Greater South Africa

December 21, 1919

With the greatest of fanfare Jan Smuts placed the new map in his office. Transvaal, Natal, Orange Free State, and Cape of Good Hope were now joined by a 5th province: South-west Africa. Only with a firm push from Smuts and a rally of the Parliament vote did it narrowly pass. His smile glowed as it radiated across his face and the room. German citizens were welcome on the same terms as the Afrikaaners, and though an "Entrenched Language Allowances" was made to permit German to remain a provincial language alongside Dutch and English. Within a year construction had begun on railways to link Windhoek to Capetown and Pretoria.
 
October 27, 1922

By a slim majority of 53%, and thanks to a thorough campaign by the British South Africa Company, Southern Rhodesia votes to join the Union of South Africa as the 6th state. Jan Smuts has struck a deal with them to favor their enforcement of contracts with various enterprises in Portugal using capital from a sale of Bechuanaland to the Union of South Africa government. With the expansion of railways well underway, the economy of South Africa benefits as goods from distant sources get to market and the world much more quickly. Smuts is careful not to develop ports outside of South Africa and keep the industrial sectors confined to the areas around Harare, Pretoria, and Cape Town proper. Diamonds and gold help build additional infrastructure and approx. 10,000 displaced German war veterans come to South-West Africa, about one in four have an engineering background and help develop the local infrastructure. Planning begins for rail connections. Plans are also made for giving inexpensive land to settlers from Europe under generous conditions in Southern Rhodesia and Bechuanaland with the blessing of the British South Africa Company. Under a deal cut with the local chiefs in Bechuanaland large areas are left for native settlement, including some areas of highly productive land. The deal is soon viewed poorly in the eyes of the general public.
 
August 4, 1925

With the purchase of all Bechuanaland interests from the British South Africa Company, the native Homeland of Bechuanaland is established as a 7th state of the Union of South Africa. Expansion of railways and limited development of heavy industry continues alongside development of education of the locals under the "White Man's Burden" premise. Something unexpected begins to happen as the locals in many of the provinces not only take advantage of the local educational opportunities but also rise to local power among their own people. Debate about where the populace will socialize where leads to various proposals about "internal passports" and various security measures, but the ultimate outcomes begin to lead to minimal tension as development and a booming economy keep everyone busy.
 
March 15, 1928

James Hertzog looked over at his counterpart from Northern Rhodesia who still furled his brow as he signed the document. With the allegiance of the British South Africa Company and in exchange for support of rights in enforcing the contracts made with various Portugese interests in Mozambique, the Union of South Africa gained the Territory of Northern Rhodesia and the BSAC its lone rail connection to the south. Various government enterprises, including an Iron and Steel corporation, a pension group, new banking enterprises, and expansion of voting rights to (white) women were underway. With German engineering and now naval expertise becoming available via frustrated military engineers unable to find work in Germany, development of newer weapons systems and technologies was beginning to get underway. With examples of Mondragon rifles along with Mauser self-loading carbines from Germany, a native firearms manufacturer begins testing of "hunting rifles" as a way to develop a possible military rifle for future use. With a license to produce the Liberty L-12 engine and Felixstowe F5L flying boat, the Union established the African Marine Airways (AMA) which permits travel using the plethora of rivers and lakes in the country as runways. Hydroelectric projects also begin to take root with emphasis on locally manufactured concrete, generators, and steel, again via government-backed companies.
 
Woah, South Africa just expanded by a huge amount.

We don't get many such TLs around here, and this is bound to look interesting. Let's pray and hope apartheid gets avoided.
 
May 1, 1931

With South African investment controlling much of the Portuguese economies of Mozambique and Angola, along with the incorporation of Nyasaland as a territory, industrial development of the Union of South Africa continues at impressive speed despite the Depression. In a somewhat radical move, the South Africans begin to simply export gold taken directly in taxes for continued development and industrial expansion. Although the move makes the economists nervous, the prosperity of South African markets and opportunity relative to that of much of the rest of the world makes it an attractive prospect for immigration from Europe and also from political refugees in much of the rest of the world, including Japan. With expanding industry comes innovation, with South Africa developing some of the first large-scale radio communication equipment and becoming a pioneer in RADAR shortly after its discovery. Its expertise in aircraft and now automobiles begins to take shape as well, the development of the Trekker "Uno" with its very basic but very reliable engine makes automobiles affordable to about a quarter of the population. It becomes the first industrial export of the country where it is popular in colonies and non-European populations simply to say it came from somewhere else. South Africa also develops a new type of radial engine deemed the "Cyclone" not knowing that the United States and Germany have developed similar engines and in fact adopted very similar names. South Africa gains full independence from Great Britain and begins steering a very neutral course while appearing quite pro-Britain and staying part of the Commonwealth. It also begins work with various penicillin derivatives at Witwatersrand, among the first major "cutting-edge" projects there.
 
September 8, 1934

With the development of a radial aircraft engine producing 2800 horsepower at 3800 RPM and producing 1.29 hp/pound, the Union Defence Force begins development of its first native fighter and bomber aircraft. Alongside this the use of the same engine allows for design of a prototype tank using a 50mm gun that, while not moving beyond prototype phase, permits acquisition with some of the basics of working with armored vehicles. Hopes to find a Jewish homeland in South Africa away from the brewing troubles in Europe and the Palestinean mandate lead to several thousand Jewish refugees finding their way south into the Union centering on Bechuanaland. Although few in number, the lack of laws restricting their religious practices and ability to literally help build a state from the ground up leads to increasing immigration especially from Germany, Russia (when possible), and Poland. With the development of the Trekker "Ranger" the first mass market automobile outside of Europe and the United States to achieve sales of over 1,000 international sales in a year sets the record at over 9,000 sold. As it runs on mediocre gas and "is harder to kill than a bull elephant in a rampaging charge", the car gains a reputation as a very reliable vehicle in almost all conditions. With the development of a crude synthetic rubber thanks to a black scientist (who will not get recognition for this until the 1960s), South Africa begins to witness the first innovative fruits of its expanding educational programs. British industrialists begin to build factories in the country using cheap labor. They bring modern applicances, products, shipbuilding, and newer manufacturing techniques to South Africa. American manufacturers soon do the same as do French companies and even a few other German expatriates fleeing persecution from the new Nazi party.
 
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