The allegation is that the population was scanty. And that might actually be true. South Africa is about as far south of the equator as El Paso is north — a subtropical clime. The native population preferred more tropical climes.
“The allegation is that the population was scanty.”
Who? When? Where were such “allegations” ever made?
I guess you’ve never read the histories of battles there where the colonists only succeeded with their superior armament, against what seemed overwhelming numerical odds.