Unlike most of Africa, South Africa was very sparsely populated at the time when the first Europeans arrived. In April of 1652, Jan van Riebeeck and his expedition of Dutch Calvinist settlers landed at the Cape, on the shore of Table Bay, the site of the modern city of Cape Town. They came, not to settle, but to establish a refreshment station for passing ships, for a commission that Van Riebeeck had received from the Dutch East India Trading Company (VOC). The station was to supply the ships travelling to Southern Asia with fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. They grew the vegetables and fruit themselves, but meat was obtained through trade with the local population (mainly Khoi-khoi).
As subsequent generations of Europeans expanded further to the east, they also encountered Bantu (mostly Xhosa) who became trading partners as well as armed opponents. The Dutch settlers created very large farms of wheat and wine and thus increasing the need for labour and causing the Cape Colony to start importing slaves from Angola, Madagascar, Mozambique and South East Asia at a time when much of the rest of Africa exported them. Soon more Dutch settlers arrived followed by other settlers from all over Europe. The colony gradually expanded along a frontier at the expense of the Khoi-khoi, Xhosa, and other natives. As the trekkers' expansion increased, they came into conflict with, first, the Khoi-khoi and later the Xhosa people into whose land they were encroaching. This marked the beginning of the defeat of the Tembu, Pondo, Fingo and Xhosa in the Transkei. The Xhosa in particular fought in the 'Cape Frontier Wars' which were a series of nine wars (from 1779 to 1879) which gradually deprived them of their independence and subjugated them to British colonial rule.
The Cape Frontier Wars (1779-1879).
In 1778, the Cape Colony's eastern border was extended to the Upper (Greater) Fish and Bushmans Rivers by decree of the Dutch East India Trading Company (VOC) Council of Policy.