A relative majority of the first settlers whose descendants today are the Afrikaners were from the United Provinces ( now Netherlands and Belgium ) , though there were also many from Germany , a considerable number from France , and some from Madeira , Norway , Portugal , Scotland , and various other countries .
Most of these first settlers were from the United Provinces ( now Netherlands ) , though there were also many from Germany , some from France , a few from Scotland , and various other countries .