Ernst was unaware that Cape Town had already prepared to intervene in East Africa, and their initial plan was to start with Germany. However, Ernst knew before the war that there would be no peaceful resolution between East Africa and Cape Town. But the idea of starting with Germany to intervene in East Africa was just wishful thinking on the part of the British.
This time, East Africa's strategic goal was to use mountains and rivers as boundaries, occupying easily defensible places and taking over South Africa's mining areas. In many places with mountains and rivers in South Africa, the British had influence, the most typical being the Griqualand Republic, although it was north of the Orange River.
If the Griqualand Republic were south of the Orange River, East Africa probably wouldn't annex it, as it would be difficult to defend and could become a bleeding wound.
