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Andries Waterboer (c.1789 - 1852) was a leader ("kaptijn") of the

Griqua people The Griquas (; af, Griekwa, often confused with ''!Orana'', which is written as ''Korana'' or ''Koranna'') are a subgroup of heterogeneous former Khoe-speaking nations in Southern Africa with a unique origin in the early history of the C ...

. He founded the Waterboer dynasty of

Griqualand West Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km2 that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province. It was inhabited by the Griqua people – a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans-speaking nation of mixed-race origin, wh ...

, and led to a split of the Griqua people, as the factions of the Kok and Barends dynasties migrated to the south east to later found

Griqualand East Griqualand East (Afrikaans: ''Griekwaland-Oos''), officially known as New Griqualand ( Dutch: ''Nieuw Griqualand''), was one of four short-lived Griqua states in Southern Africa from the early 1860s until the late 1870s and was located between ...

Early life

Unlike the majority of the predominantly mixed

, Waterboer was of pure Bushman origin, and seems to have been born in the wilderness somewhere north of the Gariep, probably in the late 1700s. He joined the house of the powerful ruling family of the Griquas, the Koks, took the name of "Andries Waterboer" and learned to read and write. Fiercely ambitious, he rapidly rose in rank, eventually leading his followers in an armed revolt (the "Hartenaaropstand") against the rule of Adam Kok II and Barend Barends in 1815. By the next year, he had succeeded in defeating both leaders (who migrated with their people towards the south-east) and a few years later he finally became "Kaptijn" of the remaining Griquas in a fierce leadership struggle.

Rule (1820-1852)

Consolidation

Waterboer was elected as Griqua ''Kaptijn'' (Captain) at the Kaptijns residence in

Griekwastad Griekwastad is a country town in South Africa. It is sometimes still called Griquatown (the meaning of the town's name in Afrikaans), a name which is now considered historical. The town is in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa by road we ...

, on 20 December 1820, but his rise to leadership had alienated a great many other powerful factions in the remaining Griqua nation. Many of these split off as separate nations, such as the fierce nomadic Bergenaars. Wars ensued, with both the Bergenaars and the Koranas. Waterboer formed an alliance with the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with ...

to the south, however this alliance frequently faltered in the ensuing conflicts. Eventually Waterboer defeated the Bergenaars, Koranas and other Griqua factions, and consolidated his rulership. He overhauled the administration of what was now

(the defeated factions had moved eastwards to eventually found

) and divided the state into four regions. His capital

and surrounds were under his direct rule and were named "Waterboersland".

Regional wars

In 1823, in alliance with the Koks and Barends dynasties, he won the battle of Dithakong, and thereby diverted the great Mfecane migrations from Griqua territory. The next year, he fought and was victorious in a complex conflict near Fauresmith, between Cornelius Kok II and Adam Kok II, in which the Bergenaars were employed by Adam Kok. Waterboer's territory was still threatened by marauding Bergenaar horsemen. In 1827, his capital came under siege, when it was attacked by an army of thousands of Bergenaars, in response to Waterboer's execution of 6 Bergenaar chieftains. Waterboer was eventually victorious but was much weakened by the conflict.

Later life

In 1834, he was the first neighbouring state that the

concluded a formal treaty with. He was invited to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

for the signing of the treaty, which stipulated that, in exchange for payment in money and weaponry, Waterboer would ensure peaceful relations among neighbouring states and that the Cape's border would be secured. He was succeeded by his eldest son Nicolaas Waterboer after his death in December 1852.E.J. Verwey: ''New Dictionary of South African Biography, Volume 1''. HSRC Press, 1995

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waterboer, Andries South African politicians Griqua 19th-century monarchs in Africa Year of birth uncertain 1852 deaths