Andries Botha

Veldkornet Andries Botha, soldier and politician

Field Cornet Andries Botha was an influential leader of the Khoi people of Kat River, Cape Colony.

Early life

Little is known about his childhood. However, the young Andries Botha was recorded as a powerful leader of the Gonaqua ("Gona") Khoi at the Kat River Settlements in the 1830s.

In 1834, the Surveyor General of the Cape Colony, W.F.Hertzog, recorded him as having originally arrived at Kat River in 1829, among the followers of Khoi leader Kobus Boezak who had migrated from Theopolis. The young Andries Botha and his community immediately split from Boezak's group and settled on the banks of the Buxton River - a Kat River tributary - where Botha built his farming estate.^[1] He was at one time the acknowledged civilian & military leader of the entire Kat River region.

Distinction in the Frontier Wars

Andries Botha and his Khoi commandos won great distinction in the frontier wars, fighting under Khoi Commandant Christian Groepe, with Sir Andries Stockenström in the assault on the Amatola fastnesses in 1846. The bravery and martial ability of both him as well as his Khoi levies were repeatedly mentioned in accounts of the war, as was their tendency to disobey any order to retreat. At one point, Andries Botha and a mixed handful of his (predominantly Khoi) gunmen were surrounded in a valley by a large army of Sandile's Xhosa soldiers, and coming under heavy gun fire. The tiny group fought off the enemy for the entire day, before breaking out and riding back to the main army, to complain - justifiably - of the lack of support.^[2]

Treason Trial

Several years later however, a range of grievances led him to openly sympathize with those of the "Kat River" Khoi who joined the rebellion of 1850 (who included at least one of his sons).

After the rebellion was suppressed, he was tried and convicted of treason in what was possibly South Africa's first political trial. The trial was immensely controversial as Botha was a respected war hero, held in high regard by many of those who fought with him (who were now also influential politicians). He was highly praised by his ex-companions-in-arms John Molteno and Andries Stockenström, who wrote to London of him "Her Majesty has not in her dominions a more loyal subject, nor braver soldier". In spite of the conviction, the guilty verdict was held to be very unconvincing and the whole event was accused of being a vindictive form of show-trial, with Botha even having to appear in chains. After intense political pressure from his supporters, Botha's sentence was commuted and then scrapped in 1851. In October 1855 he received a royal amnesty from the Queen, together with 38 other convicted rebels.^[3][4][5]

Even after the amnesty, he was not immediately permitted to return to Kat River, nor did he immediately receive compensation for the lands which were broken up and reassigned during the rebellion. However, further public support from Stockenstrom and other ex-companions-in-arms saw these decisions reversed. In June 1862 he received a substantial compensation for his properties and in 1865 he was permitted to return to Kat River.^[6]

Old age and politics

Very little is known about his final years. However he did become involved in politics in his old age, and spoke in the Cape Parliament in support of his friend John Molteno's movement for "Responsible Government". This support for a greater degree of independence from Britain was likely to have been inspired by his past experiences of the rebellion and his treason trial. He also launched a fiery attack on the proposed "native policy" of the opposition Eastern Cape Separatist Movement, calling its leaders "the Colesberg foxes". He went on to advise the Molteno government on the issues of its finances and on its policy regarding the Frontier. ^[7][8]

See also

• Christian Groepe
• Xhosa Wars
• Khoikhoi
• Andries Stockenstrom

References

• Dictionary of South African Biography