The following lists events that happened during 1717 in South Africa.
Incumbents
Governor of the Cape Colony - Maurits Pasques de Chavonnes
Events
Future land grants become loan farms instead of freehold, requiring farmers to pay rent to the VOC. The 400 freehold farms already granted remain unaffected. The total Cape Colony population is estimated at 744 officials, 2000 burghers, and 2700 slaves. The ban on free trade with the Khoikhoi is reinstated, after previously being suspended in 1704. The VOC establishes an administrative post at Ziekenhuys to control the Cape Colony's eastern borders. The VOC restricts European settlement to address burgher unrest, frontier conflicts, and agricultural overproduction. Assisted European immigration is halted, and future development is to rely solely on slave labor.
References