Free Blacks of the Cape

! Sensitivity : It is crucial to handle this database with care and a strong sense of responsibility. Many of the terms used were originally assigned by the VOC (Dutch East India Company) and often do not reflect how individuals and groups identified themselves. The terms themselves can be misleading, as they oversimplify the complex social realities experienced by people at the time.

This database may also contains terms that are considered derogatory, offensive, or harmful. The concepts within it are deeply connected to a history of colonial violence, enslavement, and racism that persisted both during and after the VOC's existence.

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Free Blacks are individuals who gained emancipation from slavery for various reasons before it was officially abolished in 1838. Although the ended slavery in the Cape Colony in 1834, the formal conclusion of slave labour took place in 1838. In cases where exact birthdates are not available, the ages referenced are approximations made by the slave owners.

​National Archives of South Africa

Database compiled by Lara Seaward