The Foster gang were a group of criminals who operated in South Africa, around Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...

 and the Rand, during 1914. The gang, led by William Foster, committed various acts of robbery and murder. After a stand off with the police, the gang members and Foster's wife all committed suicide.

The gang is historically significant because a nominated senator, General Koos de la Rey

Koos de la Rey

General Jacobus Herculaas de la Rey , known as Koos de la Rey, was a Boer general during the Second Boer War and is widely regarded as being one of the strongest military leaders during that conflict....

, was shot by a policeman at a road block set up to look for the Foster gang, his death and subsequent funeral, where it was rumour that he had been assassinated by the government, was a contributory factor in the Maritz Rebellion

Maritz Rebellion

The Maritz Rebellion or the Boer Revolt or the Five Shilling Rebellion, occurred in South Africa in 1914 at the start of World War I, in which men who supported the recreation of the old Boer republics rose up against the government of the Union of South Africa...

of 1914.

A South African feature film on the Foster Gang, entitled "The Foster Gang" produced and directed by Percival Rubens, was released in 1964. A copy of this film is preserved at the South African National Film, Video and Sound Archives (www.national.archives.gov.za).