The relationship between the state and the church during the early history of Pretoria

Abstract

In this article, I shall be discussing the development of the church in the Transvaal and the South African Republic – with specific reference to the situation during the early history of Pretoria. Although I shall highlight the situations within different communities, the main focus of this article is on the relationship between the state and the church in the period 1839 until 1902. As we shall see, during this time, the two institutions protected each other and actually consisted of the same group of leading and influential people. Although these people followed some of the same principles practised in other regions (Cape Colony, Europe), this close relationship between the church and the state harmed the development of both the church and, in many ways, the development of the state in South Africa.