The Dutch East India Company and Early Settlement

Dutch East India Company Labor and Contracts

• Dutch individuals were employed on a $5$-year contract base.

The Free Burghers

• Upon completion of their contracts, many Dutch workers were released and became known as "Free Burghers" ($\text{Burghers}$ means citizen).

• The Free Burghers migrated inland to establish farms, utilizing slave labor.

Arrival of French Huguenots

• By $1671$, French Huguenots began arriving in the region.

• These settlers focused on the development and cultivation of wine farms.