. government to pay for expenses and salaries in absence of minted coins whilst operating in exile out of Machadodorp, Waterval Boven and finally Hectorspruit. A witness,
5875-418: The 5 June 1900. A number that was reported back to the British governor of the Cape Colony, Lord Alfred Milner (1852-1925). If we assume that 542,500 ounces was confiscated and we accept the documentary evidence that 294,000 pond (75,430 ounces) was held at both the National Bank and the Mint then we have a total of 617,930 ounces as a starting point. It is then just a matter of mathematics to determine if there
6000-521: The 5th June 1900 ordered his troops to collect the gold from the Mint - they of course found it empty. The records collected by the British suggested that gold to the value of £2.4 million or 542,500 ounces of gold was confiscated from at least 10 gold mines from the start of the war in October 1899 by the Z.A.R. government. Hedley Chilvers maintained that the total value of the gold bars was £2 million (approximately 480,769 ounces or 1,202 bars) consisting of 183,138 ounces of gold (457 bars) that were taken from
6125-514: The ANC won by an overwhelming majority. It has been in power ever since. The country rejoined the Commonwealth of Nations and became a member of the Southern African Development Community . In post-apartheid South Africa, unemployment remained high. While many black people have risen to middle or upper classes, the overall unemployment rate of black people worsened between 1994 and 2003 by official metrics but declined significantly using expanded definitions. Poverty among white South Africans, which
6250-491: The British lines increased competition. DOAL and Woermann Line then responded to an offer by Albert Ballin to form a joint venture with Hamburg America Line (HAPAG). HAPAG and Woermann took part in the operation of DOAL, and each allocated one or two ships for an extension of the line from South Africa to West Africa. Woermann Line was involved in the shared service and in 1908 the Hamburg-Bremen Africa Line also joined. The increased number of departures improved business. After
6375-403: The Bushveld exists in the north-east including Kruger National Park and the Sabi Sand Game Reserve , as well as in the far north in the Waterberg Biosphere . South Africa houses many endemic species , among them the critically endangered riverine rabbit ( Bunolagus monticullaris ) in the Karoo. Deutsche Ost-Afrika Linie Deutsche Ost-Afrika Linie ( German East Africa Line , or DOAL)
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#17328696198836500-419: The Cape and commissioned for this service Herzog (1896, 4,933 GRT ) and Koenig . In 1895 DOAL introduced instead the new steamships on the route Hamburg – Suez – Dar es Salaam, and from 1898 also Durban was connected via Suez, no longer via Cape Town, in order to avoid a clash with the British. Only from 1901, when the Boer War was no longer a political obstacle, a new 'Rund-um-Afrika' (round Africa) route
6625-463: The Congo , Rwanda , Eritrea , Ethiopia and Somalia . Competition over jobs, business opportunities, public services and housing has led to tension between refugees and host communities. While xenophobia in South Africa is still a problem, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2011 reported that recent violence had not been as widespread as initially feared. Nevertheless, as South Africa continues to grapple with racial issues, one of
6750-422: The First World War and the Versailles Treaty. The Stinnes shares were taken over by HAPAG and NDL in 1921. In 1927 the Deutschen Afrika-Dienst-Vertrag of 1907 was continued for a further 20 years and in the following years the corporate structure stabilised. In 1928 the 9,552 GRT Watussi and Ubena were introduced as the first two-funnel turbine steamships of the company under the DOAL name, employed on
6875-408: The Kruger Millions and that this had been sold to France to aid the Boer refugees. He primarily made this statement to try stop the damage to the country side, graves and historic places by over enthusiastic treasure hunters. In 1947, a Mr H. J. Lessing claimed to have found a portion of the treasure at Laurenco Marques , after following a map stitched into the cover of his father's Bible. This story
7000-451: The Lowveld covering 19,633 square kilometres (7,580 sq mi) The coastal belt below the south and south-western stretches of the Great Escarpment contains several ranges of Cape Fold Mountains which run parallel to the coast, separating the Great Escarpment from the ocean. (These parallel ranges of fold mountains are shown on the map, above left. Note the course of the Great Escarpment to the north of these mountain ranges.) The land between
7125-530: The Millions had been found at Emmarentia Dam . In 2021, the only news report that has held any merit around the discovery of the Kruger Millions in the last one hundred years was printed on the 25 February. In the article it was reported that a hoard of Kruger ponds and half-ponds had been discovered in a Swiss vault and were auctioned off. This collection of coins labelled the "Lost Hoard" was made up of 910 coins consisting of 677 ponds and 233 half ponds of different dates ranging from 1893 to 1900 and quality. Due to
7250-438: The Mint and National Bank to the Attorney General Jan Smuts. On the 4 June 1900, with the British forces now at Six Mile Spruit, Jan Smuts arrived at the Mint just before 9am and after meeting with Jules Perrin, Head of the Mint and Thomas Hugo, National Bank Manager, ordered all the gold to be collected, weighed, recorded and made ready for despatch to the Pretoria Train Station. There are also many anecdotal stories passed down
7375-408: The Mint and an armed guard of between four and eight men travelled in the passenger compartment. The train arrived at Middelburg at 2am the following day. Meyer stayed to assist with the management of the gold that included the payment of debt to several claimants until 17 July 1900. Following this, Commandant General Meindert Noome, Chief Clerk to the Auditor General, took over from Meyer. Noome left
7500-409: The Ndwandwe, however were repelled by Gaza. During the early 19th century, many Dutch settlers departed from the Cape Colony , where they had been subjected to British control, in a series of migrant groups who came to be known as Voortrekkers , meaning "pathfinders" or "pioneers". They migrated to the future Natal , Free State, and Transvaal regions. The Boers founded the Boer republics :
7625-412: The Netherlands on 11 July 1900 with a cargo of 210,000 ounces of gold from Southern Africa. This sum of gold remains very similar to the speculated 258,742 ounces that are unaccounted for. The associated documents for the gold declared that it belonged to the Nederlandsche Crediet Vereniging (Nederlandsche Bank & Crediet Vereniging voor Zuid Afrika - now Nedbank.) But how this single bank got hold of and
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#17328696198837750-454: The Northern Cape Kalahari near Upington , but this temperature is unofficial and was not recorded with standard equipment; the official highest temperature is 48.8 °C (119.84 °F) at Vioolsdrif in January 1993. Climate change in South Africa is leading to increased temperatures and rainfall variability. Extreme weather events are becoming more prominent. This is a critical concern for South Africans as climate change will affect
7875-412: The R57 billion came from Transnet and Eskom. Out of these funds, the Gupta enterprise received at least R15 billion. The total loss to the state is difficult to quantify, but would far exceed that R15 billion." South Africa has maintained a position of neutrality in regards to the Russia invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the ongoing war . On 29 December 2023, South Africa formally submitted its case to
8000-497: The Second Boer War continued for almost another two years after the Z.A.R. government had been exiled from Pretoria it suggests that perhaps the remaining gold coins taken from the mint in were finally used up here. The last minted Z.A.R. coin was in Pilgrim's Rest between 10 May 1902 and 31 May 1902 or 08/09 June 1902 and were known as the Veld Pond but uncertainty remains as to how many coins were actually minted with number between 525-968 coins. Whilst most of these numbers are anecdotal
8125-661: The South African National Biodiversity Institute, parts of southern Africa will see an increase in temperature by about 1 °C (1.8 °F) along the coast to more than 4 °C (7.2 °F) in the already hot hinterland such as the Northern Cape in late spring and summertime by 2050. The Cape Floral Region is predicted to be hit very hard by climate change. Drought, increased intensity and frequency of fire, and climbing temperatures are expected to push many rare species towards extinction. South Africa has published two national climate change reports in 2011 and 2016. South Africa contributes considerable carbon dioxide emissions , being
8250-553: The South African government because of its racial policies. The boycotts and restrictions were later extended to international sanctions and the divestment of holdings by foreign investors. The Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith , signed by Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Harry Schwarz in 1974, enshrined the principles of peaceful transition of power and equality for all, the first of such agreements by black and white political leaders in South Africa. Ultimately, F.W. de Klerk opened bilateral discussions with Nelson Mandela in 1993 for
8375-423: The Witwatersrand mines : Robinson Mine (198 bars), Ferreira Deep (104 bars), Ferreira Mine (96 bars) and other small mines (60 bars). His numbers were subsequently proven slightly out certainly for one mine, when the story of the 120,000 ounces or 300 bars of gold discovered at the Robinson Mine was released. Documents also suggested the Mint and National Bank held a combined 294,000 pond or equivalent up until
8500-420: The Z.A.R. government held a secret meeting where it was decided to move the majority of the remaining gold held at the Mint and National Bank to European bank accounts owned by the Z.A.R. predominantly in the Netherlands. In so doing, moving the gold out of the reach of the British and close enough to allies where it could be used to fund the war effort. The man said to be charged with the responsibility of managing
8625-406: The adjoining plain below (at approximately 700–800 m above sea level – see map on the right) is known as the Great Karoo , which consists of sparsely populated shrubland . To the north, the Great Karoo fades into the more arid Bushmanland, which eventually becomes the Kalahari Desert in the north-west of the country. The mid-eastern and highest part of the plateau is known as
8750-557: The arrival of the 1820 Settlers . The new colonists were induced to settle for a variety of reasons, namely to increase the size of the European workforce and to bolster frontier regions against Xhosa incursions. In the early 1800s, the Mfecane (lit. 'crushing') saw a heightened period of conflict, migration, and state formation among native groups, caused by the complex interplay of international trade, environmental instability, and European colonisation. Chiefdoms grew wealthier and competed over trade routes and grazing land, leading to
8875-438: The black majority remained disadvantaged by almost every standard, including income, education, housing, and life expectancy. The Freedom Charter , adopted in 1955 by the Congress Alliance , demanded a non-racial society and an end to discrimination. On 31 May 1961, the country became a republic following a referendum (only open to white voters) which narrowly passed; the British-dominated Natal province largely voted against
9000-491: The coast, which is subtropical . The Free State is particularly flat because it lies centrally on the high plateau. North of the Vaal River , the Highveld becomes better watered and does not experience subtropical extremes of heat. Johannesburg, in the centre of the Highveld, is at 1,740 m (5,709 ft) above sea level and receives an annual rainfall of 760 mm (29.9 in). Winters in this region are cold, although snow
9125-722: The control of the French First Republic , which had invaded the Low Countries . After briefly returning to Dutch rule under the Batavian Republic in 1803, the cape was occupied again by the British in 1806. Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars , it was formally ceded to Great Britain and became an integral part of the British Empire . British emigration to South Africa began around 1818, subsequently culminating in
9250-404: The country, the repeal of discriminatory laws began in the mid-1980s. Universal elections took place in 1994 , following which all racial groups have held political representation in the country's liberal democracy , which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. South Africa is a multi-ethnic society encompassing a wide variety of cultures , languages , and religions ; it
9375-418: The death of Adolph Woermann in 1911, Eduard Woermann succeeded him. In 1914 the company's fleet consisted of 22 steamships, totalling about 110,000 GRT . The subsidy contract of 1900, which expired in 1915, was not extended as a result of the war. In 1916 Woermann sold Woermann Line and DOAL to a consortium made up of HAPAG, Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) and Hugo Stinnes . The company lost all ships due to
9500-537: The extreme desert of the southern Namib in the farthest northwest to the lush subtropical climate in the east along the border with Mozambique and the Indian Ocean. Winters in South Africa occur between June and August. The extreme southwest has a climate similar to that of the Mediterranean with wet winters and hot, dry summers, hosting the famous fynbos biome of shrubland and thicket . This area produces much of
9625-1235: The first hominin fossil discovered in Africa, the Taung Child (found near Taung ) in 1924. Other hominin remains have come from the sites of Makapansgat in Limpopo Province; Cornelia and Florisbad in Free State Province ; Border Cave in KwaZulu-Natal Province; Klasies River Caves in Eastern Cape Province; and Pinnacle Point , Elandsfontein and Die Kelders Cave in Western Cape Province. These finds suggest that various hominid species existed in South Africa from about three million years ago, starting with Australopithecus africanus , followed by Australopithecus sediba , Homo ergaster , Homo erectus , Homo rhodesiensis , Homo helmei , Homo naledi and modern humans ( Homo sapiens ). Modern humans have inhabited Southern Africa for at least 170,000 years. Various researchers have located pebble tools within
9750-523: The fledgling colony from Indonesia , Madagascar , and parts of eastern Africa. Some of the earliest mixed race communities in the country were formed between vrijburgers , enslaved people, and indigenous peoples. This led to the development of a new ethnic group, the Cape Coloureds , most of whom adopted the Dutch language and Christian faith. The Khoisan people, comprising the Khoikhoi and San, were
9875-470: The formation of the Ndwandwe and Mthethwa Paramountcies in the east. Ndwandwe defeated Mthethwa which split into different groups, one of which was led by Shaka of the amaZulu . The 1810s saw the fourth and fifth Xhosa Wars as British colonisation expanded. Ndwandwe splintered amid costly raids and Shaka's Zulu Kingdom rose to fill the power vacuum. The Gaza kingdom formed. The Zulu totally defeated
10000-641: The generations that talk to seeing wooden boxes on wagons being transported the 500m from the Mint in Church Square to the Pretoria Train Station around noon and the train leaving that afternoon on the Delagoa Bay Railway , the only railway still in control of the Z.A.R. at this stage of the war. The boxes loaded with gold were deposited into the train's baggage compartment. Whilst Ernest Meyer, Master of
10125-442: The gold amounts recorded, this is where accounts differ and the legend of the Kruger Millions begins. Jan Smuts suggests after weighing and recording this data, the gold sent to Middelburg consisted of gold bars, unprocessed gold and approximately 100,000 ponds to the value of 750,000 pond or around 170,000 ounces. The British however suggested these numbers did not match the records they found when Lord Roberts on entering Pretoria on
10250-527: The gold in these Z.A.R. owned European accounts was Dr Willem Leyds. As the story goes sometime around 20 May 1900 it is believed the Z.A.R. Mint secretly moved this gold out of the Z.A.R. to Europe via the Delagoa Railway and onto the German Imperial post steamer SS Bundesrat another German East Africa Line ship that left Lourenço Marques on the 22nd May 1900. We know the ship docked at Vlissingen in
10375-508: The impression of being a true story and the headline in 'The Star' proclaimed 'A True Story of the Kruger Millions' by Gustav Preller. Being written in the heart of the Great Depression, a huge treasure of gold and diamonds buried somewhere in the Lowveld fueled the imagination of the day. In 1929, Colonel Denys Reitz, son of President Reitz declared that after the war only £80,000 remained of
10500-445: The indigenous inhabitants of South Africa. Conflicts with Dutch settlers began in the 17th century and continued for centuries. Initial encounters between Dutch coloniers and Khoikhoi were peaceful, but tensions arose over land and resources. The Khoikhoi resisted Dutch expansion, leading to skirmishes and battles. The eastward expansion of Dutch colonists ushered in a series of wars with the southwesterly migrating Xhosa tribe, known as
10625-546: The interior started the Mineral Revolution and increased economic growth and immigration. This intensified British subjugation of the indigenous people. The struggle to control these important economic resources was a factor in relations between Europeans and the indigenous population and also between the Boers and the British. On 16 May 1876, President Thomas François Burgers of the South African Republic declared war against
10750-544: The legend of the Kruger Millions will endure. This South African history -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about wealth , income , or other related issues is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . South Africa South Africa , officially the Republic of South Africa ( RSA ), is the southernmost country in Africa . Its nine provinces are bounded to
10875-446: The loss of two ships in the first three years. By 1894 the routes were extended to South Africa, and profits were posted for the first time. In 1900 the government contract with annual subsidies of 1.35 million marks was extended by 15 years and the share capital increased to ten million marks. In 1901, a bond for five million marks was issued to build more ships. In 1894 the company added a route from Hamburg to Durban in South Africa via
11000-567: The management with Adolph Woermann as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. The line began operating on 23 July 1890 with two steamships bought from the Woermann line. Beginning in 1891, the service consisted of weekly departures from Hamburg via the Mediterranean to Bombay and Zanzibar . The first years of operation were difficult due to the British takeover of Zanzibar in November 1890 and
11125-586: The national vote fall below 50% for the first time since the end of Apartheid, though it remained the single largest party in the South African Parliament. President Ramaphosa announced a national unity government , the first since the Cabinet of Nelson Mandela , and entered a deal with the Democratic Alliance , the previous main opposition party, and other minor parties. Ramaphosa was reelected for
11250-645: The north of the Cape Peninsula is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and the first row of north–south running Cape Fold Mountains to the east. The Cape Fold Mountains peter out at about the 32° S line of latitude, after which the Great Escarpment bounds the coastal plain. The most southerly portion of this coastal belt is known as the Swartland and Malmesbury Plain, which is an important wheat growing region, relying on winter rains. The region further north
11375-683: The north of the Swartberg range up to the Great Escarpment is the lowland part of the Great Karoo, which is climatically and botanically almost indistinguishable from the Karoo above the Great Escarpment. The narrow coastal strip between the Outeniqua and Langeberg ranges and the ocean has a moderately high year-round rainfall, which is known as the Garden Route . It is famous for the most extensive areas of forests in South Africa (a generally forest-poor country). In
11500-644: The northeast, consists of the Limpopo Lowveld, which merges into the Mpumalanga Lowveld, below the Mpumalanga Drakensberg (the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment). This is hotter, drier and less intensely cultivated than the Highveld above the escarpment. The Kruger National Park , located in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in north-eastern South Africa, occupies a large portion of
11625-727: The obstacles were the presence of the independent states of the Boers, and the Zululand army. The Zulu nation defeated the British at the Battle of Isandlwana . Eventually Zululand lost the war, resulting in the termination of the Zulu nation's independence. The Boer republics successfully resisted British encroachments during the First Boer War (1880–1881) using guerrilla warfare tactics, which were well-suited to local conditions. The British returned with greater numbers, more experience, and new strategy in
11750-537: The only handwritten document that perhaps gives the most conclusive number is from Mr W.J.H. Barter, who was the treasurer of the Mint Commission in the field, who certified that only 560 coins were ever minted. Paul Kruger never stayed long in Machadodorp and instead carried onto Lourenço Marques officially leaving the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek for the last time on what was meant to be a six month trip to Europe on
11875-821: The organisation in 1961 and rejoined it in 1994. Despite opposition to apartheid both within and outside the country, the government legislated for a continuation of apartheid. The security forces cracked down on internal dissent, and violence became widespread, with anti-apartheid organisations such as the African National Congress (ANC), the Azanian People's Organisation , and the Pan-Africanist Congress carrying out guerrilla warfare and urban sabotage. The three rival resistance movements also engaged in occasional inter-factional clashes as they jockeyed for domestic influence. Apartheid became increasingly controversial, and several countries began to boycott business with
12000-404: The overall status and wellbeing of the country, for example with regards to water resources . Speedy environmental changes are resulting in clear effects on the community and environmental level in different ways and aspects, starting with air quality, to temperature and weather patterns, reaching out to food security and disease burden. According to computer-generated climate modelling produced by
12125-607: The ownership of land by blacks; at that stage they controlled only 7% of the country. The amount of land reserved for indigenous peoples was later marginally increased. In 1931, the union became fully sovereign from the United Kingdom with the passage of the Statute of Westminster , which abolished the last powers of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to legislate in the country. Only three other African countries—Liberia, Ethiopia, and Egypt—had been independent prior to that point. In 1934,
12250-560: The present-day Groot River , in May 1488. On his return he saw the cape, which he named Cabo das Tormentas ('Cape of Storms'). King John II renamed the point Cabo da Boa Esperança , or Cape of Good Hope , as it led to the riches of the East Indies . Dias' feat of navigation was immortalised in Luís de Camões ' 1572 epic poem Os Lusíadas . By the early 17th century, Portugal's maritime power
12375-686: The presidency, National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams announced that Zuma would again face prosecution on 16 criminal charges – 12 charges of fraud, two of corruption, and one each of racketeering and money laundering, just as in the 2006 indictment. A warrant was issued for his arrest in February 2020 after he failed to appear in court. In 2021 he was found guilty of contempt of court and sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment. In response, supporters of Zuma engaged in protests which led to riots, looting, vandalism and widespread violence, leaving 354 people dead. South Africa has been undergoing
12500-587: The proposal. Elizabeth II lost the title Queen of South Africa , and the last Governor-General , Charles Robberts Swart , became state president . As a concession to the Westminster system , the appointment of the president remained by parliament and was virtually powerless until P. W. Botha 's Constitution Act of 1983 , which eliminated the office of prime minister and instated a unique "strong presidency" responsible to parliament . Pressured by other Commonwealth of Nations countries, South Africa withdrew from
12625-404: The proposed solutions has been to pass legislation, such as the pending Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill , to uphold South Africa's ban on racism and commitment to equality. On 14 February 2018, Jacob Zuma resigned the presidency. Since 15 February, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has been President of South Africa. On 16 March 2018, just over a month after President Jacob Zuma resigned from
12750-479: The region over 100,000 years ago. The first known people were the indigenous Khoisan , and Bantu-speaking peoples who expanded from West and Central Africa later settled in the region 2,000 to 1,000 years ago. In the north, the Kingdom of Mapungubwe formed in the 13th century. In 1652, the Dutch established the first European settlement at Table Bay , and in 1795 and 1806 , the British occupied it. The Mfecane ,
12875-531: The ruins are thought to be created by the Bakone , a Northern Sotho people. Around 1220, in the Limpopo - Shashe Basin, the elite of K2 moved to settle the flat-topped summit of Mapungubwe Hill, with the population settling below. Rainmaking was crucial to the development of sacral kingship . By 1250, the capital had a population of 5000 and the state covered 30,000 km² (11,500 square miles), growing wealthy through
13000-642: The significance of the find the hoard was acquired in its entirety by the SA Mint a wholly-owned subsidiary of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) . The Kruger ponds found in the hoard have been independently verified and graded by the Numismatic Guarantee Corporation in Florida, United States of America. The collection was discovered in an original Z.A.R. National Bank money bag where it
13125-475: The south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 miles) of coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean ; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia , Botswana , and Zimbabwe ; to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini ; and it encloses Lesotho . Covering an area of 1,221,037 square kilometres (471,445 square miles), the country has over 62 million people . Pretoria
13250-533: The south-west corner of the country, the Cape Peninsula forms the southernmost tip of the coastal strip which borders the Atlantic Ocean and ultimately terminates at the country's border with Namibia at the Orange River . The Cape Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate , making it and its immediate surrounds the only portion of Sub-Saharan Africa which receives most of its rainfall in winter. The coastal belt to
13375-608: The veld did not start in 1900. Certainly from very early on the British suspected the gold had moved to Europe. When Neville Chamberlain met with the Boer Generals at the House of Commons in England on 5 November 1902, who had come to see him with a view to obtaining financial assistance, for the widows and orphans, he suggested that he was quite prepared to let the Generals have, for the benefit of
13500-534: The victims were South African citizens. In a 2006 survey, the South African Migration Project concluded that South Africans are more opposed to immigration than any other national group. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 2008 reported that over 200,000 refugees applied for asylum in South Africa, almost four times as many as the year before. These people were mainly from Zimbabwe , though many also come from Burundi , Democratic Republic of
13625-438: The wars, Dutch-descendant Boer farmers fled into cities from the devastated Transvaal and Orange Free State territories to become the class of the white urban poor. Anti-British policies among white South Africans focused on independence. During the Dutch and British colonial years, racial segregation was mostly informal, though some legislation was enacted to control the settlement and movement of indigenous people, including
13750-414: The widows and orphans the Z.A.R. funds moved to Europe by Kruger, which were still unspent, if they would help him (Chamberlain) to lay his hands upon them. General Botha expressed his readiness to do so, but strenuously denied that any such funds existed. The British Government did not believe the Boer Generals and according to the news of the day were still actively looking for the funds a year later. It
13875-413: The wine in South Africa and is known for its wind, which blows intermittently almost all year. The severity of this wind made passing around the Cape of Good Hope particularly treacherous for sailors, causing many shipwrecks. Further east on the south coast, rainfall is distributed more evenly throughout the year, producing a green landscape. The annual rainfall increases south of the Lowveld, especially near
14000-563: The world. Archaeologists have recovered extensive fossil remains from a series of caves in Gauteng Province. The area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site , has been branded "the Cradle of Humankind ". The sites include Sterkfontein , one of the richest sites for hominin fossils in the world, as well as Swartkrans , Gondolin Cave , Kromdraai , Cooper's Cave and Malapa . Raymond Dart identified
14125-473: Was a shipping line, established in 1890 as an alternative to the existing shipping services to East Africa , including German East Africa (1891–1919), then dominated by United Kingdom shipping lines. In 1888, the board of the trading firm Woermann-Linie made plans to set up a scheduled service to East Africa as the existing routes were dominated by British lines. The following year the Reichstag approved such
14250-438: Was able to transport such a huge amount of gold out of Z.A.R. during the war is actually quite impossible without the Z.A.R. involvement as they had banned gold export out of the Z.A.R. as of 20 March 1900. As such it is thought that this gold did in fact belong to the Z.A.R. and that this is where Kruger's Millions landed up rather than being buried somewhere in the veld. The legend of the Kruger Millions being buried somewhere in
14375-572: Was any missing gold. The first thing we need to deduct is the unspent part of the Government Notes and all the “currency” commandeered under the Kommando Christiaan de Wet which equates to 650,000 pond (166,766 ounces) this brings the number of ounces down to 451,164 ounces. If we then remove the 750,000 pond (192,422 ounces) removed by Jan Smuts on the 4th June 1900 from the Mint and National Bank and sent to Middelburg, this leaves us with
14500-454: Was carrying a large quantity of gold with him on this trip that he was hoping to use to acquire weapons for the war, this however due to the house arrest is very unlikely. If any gold did land up in Europe then it is more likely that the gold left for Europe before Kruger got to Lourenço Marques through more discreet means. In this regard it is believed that sometime in May 1900, select members of
14625-606: Was fought in 1879 between the British and the Zulu Kingdom . Following Lord Carnarvon 's successful introduction of federation in Canada , it was thought that similar political effort, coupled with military campaigns, might succeed with the African kingdoms, tribal areas and Boer republics in South Africa. In 1874, Henry Bartle Frere was sent to South Africa as the British High Commissioner to bring such plans into being. Among
14750-479: Was never corroborated but did make international headlines. A South African musical drama, Die Krugermiljoene [ af ] (1967), proposed a version of the disappearance of these millions. In 2001, the Citizen reported that an African family in the 1960s had found 4,000 "Kruger" ponds with a mint date of 1889 on farm land near Ermelo area which they had been selling on a piecemeal basis - this proved to be
14875-451: Was only in 1905 when a certain horse thief by the name of John Holtzhausen on the 29 September 1905 (some three years after the Second Boer War and a year after the death of Paul Kruger), whilst awaiting trial in prison in Kimberley, suggested he was the last of three men who knew the whereabouts of the two million pounds in buried gold and diamonds (clearly being held in Kimberley diamonds were
15000-544: Was operated by DOAL on the circuit Hamburg – Bremerhaven – Cape Town – Suez – Hamburg and in reverse direction. For this main line the Kronprinz and Kurfürst were introduced, steamships with a grey hull, white superstructure and a buff funnel, topped with an arrangement of black/white/red rings, referring to the colours of the flag of the German Empire . More difficult years followed until 1907, as new competitors appeared and
15125-508: Was previously rare, increased. The government struggled to achieve the monetary and fiscal discipline to ensure both redistribution of wealth and economic growth. The United Nations Human Development Index rose steadily until the mid-1990s then fell from 1995 to 2005 before recovering its 1995 peak in 2013. The fall is in large part attributable to the South African HIV/AIDS pandemic which saw South African life expectancy fall from
15250-570: Was received by the convention on 7 June 2006. The country is ranked sixth out of the world's seventeen megadiverse countries . Ecotourism in South Africa has become more prevalent in recent years, as a possible method of maintaining and improving biodiversity. Numerous mammals are found in the Bushveld including lions, African leopards , South African cheetahs , southern white rhinos , blue wildebeest , kudus , impalas , hyenas , hippopotamuses and South African giraffes . A significant extent of
15375-464: Was south of the furthest point reached in 1485 by his predecessor, the Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão ( Cape Cross , north of the bay). Dias continued down the western coast of southern Africa. After 8 January 1488, prevented by storms from proceeding along the coast, he sailed out of sight of land and passed the southernmost point of Africa without seeing it. He reached as far up the eastern coast of Africa as, what he called, Rio do Infante , probably
15500-484: Was starting to decline, and English and Dutch merchants competed to oust Portugal from its lucrative monopoly on the spice trade . Representatives of the British East India Company sporadically called at the cape in search of provisions as early as 1601 but later came to favour Ascension Island and Saint Helena as alternative ports of refuge. Dutch interest was aroused after 1647, when two employees of
15625-478: Was the Xhosa people , whose language incorporates certain linguistic traits from the earlier Khoisan people. The Xhosa reached the Great Fish River , in today's Eastern Cape Province. As they migrated, these larger Iron Age populations displaced or assimilated earlier peoples. In Mpumalanga Province, several stone circles have been found along with a stone arrangement that has been named Adam's Calendar , and
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