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‘The Greatest State Scandal’: Personality, Power and the South African Republic Police, 1886–1896

Abstract The discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886 led to the rapid industrialisation of the South African Republic's agrarian based economy. Focusing on the attempts made at reforming the South African Republic Police during the period 1886 to 1896, this article examines the contested character of the state. Marred by internal power struggles and bureaucratic constraints, the police force was synonymous with ‘rottenness’. Attempts to reform the police force were a battle in a broader political war over power between the conservative and progressive factions within the South African Republic government. Greater focus needs to be given to the contested interplay of state power and bureaucratic struggles within the institutions of this modernising state. This invites a more nuanced understanding of the Republic's character.