The Vereeniging Peace Treaty. |
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On 31 May 1902, a little before midnight the two parties signed the peace treaty of Vereeniging at Melrose House in Pretoria. Initially, the British government in London rejected the Boers’conditions for peace and presented their own conditions to the Boers'. The British demanded that the Boers choose 30 representatives per state (60 in all) to meet at Vereeniging on May 15th 1902 to discuss these conditions. Fortunately these conditions were negotiated later in Pretoria with the British by a five member comission chossen at Vereeniging. On 27 May 1902 the commission returned to Vereeniging with the negotiated conditions for peace as well as a request by the British that they reply before midnight on 31 May 1902. A debate lasting three days followed. On 31 May 1902 the Boer delegates voted 54 in favour of and six against accepting the peace conditions with loss of independence. A delegation of ten Boer leaders was then sent to Pretoria for the signing of the peace treaty. There the treaty was signed in the diningroom of Melrose House at five past eleven on the evening of Saturday 31 May 1902. By 54 votes to six the representatives of the South African states agreed to surrender their independence and to recognize the authority of Edward VII in return for: i. The repatriation of the prisoners of war. ii. A general amnesty with a few exceptions. iii. Limited protection of the Dutch language in the courts. ix. Various economic safeguards such as the maintenance of property rights. x. Honouring of the republican war debt to a sum of £3 million. xi. Generous relief for the victims of war. xii. Promise of eventual self-government and an agreement that no decision would be taken regarding the franchise of black people until after the introduction of responsible government. |
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