Sand River Convention

Sand River convention, 1852. Appointed governor of Cape Colony and high commissioner in southern Africa in 1847, Sir Harry Smith tried at first to reimpose British authority over the people of Dutch descent (Boers) who had quitted the colony some years earlier. The realization that such a policy might lead to endless strife forced Smith to reconsider his plan and to approve the Sand River convention which recognized the independence of Boers living north of the Vaal river.

Sand River Convention (1852)
Type of treaty	Delimitation of territory and rights
Signed Location	17 January 1852 Bank of the Sand River, South Africa
Effective	17 January 1852
Signatories	Andries Pretorius for the Boers and William Hogge and Mostyn Owen for Great Britain
Language	English
Sand River Convention at Wikisource

The Sand River Convention was a convention whereby Great Britain formally recognised the independence of the Boers living beyond the Vaal River. In return, the Boers promised that slavery would be outlawed in the Transvaal and that they would not interfere in the Orange River Sovereignty's affairs. The convention was signed on 17 January 1852 by Andries Pretorius (for the Boers) and William Hogge and Mostyn Owen (for Great Britain) in a marquee on the banks of the Sand River.

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