Christianity in South Africa

[3][4][5] Christianity arrived in South Africa with settlers from Europe, starting with Jan van Riebeeck in 1652, when Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC, Dutch East India Company) authorized him to establish a post to resupply food and fuel to ships traveling between the Netherlands and Southeast and South Asia.

[6][8] In July 1737, Georg Schmidt arrived in South Africa as a Christian missionary, founded the first Protestant mission called the Moravian Brethren.

This caused an uproar because the Dutch Reformed Church back then held the view that baptised Christians must be free, not slaves.

[7] Over the next 30 years, many more Christian missionaries arrived in the expanded South Africa, by then a major hub for sea trade between Asia and the West.

Their stated goal was to "evangelize, educate and civilize" what they called were the "heathen" and "barbarian" native people of "darkest Africa".

[10][11][12] By the middle of the 19th century, many European denominations of Christianity had opened a branch mission in South Africa, and with passion sought new converts.

The Dutch Reformed Church, with 3 million Christian members, remained the "official religion" of the Apartheid-supporting National Party.