WI: The Dutch keep Cape Colony?

Basically what the title says. How does Africa and the World look like if for some reason, the Dutch keep the Cape Colony for longer than they did in OTL? How far does it expand. How does this affect other European Colonisation of Africa. What about the Boers? Discuss...
 

Germaniac

Donor
Well I see it as unlikely that the British wont take it... however if they dont British interest in Egypt will be much higher. An earlier suez canal is very much likely
 
Well I see it as unlikely that the British wont take it...

Not true. With any POD before the French revolution a Dutch Cape colony is extremely likely. Actually even with a French revolution it is possible; only in 1806 did the British took it from the Netherlands (or more correct the Kingdom of Holland).

Anyway if the Cape colony woul have remained Dutch, I suspect it would remain smaller. Certainly if the British also want some Southern African halfway station, then they would most likely take Natal as their colony. I also think the Boer trek might be buttterflied away, or at least contained a bit more. The Boers wouldn't mind Dutch rulers as much as they would British rulers, so I doubt they would create Boer Republics, but remain part of the Cape colony (although they would expand a bit more inland, as I believe it was relatively crouded).
 
The British will hand over the Cape colony after Napoleon
Natal wiil be thier own half way station to India
The ''Grote Trek'' probably will occure, since the Netherlands after Napoleon is a centralistic governed Monarchy and later constitutional monarchy, very different than the VOC rules, so the Boers are subject to laws, rules and taxes, which soner or later they oppose. These ''opression'' from a gouverment will be the same as British rule OTL and there for trigger a ''Trek'' to the East and North.
Interesting it will be how this trek will conflict with the British colony, call it Natal.
suppose the Boers avoid this and do more or less the same as OTL, only dutch rule will follow after them. When Diamond and Gold are found, most likely the dutch gouverment will react more or less the same as the British. Most likely more subtile, considereing there no Boer republic founded.
The Brittish would let this happen. The only reason they were intersted in South Africa and Later Rodesia, was because of Cecil Rhodes.
I think a dutch south Africa would have borders almost like present day South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana, without a larger Natal, as a former Brittish posession.
The British will focus on North Africa, and who knows dig a Suez canal a decade earlier.
The British will still became super power of the 19th century, only the dutch thanks to the gold and diamonds of South Africa a bit more richer and who knows more influential.
Perhaps a Dutch gouverment spent a part the gold revenues on Battleships and dreadnougths, and with this substantial fleet get dragged in to one sort of European aliance.
 
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