ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Military history of South Africa

Okay kiddo, so a long time ago in South Africa, there were different groups of people living there. Some of these groups were called the Zulus, the Xhosas, and the Boers. They all had their own way of living and their own ideas about what was important.

As time went on, some people from Europe came to South Africa and started taking over lands that belonged to the African people. This made a lot of the African people very upset and they started to fight back against the Europeans.

One of the most famous wars in South Africa was the Anglo-Boer War. This war was fought between the British, who had come to South Africa, and the Boers, who were the descendants of the Dutch settlers. The Boers wanted to be independent and have their own country, but the British didn't want to let them. So the two sides fought for a few years, but eventually the British won and took control of South Africa.

After the Anglo-Boer War, South Africa went through a lot of changes. Different political parties came to power, and there were a lot of conflicts between the different groups of people who lived in the country. One of the most important events was the apartheid era. During this time, the government separated people based on the color of their skin. This caused a lot of tension and violence between the different groups.

Finally, in the 1990s, South Africa got a new government and started to change things. They ended the apartheid system and worked to bring different groups of people together. Today, South Africa still has a complicated history, but they are working towards a better future.