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Did You Know?

The Oranjerivier Concentration Camp was one of the camps established by the British during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902) to intern Boer civilians, primarily women and children, as part of the scorched-earth policy. The camp was located near Hopetown in the Northern Cape, along the Orange River, and operated from around 1901 to 1902. It was one of over 40 such camps in the former Boer republics and the Cape Colony, where poor sanitation, overcrowding, and disease led to high mortality rates, particularly among children. The site is now part of the Doornbult Erfenisterrein (Doornbult Heritage Site) near Hopetown, which commemorates the suffering of those interned there. The year 1950 is not directly associated with the camp's operation; rather, it may relate to later memorialisation efforts or the establishment of a commemorative marker, as many camp cemeteries and memorials were formalised in the mid-20th century. The camp's cemetery contains graves of those who died, and the site is recognised as a place of remembrance for the human cost of the war. Contextually, the Northern Cape saw several such camps, including at Kimberley and De Aar, and the harsh semi-arid environment exacerbated the health crises in these facilities.

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