There are records dating from 1652 that tell of Jan Van Riebeek arriving in the Cape with his Bullenbijter’s, these were used in Europe as holding dogs. The possibility of the Boerboel having some ancestry from these is great. Also the evidence noted in The South African Kennel Gazette helps see the history of the breed, this quote is dated March 1909:- 'I remember in1860 seeing a fine strain on the Thorn River near Cathart….these dogs were light-red in colour, wiry coat with massive heads, fairly fast and large. They were very vicious…about 1870, I saw some fine Boer dogs, answering the above description, excepting that they were darker in colour…I had two dogs, the one named Kafir, whose sire was a cross between a bull and a mastiff, dam a foxhound. The second named Smoke, whose sire was a cross between a stag and bloodhound, dam a mastiff. These dogs had all the characteristics of the Boer hunting dog.’

Today South Africa’s surviving Hunting Mastiff is called the Boerboel, no longer used for hunting, it's role now is a utility dog, hence the names meaning, farmers bulldog.

In 1990 a group of fanciers toured the country to identify future stock. From the 250 dogs found only 72 were selected as a breeding base.