Robinson arrived in
South Africa shortly before the disaster of
Majuba, and was one of the commissioners for negotiating a peace and determining the future status of
Transvaal. The job was known to be personally distasteful to him, for it left him with the task of conciliating, on the one hand, a Dutch party elated with victory, and on the other hand a British party almost ready to despair of the British connection. In 1883, Robinson was called home to advise the government on the terms of the new convention concluded with the Transvaal
Boers, and was appointed a member of the
Privy Council. On 27 February 1884 Robinson signed the
London Convention for the British government, with
Paul Kruger, the new state president of the
South African Republic, S.J. du Toit and N.J. Smit signing for the South African Republic. On his return to South Africa, Robinson he found that a critical situation had arisen in
Bechuanaland (today's
Botswana), where Boer commandos had seized large tracts of territory and proclaimed the republics of
Stellaland and
Goshen. The commandos refused to retire within the limits of
the Transvaal as defined by the new convention, and Robinson, aware of the necessity of preserving this country – the main road to the north – for the
British Empire, determined on vigorous action.
John Mackenzie and later
Cecil Rhodes were sent to secure the peaceful submission of the Boers, but without immediate result, partly owing to the attitude of the Cape ministry. Robinson's declaration that the advice of his ministers to patch up a settlement with the filibustering Boers was equivalent to a condonation of crime, led to the expedition of
Major General Sir Charles Warren and the annexation of Bechuanaland early in 1885. He repeatedly argued for the
Bechuanaland Protectorate to be extended north, beyond
22°. The British government resisted the idea until 1890, when land north of 22° was incorporated. The difficulties of Robinson's position were illustrated by the dispute which arose between him and Warren, who declared that the high commissioner's duties to the home government were at times in conflict with the action which, as governor of
Cape Colony, he was bound to take on the advice of his ministers in the interests of the colony. Sir Hercules Robinson succeeded in winning the confidence of
President Kruger by his fair-mindedness, while he seconded Rhodes' efforts to unite the British and Dutch parties in Cape Colony. His mind, however, was that of the administrator as distinguished from the statesman, and he was content to settle difficulties as they arose. In 1886, Robinson investigated the charges brought against
Sir John Pope Hennessy,
Governor of Mauritius, and decreed his suspension pending the decision of the home authorities, who eventually reinstated Hennessy. In 1887 Robinson was induced by Rhodes to give his consent to the conclusion of a treaty with
Lobengula which secured British rights in
Matabele and
Mashona lands. In May 1889, Robinson retired. In his farewell speech, he declared that there was no permanent place in South Africa for direct Imperial rule. This was interpreted to mean that South Africa must ultimately become independent – an idea repugnant to him. He explained in a letter to
The Times in 1895 that he had referred to the "direct rule of Downing Street over the crown colonies, as contrasted with responsible colonial government." Robinson was created a
baronet on 6 February 1891. Early in 1895, when he had entered his 71st year in below average health, he yielded to the entreaties of
Lord Rosebery's cabinet, and went out again to South Africa, in succession to
Sir Henry Loch. ==Second term as Governor of Cape Colony==