South Africa List of concentration and internment camps

lizzie van zyl, shortly before death in bloemfontein concentration camp

the term concentration camp first used british military during boer war (1899–1902). facing attack boer guerrillas, british forces rounded boer women , children black people living on boer land, , sent them 34 tented camps scattered around south africa. altogether, 116,572 boers interned, quarter of population. done part of scorched earth policy deny boer guerrillas access supplies of food , clothing needed continue war.

the camps situated @ aliwal north, balmoral, barberton, belfast, bethulie, bloemfontein, brandfort, east london, heidelberg, heilbron, howick, irene, kimberley, klerksdorp, kroonstad, krugersdorp, merebank, middelburg, norvalspont, nylstroom, pietermaritzburg, pietersburg, pinetown, port elizabeth, potchefstroom, springfontein, standerton, turffontein, vereeniging, volksrust, vredefort, vryburg , winburg.

though not extermination camps, women , children of boer men still fighting given smaller rations others causing mass starvation. poor diet , inadequate hygiene led contagious diseases such measles, typhoid , dysentery. coupled shortage of medical facilities, led large numbers of deaths—a report after war concluded 27,927 boer (of whom 22,074 children under 16) , 14,154 black africans had died of starvation, disease , exposure in camps. in all, 25% of boer inmates , 12% of black african ones died (although recent research suggests black african deaths underestimated , may have been around 20,000).

in contrast these figures, during war british, colonial , south african forces casualties included 5,774 killed in action , 13,250 deaths disease, while boers casualties in transvaal , orange free state december 1901, included 2640 killed in action , 945 deaths disease.

a delegate of south african women , children s distress fund, emily hobhouse, did publicise distress of inmates on return britain after visiting of camps in orange free state. fifteen-page report caused uproar, , led government commission, fawcett commission, visiting camps august december 1901 confirmed report. highly critical of running of camps , made numerous recommendations, example improvements in diet , provision of proper medical facilities. february 1902 annual death-rate dropped 7% , 2%. improvements made white camps not swiftly extended black camps. hobhouse s pleas went unheeded in latter case.

during world war i, south african troops invaded neighboring german south-west africa. german settlers rounded , sent concentration camps in pretoria , later in pietermaritzburg.