Colony vs. Protectorate South Africa was colonised by the dutch. Brunei was made a protectorate of the United Kingdom (UK) by the British. The British helped the Sultan and the Malays to establish a modern administration and eventually self-government after independance in 1984. The South African Black people were discriminated against very harshly and had to fight for their own independence which they gave only in 1994 after suffering for decades.