A brief history of South Africa

Just wanna share a little bit about the history of South Africa and what make this trip so significant.

• In 1652, Jan Van Riebeeck was sent to the Cape by the Dutch East India Company to establish a halfway station to provide fresh water, vegetables, and meat for passing ships travelling to and from Asia.
• In settling down there, the Dutch encountered the indigenous people of the land, the Khoisan and started bartering with them for their sheep and cattle.
• In 1658, the first border conflicts started when Dutch settlers finally clashed with the Khoisan who then were enslaved by the Dutch.
• The British later arrived and took over the Cape, and the Dutch, who eventually became Afrikaners moved further north, establishing states in the Northern part of South Africa.
• Aggressive black African tribes (eg Zulus) from the north also began to move down south, and clashed with the Dutch Afrikaners.
• In 1866, gold and diamonds were discovered in the north, prompting the interest to the British.
• In 1898, the Boer war broke out between the British and Afrikaners over the gold and diamonds.
• In 1948, the National party got power, and made apartheid law.
• In 1961, South Africa gained independence from Britain.
• In 1990, when Mandela was released, and pushed back apartheid and segregation
• In 1994 Mandela becomes president.

From history of South Africa, you can see that the land is marked by immigration and ethnic conflict, beginning with the very first encounter with the Dutch Afrikaners and the Khoisan people.

The significance of this trip is that this is the first time rep is focusing on one ethnic group, and together with a group of businesses who have a heart to use their businesses to rebuild and transform this unique group of people who have been through tremendous attack from their own country, that just touch my heart and get me excited to go on this trip.

I pray that God will bring forth healings, reconciliation and transformation to South Africa. To me, it is such privilege to be part of God’s work and I can’t wait to see God doing something great through this venture.

Amen.