Netherlands-South African Railway Company

Netherlands-South African Railway Company (NZASM)
Locale Southern Africa
Dates of operation 1879 (1879)–1910 (1910)
Successor Central South African Railways
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Length ca. 650 km
Headquarters Amsterdam and Pretoria

The Netherlands-South African Railway Company (Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorwegmaatschappij) or NZASM was established 1879. The company was based in the South African Republic (ZAR) during the late 19th century. At the request of ZAR president Paul Kruger, the NZASM constructed a railway line between Pretoria and Lorenço Marques in Portuguese East Africa (now Maputo in Mozambique).

Background

The British conquered the Cape Colony in 1806. The new administration was not universally accepted by the Dutch colonists and after the 1830s thousands of Dutch-speaking colonists (called Boers) migrated to the interior of Southern Africa. This migration, known as the Great Trek, resulted in the establishment of 14 independent republics. By the mid 19th century these republics had merged into the two larger republics: The Republic of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic. The British Empire eventually recognized the independence of of these republics in 1852.

North-eastern view of the covered Platform of the Johannesburg Park Station on the Rand Tram line from Johannesburg to Boksburg in the year 1897.

The relationship between the British and the Boers remained strained throughout the 19th century, especially as a result of the First Boer War (1880–81). Both republics were located in the interior of what is now South Africa, with no route to the coast that did not pass through the British held Cape Colony and Colony of Natal. Paul Kruger, president of the ZAR, decided that an alternative trade route to the ocean was a priority for the ZAR. The Witwatersrand Gold Rush after 1886 resulted in the rapid industrialization of the ZAR making access to the ocean even more important and allowed the suddenly cash flushed republic to invest in large-scale infrastructure projects.

NZASM

The NZASM was established in 1879 in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. However, due to the outbreak of the First Boer War it was not registered in the ZAR until August 1884. NZASM was funded by Dutch, German, and Boer investors.[1][2]

In cooperation with the ZAR government, it was decided that a railway would be built connecting the ZAR with Lorenço Marques on Delagoa Bay in Portuguese East Africa (now Maputo in Mozambique). This line, with a length of about 600 km, was opened on 6 November 1894 and is still in use today. The railway company employed about 3000 people. Of these, about 1500 were employed in the construction of the Pretoria - Maputo Line. It adopted the 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) (Cape Gauge) of the neighbouring Cape Government Railways.

On 19 February 1896, a train loaded with dynamite was struck by a shunter while being unloaded. The resulting Braamfontein Explosion was one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions in history, resulting in more than 70 deaths and 200 injuries.

In 1897, a new station was constructed in Johannesburg. The building was constructed in 1895 in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and was used in the Amsterdam Exhibition before being dismantled and shipped to Johannesburg where it was rebuilt in 1897. Although Johannesburg Park Station has twice been reconstructed, the 1897 building was preserved and moved to a short distance to Newtown, Johannesburg where it still stands, unused, today.

NZASM 40 Tonner (0-6-2T) no. 5 being recovered at Braamfontein after the 1896 explosion.
NZASM 40 Tonner 0-6-2T no. 5 being recovered at Braamfontein after the 1896 explosion.

Line Pretoria–Maputo

Frontispiece of the book published to commemorate the opening of the NZASM's Pretoria - Delagoabaai Railway on 1 January 1895.

The line from Pretoria to Maputo followed the following route:*

Border crossing between South Africa and Mozambique

(*) In the above list, only the major settlements on the line are named, the station names are not given.

The line was officially inaugurated on the 1st of January 1895. Today the line runs through the South African provinces of Gauteng and Mpumalanga. These two provinces, which previously made up the Transvaal Province, contain part of the territory of the former ZAR (along with Limpopo).

The route of the Pretoria–Maputo Line

After the completion of the Pretoria - Maputo line, a second, much shorter line was laid down between Pretoria and Johannesburg. It adopted the 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) of the neighbouring Cape Government Railways.

The South African War to the Present

During the South African War (1899–1902) the company, along with the rail company of the Orange Free State (OVSM) was placed under military control by the British and in 1904 the NZASM and the OVSM were merged into the Central South African Railways.

In 1916, shortly after the establishment of the Union of South Africa, the Central South African Railways was merged with the railways of the former English Cape (Cape Government Railways) and Natal (Natal Government Railways) Colonies resulting in the establishment of the South African Rail and Harbour Administration or Spoornet. In 1980, Spoornet was renamed to Transnet and it was granted company status in 1990.

The NZASM archives may be found in the South African National Archives in South Africa; the Dutch National Archives in the Netherlands;[3] and in the archives of the Zuid-Afrikahuis[4] and the Dutch Economic History Archive (NEHA),[5][6] both in Amsterdam. The NZASM photos in the collection of the Zuid-Afrikahuis have also been digitized and may be viewed online.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Davis, Clarence; Wilburn Kenneth (1991). Railway Imperialism. New York: Greenwood Press. pp. 30–33. ISBN 0-313-25966-6.
  2. ↑ Van Helten, J.-J. (1978). "German Capital, the Netherlands Railway Company and the Political Economy of the Transvaal 1886-1900". Journal of African History. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "Finding Aid. 2.18.18.02: Inventaris van het archief van de Nederlands-ZuidAfrikaanse Spoorwegmaatschappij (NZASM) te Amsterdam" (PDF). Nationaal Archief. Nationaal Archief, Den Haag. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Finding Aid. 076: Inventaris van het archief van de Nederlandsch Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorwegmaatschappij". Zuid-Afrikahuis. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "Collectie Nederlandsch-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorwegmaatschappij (Amsterdam)". International Institute for Social History. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Collectie Nederlandsch-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorwegmaatschappij (NZASM)". International Institute of Social History. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "NZASM". Het Geheugen van Nederland. Zuid-Afrikahuis. Retrieved 29 April 2016.

External links

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