On 16 March 1901 Boer Commandant Botha turned down the British offer for peace.
The process had started late in February when Kitchener used Botha’s wife Annie, who was living in Pretoria with their children, as an intermediary. The British terms were conveyed to Botha on 7 March, however the Boers were not prepared to back down on the ‘Independence for the Transvaal and Free State’, which the British were not prepared to accept.
Botha turned down the offer with no explanation.
