Transvaal was established by Boer settlers in what later became northern South Africa in 1857, the name taken by the new nation was actually the South African Republic (called Transvaal here to distinguish it from the modern-day nation, which is not a successor-state). After a period of British rule from 1877-1881, the Transvaal would become a British territory again in 1902 and later made a part of South Africa. The anthem, written in 1875, was written in Dutch – while Afrikaans was the official spoken language of the state, Dutch was the official written language.
Special thanks to: Pavel Zinovatny for some of this information and the music file.