IsiXhosa Intellectual Traditions (IsiXIT) Digital Archive

THE TEMBULAND SETTLEMENT. IT is most distressing to think that notwithstanding Select Committees of the House of Assembly, by twos, and Commissions, to settle Tembuland, still that unhappy country is not settled. This state of things has existed since the re- bellion of 1880. In brief the facts are that previous to the troubles that occured in 1880 Emigrant Tembuland was peopled by Tembus under four chiefs—MATANZIMA, NDARALA, GECELO, and STOKWE. When the torch of war was, in 1880, lighted in Basutoland it found inflammable material in Tembuland and affected GECELO, STOKWE and their followers while the first two professed loyalty to the Colonial Government. At the close of the rebellion, however, the land of these four chiefs was confiscated without discrimination, and thus an injustice was perpetrated which is not likely soon to be forgotten by the people. After this portion of Tembuland had been swept and garnished by the Colonial forces -nature abhorring a vacuum—people of Dutch extraction trekked from various divisions in the Colony into it. Meantime Government had given orders that the loyal natives who originally lived there should remain in it while it awaited settlement. The Burghers coming into contact with the aborigines in this manner after unpleasant encounters at once complicated the situation. A Commission was appointed with the object of permenantly settling the country; and with commendable courage they boldly fixed a boundary line on one side of which the whites were to be located and on the other they placed natives. Although either party would have been too glad for another slice of the others—and the Dutchmen actually strove to have this—the natives acquiesced in the decision of the Commission. Farms were then surveyed on each side of the line for Europeans and Natives, and those in the Colony, at all events, hugged the fond impression that all was quiet there. Unfortunately this was not the case. It only needs but a trip to Tembuland to enable the lover of settled government to find that he has all the time been living in a fool s paradise. The causes for the unsettledness are various. We mean briefly to touch upon them in this article, and to representthe native view in respect of each cause. Failing to get all that they desired, our native friends at once recognized the wisdom of cutting their coats according to the size of their cloth. After shedding many tears—if not outwardly, Heaven knows, internally—the original holders of large farms, varying from 1000 to 2000 morgen, under the chiefs with the knowledge and approval of the Colonial Government—these grantees accepted some 500 others 750 morgen from the Commission. Provision was also made for ' Natives of known loyalty (we qoute from the Commissioners' Report), good character, with small means irrespective of nationality who were to receive small locations of from 1 to 15 morgen of arable land at a Quit Rent of five shillings per morgen per annum which should give them the right of from 10 to 15 morgen of grazing land to each morgen of arable land registered in his name, the arable land and building plots to be beaconed off in localities suitable for village communities, the commonage to be clearly defined and beacons erected.' These would seem to be the main features of the scheme adopted by the Commissioners for the settlement of Tembuland by natives. The scheme, as we have said, was accepted by the natives concerned; but herein lies the gravamen of their complaint, that it has not been fully carried out. Some who were promised farms of a certain number of morgen have simply got them on paper; the, ' Natives of small means ' who were promised grazing land varying from 10 to 15 morgen to one of arable land have got it in shadow but not in substance. These things have an unsettling effect. Over and above and behind all this, a report has been started that to please the Dutch farmers in the district of Xalanga, who are enraged at being added to the Cala District, the boundary proposed by Mr. VAN RENSBURG, the recognition of which would add a large portion of the country now filled by the natives to European Tembuland is to be revived. Of this we first learnt from the letter of an energetic native farmer which we published in our columns a fortnight ago. Mr. MANKAYI RENGQE, whose name is not new to most of our readers, sent us a short account of a meeting of native farmers at Cala, at which they resolved to ask their magistrate to write to Government not to sanction the VAN RENSBURG line. A European correspondent of the Cape Mercury, between whom and Mr. LEVEY, R. M. of Cala and Xalanga. there is apparently not much love lost, judging from his communication, confirms this report which he states has been set on foot to secure the consent of the Xalanga Europeans to the adding of their district to the Cala. Whatever may be the object of the report, in the name of order and settled government, we sincerely hope it is not true. If true it would, on the one hand, put a premium upon agitation and what we choose to call ' NABOTHING ' the natives, and, on the other, go much to undermine the faith of the natives in the plighted word of the Colonial Government; while it would reduce considerably the chances of settled, orderly, and peaceful Government in Tembuland. If the report is merely a report and nothing more, it is the bounden duty of the Secretary for Native Affairs to contradict it empha-tically, and that without delay. It is time these questions were closed and people encouraged in the path of peace and progress and partial settlements, or re-opening of settlements, are far from calculated to advance these ends. NATIVES AND CRICKETS THE return match between the European team drawn from the Albert Cricket Club, and the Natives belonging to the Champion Cricket Club, came off last Saturday, and was decided by one innings in favour of the whites. There is now, we believe, not even the shadow of a doubt in any one's mind that the play that the whites and Natives show is alike When the Natives were hurried out of their first innings with 47 against 210 of the Alberts it was supposed that the team of colour would leave the field with their tails between their legs, like whipped curs. It became evident to the superstitious sons of HAM, when a dust storm of con- siderable magnitude came over the Town Lords, which compelled the Alberts to lie flat on the ground, that the Parentales Umbrae, who used to be worshipped by the fathers of these Natives about these very scenes were coming to their aid. The omens were not misread, as the second innings showed more vigorous playing on the Natives' part. The Alberts perceived during the second innings that their anticipations, if they had formed any, of a mere walk over the course, were not to be verified. Bowlers were changed and all devices—fair devices let us say—were tried, but in vain. Six o'clock however came to their rescue, when the blacks had raised the score up to 142 with five wickets to tall. All felt that no side could crow lustily under the circum-stances. The Alberts must now know that in the Native Champions they have foernen worthy of their steel. Taking the matches all round, the Natives are virtually victors It must not be forgotten that cricket enthusiasm has within the last two years been noticed among the Natives, and adult muscles have had to be trained. European cricketers, on the other hand, commence the game' from the knickerbocker stage to—well, we would not be wrong in saying old-age It would be very easy and satisfactory to us to dilate on the morals to be drawn from these friendly contests, but we have no time for that within the limits of this article It is enough to say that the contest shows that the Native is a rough diamond that needs to be polished to exhibit the same qualities that are to be found in the civilized being, and that he is not to be dismissed as a mere schepsel, as it has been the habit of the pioneers to do so heretofore '