When did people of European ancestry begin migrating to Southern Africa?

People of European ancestry began migrating to Southern Africa in the mid-17th century, primarily through the establishment of a Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652 by Jan van Riebeeck.12

While Portuguese explorers had reached the region as early as the 15th century—with Bartolomeu Dias rounding the southern tip of the continent in 1488—these early encounters were largely focused on maritime navigation and trade rather than permanent settlement.3

Significant European colonization expanded further during the 19th century. During this period, the British settled in areas such as present-day KwaZulu-Natal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, while German settlers established a presence in what is now Namibia. The arrival of these settler populations profoundly altered the region's demographic landscape and often resulted in intense conflict with indigenous peoples, delaying the achievement of self-government for the local populations.2