Another road to the Raid: the neglected role of the Boer‐Bagananwa war as a factor in the coming of the Jameson Raid, 1894–1895

Abstract

The significance of the 1894 Boer‐Bagananwa war has hitherto been accorded insufficient attention as a factor in the run‐up to the Jameson Raid. Through an examination of the war, this paper argues that Boer aggression towards the Bagananwa exacerbated existing tensions between the Uitlander community, mining interests, and the Kruger government. The Transvaal Republic's policies of compulsory conscription of men and requisitioning of war materials, was greatly resented by British citizens. The barbarous use of dynamite to blow up the caves of the Bagananwa defenders was deplored, not only on humanitarian grounds, but also because it was seen to threaten the security of labour supplies and drew attention to the contentious dynamite monopoly maintained by the Kruger government. The heavy costs of the Boer‐Bagananwa war imposed heavy demands on the Transvaal government's revenues and resulted in increased taxation of the mining industry. Thus, the 1894 war can be seen to have reinforced the grievances of th...