William Schreiner was a barrister, politician, statesman, and Prime Minister of the Cape Colony during the Second Boer War. His proximity to parliamentarians gave him an entry to political life. In 1893 he was elected a member of the Cape Parliament for Kimberly. He became Attorney-General in Cecil Rhodes's cabinet. In1896, Schreiner and the rest of the parliamentary ministers resigned when it became obvious what Cecil Rhodes ambitions were. That ended Rhodes's term as Prime Minister. Schreiner advocated integration and equal rights for all "civilised" men. His dedication to this ideal was proved when he resigned from the National Convention in order to represent Dinuzulu, who was to stand trial for his alleged treasonous participation in the rebellion of 1906. With the forming of the Union Government in 1910 he became one of the first senators nominated to look after Black interests. In 1906 the so-called Bambatha rebellion broke out. Dinuzulu was accused of giving orders to Bambatha to start the rebellion and put on trial for treason. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment. When General Louis Botha became Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa he ordered Dinuzulu be released and transported to the farm Uitk yk in Transvaal. The Bambartha rebellion was a Zulu revolt against British rule and taxation in Natal. Individual image from photographed poster of tobacco and cigarette cards.william schreiner, barrister, politician, prime minister, cape colony, second boer war, attorney-general, cecil rhodes's cabinet, intergration and equal rights, national convention, dinuzulu, union government, bambartha rebellion, louis botha, uniion of south africa

Cecil Rhodes was a British businessman, mining magnate and politician in South Africa. He was Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. He believed in British Imperialism and he and his British South Africa Company formed the territory of Rhodesia in the early 1890s. He was forced to resign as Prime Minister in 1896 after the disastrous Jameson Raid, an unauthorised attack on Paul Kruger's South African Republic (Transvaal), which sent his brother to prison convicted of high treason and nearly sentenced to death. This event contributed to the outbreak of the Second Boer War. Rhodes went to Kimberley in a political move. During the war the military felt he was more of a liability than an asset and found him intolerable. The officer commanding the garrison of Kimberley, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Kekewich, experienced serious personal difficulties with Rhodes because of the latter's inability to co-operate. However, he still remained a leading figure in the politics of southern Africa. Rhodes was dogged by ill health his whole life. He died in 1902, aged 48, at his seaside cottage in Muizenberg. He was cared for by Leander Starr Jameson during his illness, becoming a trustee of his estate and residuary beneficiary of his will, which allowed him to continue living in Rhode's mansion after his death. His final will left a large area of land on the slopes of Table Mountain. Part of the estate became the upper campus of the University of Cape Town, another part became the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. The rest was spared development and is now an important conservation area. His will also provided for the establishment of the Rhodes Scholarship. Individual image from photographed poster of tobacco and cigarette cards.cecil rhodes, mining magnate south africa, politician south africa, prime minister cape colony, british south africa company, rhodesia, jameson raid, paul kruger, south africa republic, transvaal, second boer war, kimberley, robert kekewich, leander starr jameson, muizenberg, table mountain, university of cape town, kirstenbosch national garden

When war broke out in 1899, and early target for the Boers was the diamond-mining centre of Kimberley. This was located near the point where the Transvaal, Orange Free State and Cape Colony met. General Sir Redvers Buller detached the 1st Division under Lieutenant General Lord Methuen to relieve the Siege of Kimberley. This decision was made partly for reasons of prestige. To capture Kimberley (which contained the famous imperialist and former Prime Minister of Cape Colony, Cecil Rhodes) would be a major propaganda victory for the British. Methuen's force advanced north and won two engagements against the Boers of the Orange Free State. Reinforcements from Transvaal under General Koos de la Rey arrived and he convinced the Boers to follow his plans for attacking the British. Instead of relying on the hills for protection and missing their targets, de la Rey proposed they make use of the flat veld and introduced them to the Mauser rifle with its flat trajectory. Trenches were built in the banks of the Modder River from which they could sweep the veld for a great distance. The trenches were built on the south side of the river and on the smaller Riet River where they meet at Modder River Station. Methuen's force began advancing towards the Modder planning to cross the river. The Boers opened fire and the British troops were unable to find cover on the veld. They had to lay flat so as not to be seen or hit. The British guns pounded the buildings near Modder River Station and the north bank of the river, missing the trenches on the south bank. The battle became a stalemate. The British found an opening on the Boer's right flank at Rosmead ford downstream and drove the Boers out of Rosmead. De la Rey drove them back into a small insecure bridgehead. The Boers feared they were vulnerable and withdrew during the night. Methuen reported that the battle had been "one of the hardest and most trying fights in the annals of the British army". Individual image from photographed poster of tobacco and cigarette cards.boers, diamind-mining, kimberley, transvaal, orange free state, cape colony, sir rdvers buller, lieutenant general lord methuen, siege of kimberley, cecil rhodes, general koos dde la rey, mauser rifle, veld, modder river, modder river station, trenches, riet river, rosmead