State of Goshen Het Land Goosen (Dutch) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882–1883 | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Motto: Gewapend en Regtvaardig Dutch: Armed and Fair | |||||||||||
 Location of Goshen in Southern Africa (1882–1883) | |||||||||||
| Capital | Rooigrond,Mafikeng | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Dutch Tswana | ||||||||||
| Religion | Dutch Reformed | ||||||||||
| Government | Boer Republic | ||||||||||
| President | |||||||||||
• Goshen | Nicolaas Claudius Gey van Pittius | ||||||||||
| Legislature | Die Bestuur | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Founding of Goshen | 24 October 1882 | ||||||||||
• Unified asUnited States of Stellaland | 1883 | ||||||||||
| Currency | South African pound (£) | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Goshen, officially known as theState of Goshen (Dutch:Het Land Goosen), was a short-livedBoer republic in southern Africa founded byBoers expanding west fromTransvaal who opposedBritish advance in the region.
Located in Tswana territory west of theTransvaal, Goshen existed as an independent nation for a short period; from 1882 to 1883 as the State of Goshen and, after unification with neighbouringStellaland, as theUnited States of Stellaland (Dutch:Verenigde Staten van Stellaland) from 1883 to 1885.
During its history, Goshen, though small in size, became a focal point of conflict between theBritish Empire and theSouth African Republic, the two major players vying over the territory. After a series of claims and annexations, British fears of Boer expansionism ultimately led to its demise and, among other factors, set the stage for theSecond Boer War of 1899–1902.
Before the proclamation of Goshen, the land was under the control of competingGriqua andTswana groups, while theUnited Kingdom laid claim to it as part of the emerging protectorate ofBritish Bechuanaland. Two of the indigenous groups were under the leadership of chiefs Mankurwane and Montshiwa, whom the British regarded as "friendly,"[1] and another two under the leadership of chiefs Moshoette and Massouw.
In the mid-nineteenth century,Voortrekkers (Boer settlers) established themselves in the region and in the early 1880s they supported Moshoette in his battles against Mankurwane and Montshiwa, helping to besiege Montshiwa's strongholdMahikeng. Mahikeng fell on 24 October 1882 and, in gratitude, Moshoette ceded large portions of Mankurwane's land (416 farms of 3,000morgen (2,563 hectares) each) to theBoer mercenaries who had supported him.[2]
The mercenaries, led by Nicolaas Claudius Gey van Pittius, immediately declared independence[3] (followed by an official proclamation on 21 November 1882),[4] naming the new nation after theBook of Genesis'sLand of Goshen, "the best of the land of Egypt given to Joseph",[5] with its capital atRooigrond ("Red Ground").[3]
Goshen had theMolopo River as its northern border, and shared a border with theTransvaal.[5] Goshen's capital Rooigrond was little more than a fortified farm consisting of a collection of mud huts and a population of a few dozen, situated nearMafeking.[6]
Goshen's flag, designed by Gey van Pittius, was adopted in early 1883[7] and consisted of horizontal black, white and red stripes with a green vertical stripe at the hoist[8] – imitating theVierkleur but using the German flag as the basis as opposed to the Dutch.
Less than a year after declaring independence, on 6 August 1883, Goshen and the neighbouringRepublic of Stellaland united to form theUnited States of Stellaland.[9]
While the British government was at first unconcerned about the declaration of independence of Goshen and Stellaland, and felt it could not prevent such proclamations of independence,Cecil Rhodes recognised the economic implications of an independent Boer republic blocking the transit of goods between theCape Colony andBritish Central Africa[10] and began to agitate the Cape Colony Government to forcibly take control of the area.[6]
As part of his plan to bring the United States of Stellaland under British rule, Rhodes and colleague Frank Thompson travelled to Stellaland in September 1884 to convince the locals of the advantages of Cape rule.[11] While the Stellaland residents were receptive to Rhodes, Goshenites proved to be far more hostile; while Rhodes stayed at the Goshen border, Thompson visited Rooigrond to speak to the President Gey van Pittius, who was living in a tent. Gey van Pittius immediately arrested Thompson before eventually releasing him to tell Rhodes that Goshen remained independent and demanded British recognition of that independence.[12]
In response to Rhodes' actions, on 16 September 1884, Transvaal's PresidentPaul Kruger proclaimed Transvaal's annexation of Goshen and Stellaland[13] in "the interests of humanity" and on 3 October, Transvaal's Director of Education, the Rev Stephanus du Toit, arrived in Rooigrond, made a fiery speech, renamed the town "Heliopolis" and raised the Transvaal flag.[12]
As a result, the British told Kruger that annexation was unacceptable and December 1884, the 4,000-strongBechuanaland Expeditionary Force, led by GeneralCharles Warren,[14] were sent from England to quell the Boers and force Goshen and Stellaland to capitulate.[15] Warren met with no resistance[16] and Goshen was subsequently incorporated intoBritish Bechuanaland.[13]
On 3 October 1895 the colony was abolished and incorporated into theCape Colony.[17]
