His father, Josias Eduard Hoffman (1773 – 1871) was the grandson of a wealthy stellenbosh landowner and one time landdrost Capt.

Johan Bernhard Hoffman (1720 – 1800) who at one point owned both the farms of Blauwklippen and Libertas and was also Captain of the Castle guard in Cape Town.

Hoffman was one of the representatives of the Smithfield District in the Orange River Sovereignty during the negotiations between Boers and British about the independence of the territory.

He acted as chairman of the Boer deputation in the negotiations and signed the Orange River Convention of 23 February 1854 in that capacity.

A greater sin than the gift itself was the fact that Hoffman had tried to hide it from the Volksraad, the Orange Free State parliament.