ABSTRACT
The evolution of the relations between Cecil John Rhodes and the Afrikaner Bond, the foremost manifestation of Cape Afrikaner political awakening and assertion, is a fascinating story. It is also an episode of great significance in the history of the Cape and South Africa as a whole. Rhodes lured his Cape Afrikaner allies by supporting their immediate economic interests and by offering them a long-term economic promised land in Rhodesia. In supporting them on the ‘native’ question he addressed one of the most pressing economic problems afflicting Afrikaner farmers, namely the labour problem. Rhodes found Afrikaner Bondsmen very responsive to his courtship through these means. Thus, the neutralisation of the two external foci of attraction — imperialism and republicanism — paved the way for the Bond—Rhodes alliance. The nature of the divorce between the Bond and Rhodes sheds light on their courtship and marriage.
