Social Sciences
HISTORY
Learner's Book • Grade 7 Term 3
Colonisation of the Cape
(17th-18th centuries)
Overview:
In this book you will learn about:
• Indigenous inhabitants of the Cape in the 17th Century
• Colonisation: the expanding frontiers of the Dutch Settlements
• Consequences of colonisation at the Cape
• Reasons for the Dutch settlement at the Cape
• Slavery at the Cape during the 17th and 18th Centuries
Indigenous inhabitants of the Cape in the 17th Century
Prior to European colonisation of Africa, the Stone Age people did not have a generic name
for themselves and it was only when colonisation took place that the indigenous people of
Africa were classified into generic groups.
The following groups of indigenous people were found at the Cape during
the 17th Century:
Hottentot (Hotnot): When the Europeans colonised Africa, they referred to the indigenous
inhabitants as the “Hotnot”. This was the original name given to the Khoikhoi people by the
European settlers, but is considered derogatory today. There are various suggestions as to
how this name was derived:
• Edward Terry (1616), an English traveller, maintained that the word Hotnot referred to the click sound of the language used by the herders
• The name possibly originated from a song sung by herders during a traditional dance
• The Dutch word – ‘Hottentotoo’ which means stammering, might also be the source of the name
!Kung (!Xun) is the name given to the people living in the Kalahari Desert in Namibia,
Botswana and Angola. They are considered part of the Khoisan language family.
Khoina (Khoikhoi or Khoekhoen) was the name that the Cape herders used when referring
to themselves. They are related to the San people in language and physical body shape, but
they speak a variation of the Khoisan language.
The Khoikhoi or “real people” were the native herding people of South Western Africa and had
lived in Africa since the 5th century AD. When the Europeans colonised the Cape in 1652, the
Khoikhoi were already engaged in extensive pastoral agricultural farming methods, focusing
mainly on large herds of Nguni cattle. The herds of sheep, goats and cattle belonging to the
Khoikhoi would provide them with a balanced, stable diet and they lived in larger groups in
a region which had been previously occupied by the San hunter-gatherers.
The Khoikhoi came to South Africa from Botswana and settled at the Cape and along the
south coast. The largest group of KhoiKhoi that remain today are the Nama.
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Khoisan (Khoesan, Khoe-San and Kwena): These are unifying names of the two ethnic groups: San and Khoi, but the
two groups remained culturally separate as the Khoikhoi continued to farm livestock and the San remained as huntergathers.
The territories inhabited by the
Khoisan before the Dutch settlers
Map showing the extent of the land owned by the indigenous
groups prior to the colonisation of the Cape by European settlers
San (Sonqua) means ‘native’, ‘aborigine’ or ‘established inhabitant of the land’. The Nama word ‘San’ means ‘forager’ and
was used by the Namaqua tribe to describe their hunter-gatherer neighbours. The San were also referred to as Bushman
(Bosjemans or Bossiesmans). They are the oldest and longest inhabitants of Southern Africa and lived throughout
Southern Africa long before the 1652 settlement of Europeans at the Cape.
They lived simply by hunting game with bows and arrows and foraged for food like berries, roots, nuts and water. They
sought other territorial kinship groups right across the African region and their movement was influenced by climatic
conditions and the availability of food and water.
When the Bantu speaking immigrants arrived in 250AD, it impacted the San’s traditional way of life. The Bantu immigrants
were farmers and needed land to plant their crops and graze their cattle. This caused conflict between the Bantu and
San tribes as the Bantu would move into the traditional land of the San. In addition, the Khoikhoi and the San would
compete for resources like water and food. This also resulted in minor conflicts, but because the area was vast, they
managed to live side by side quite peacefully.The arrival of the first Europeans to the Cape in the 17th Century changed
the San’s lifestyle dramatically and their survival was seriously threatened. As the Colonists increased their hold on the
Cape in terms of land acquisition and financial power and wealth, the San were pushed out of their traditional territories.
They had no choice but to either defend their lifestyle and land, or become part of the community of the settlers. Many
chose to defend their territories whilst others were drawn into the new colonial lifestyle. The result was that the huntergatherers virtually disappeared. Those who survived remained in Namibia and Botswana.
i
The movement of the Bantu, Khoisan and Europeans into the
Southern Cape
For informative videos
about the indigenous
inhabitants of the Cape
visit:
www.youtube.com/watch;
http: southafrica_sanpeople;
http://www.sanfootprints.co.za/
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Activity 1: Reading and comprehension
Read the excerpt of the article below and answer the questions that follow:
This article was written by Francesca Mitchell and forms part of the SAHO Public History Internship.
In his State of the Nation address on 9th February 2012,President
Zuma uttered a promise that provisions would be made ‘for the
recognition of the Khoi-San communities, their leadership and
structures’. He continued:
‘It is important to remember that the Khoi-San people were the
most brutalised by colonialists who tried to make them extinct,
and undermined their language and identity. As a free and
democratic South Africa today, we cannot ignore to correct the
past’.
This address held special significance as one of the first official
recognitions of Khoisan communities in the history of modern
South Africa.
Both the hunter-gatherer San and the pastoralist Khoi Khoi are
estimated to have been living in parts of southern Africa for at
least two thousand years. However, with the arrival of European
settlers from 1652, and the establishment and growth of
colonial settlements over the ensuing two and a half centuries,
the Khoisan peoples lost many of their claims to land, land
which largely has never been restored to them. Since the Land
Restitution Act of 1994 does not make provision for land which
communities lost before the assigned cut-off date of 1913,
with the proclamation of the ‘Native Land Act’, land restitution
in the post-apartheid era has held little benefit for the Khoisan
peoples. This is due to the fact that Khoisan communities were
dispossessed of most of their land during the earlier colonial
era, especially in the early nineteenth century, and hence the
1913 Native Land Act did not make any mention of Khoisan land
confiscation.
In addition to this, Khoisan communities also underwent a sharp
decline in population with the arrival of European settlers, largely
due to warfare and diseases such as smallpox which arrived with
the colonialists. The Khoisan had no natural immunity to these
imported diseases, and were hit hard by epidemics. In 1713, for
example, an estimated 90 percent of the Khoisan population
is thought to have been wiped out by smallpox. Moreover,
the traditional lifestyles and cultures of distinct communities
were often altered by intermarriage with different ethnic
groups, especially in the Western Cape. There is evidence of
intermarriage both between Khoikhoi and San populations and
with colonial slave populations, as well as with Bantu-speaking
farmers and white settlers. This created a degree of fluidity
in Khoisan identity, in terms of both economic activity and
language. Through such intermarriage and assimilation, Khoisan
populations were exposed to languages from not only Europe
and other parts of southern Africa, but also from South East Asia,
with the huge presence of slaves from Dutch colonies such as
Malaysia.
Later, under the apartheid government, Khoisan peoples were
forced to register as ‘Coloured’, a label which later came to be
widely resented, especially from the 1980s, for its neglect of
their distinct identity. Such policies of classification or selfclassification, along with land dispossession that came as a result
of forced relocation policies, Khoisan identity was fractured
further in its lack of official recognition.
Since 1994, the Khoisan are no longer classified as ‘Coloured’
as per the apartheid system, and have increasingly demanded
recognition as a distinct group with its own identity. There is
an increased desire on the part of Khoisan communities for
Coloured rejectionism and the reaffirmation of an indigenous
heritage which entailed geographic rootedness, a sense of
belonging, entitlement and ownership, in addition to unity and
legitimacy as an ethno-national group. This has culminated in
legal proceedings, such as the case of ‘cultural genocide and
discrimination against the Khoisan nation’ that was brought to
the Equality Court in 2010. In this case, leaders had particular
opposition to the use of the term ‘Coloured’ in with reference
to the Khoisan peoples, asserting the use of the classification
to keep the Khoisan population in bondage. Their demands
included government recognition not only of their leadership,
but also of eighteen clans, including Namaqua, Griqua and
Hassequa. Furthermore, demands have been made to the
government in Pretoria this year both for recognition as
South Africa’s first and original inhabitants and for land rights
historically denied to them. These demands were handed to
Phumzile Simelela, Chief Director in the Office of the Director
General, and centre on land reform discussions aiming for the
legitimisation of land claims prior to the 1913 Native Land Act.
Questions:
1. In his state of the nation’s address, what promise did President Zuma make? (2)
2. What is the difference between the Khoikhoi and the San people? (2)
3. Explain why you think the Khoi had a valid argument regarding land restitution in South Africa. (2)
4. What factors contributed to the Khoikhoi’s decline with the arrival of the European settlers? (2)
5. How were the Khoi exposed to different languages? (2)
6. Why did the Khoi resent the term ‘coloured’? (1)
7. What were the reasons for the Khoi approaching the equality court in 2010? (4)
Total (15)
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Colonisation: The expanding frontiers of Dutch
settlement at the Cape
Reasons for the VOC permanent settlement at the Cape in 1652
It was during the mid 17th century that the Dutch replaced the Portuguese and Spanish trade routes to the east with their
own, and by 1620, the VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) was the largest European company to be trading in
cottons and silks from China and India. It was during this expansive operatio, that the fleet of Dutch ships started using
the Cape as a halfway break and set up tents along the shores to trade with the Khoi and stock up with fresh water.
In 1651, it was decided that a formalised refreshment station should be established at the Cape to provide the VOC
ships with fresh water, vegetables, fruit
and meat, en route to the East Indies. Jan
van Riebeeck was contracted to build the
refreshment station as well as a fort for
defense against the Khoi and any other
European competitors.
On December 1651, Jan van Riebeeck
set sail from the Netherlands for the
Cape of Good Hope aboard the ship, the
Drommedaris. He arrived on 6 April 1652.
A simple structure of mud and wood was
used to build the fort. It was in that same
year that the VOC granted Dutch men
permission to own land and farm crops.
In that way, the Dutch would increase the
fresh food supply for the sailors.
Despite these farming initiatives, for
some years, the settlement at the Cape
was reliant on fresh food supplies from
The established Dutch trade routes to the East Indies
Amsterdam. Jan van Riebeeck argued that
there wasn’t sufficient land available to meet the agricultural demands of the ever-growing settlement, both from a
farming and grazing perspective.
In 1654, with the growing need for supplies to the sailors, the VOC released employees from their work contracts and
granted them land or freeholds along the banks of the Liesbeeck River. These settlers were called “free burghers” and
they were given tools, seeds and loans to start farming, with the understanding that they would sell their produce back
to the Company, and on condition that they were not to trade with the Khoikhoi. (This small nucleus of free burgers
became the root of the Afrikaner population as we know
it today). Due to the ever increasing demand for land for
the “free burghers”, the Dutch settlements spread steadily
from the shores of Table Bay to other parts of the Cape. By
1655, some of the Dutch settlers were growing their own
vegetables on plots of land near the fort.
This resulted in conflict between the Dutch and the Khoi,
whose land they steadily inhabited for farming. The Dutch
believed that land was a commodity with a monetary
value which could then be exchanged, sold or privately
owned. This was in direct opposition to the Khoi’s views,
where land was the property of the community and not
the individual. The loss of grazing pastures became a
constant source of conflict. Tensions steadily mounted
between the Dutch and the Khoi between 1654 and 1659
which resulted in the first Khoi – Dutch war in 1659.
The Company Gardens
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Activity 2: Comprehension
Read the quote below, taken from Jan van Riebeeck’s diary and then
answer the questions that follow:
Van Riebeeck noted that the Khoikhoi leaders complained and conceded that
“ …we had been appropriating more and more of their land which had been theirs
all these centuries and on which they had been accustomed to let their cattle
graze…It would be of little consequence if you people stay here at the fort, but you
come right into the interior and select the best land for yourselves, without even
asking whether we mind or whether it will cause us any inconvenience…As for
your claim that the land is not big enough for us both, who should in justice rather
give way, the rightful owner of the foreign intruder?” (As quoted in Feinstein, C.
H, (2005), An Economic History of South Africa, p.15)
1. Who is Jan van Riebeeck referring to as “we” in the first sentence of the quote?
(1)
2. What does the phrase, “appropriating more and more of their land” mean?
(2)
3. For what reason did the Dutch settlers move into the interior and select the best land for themselves?
(2)
4. Why was it important for the Khoi to retain their land?
(3)
Total: (8)
Slaves at the Cape
The Reason for Slaves at the Cape
In order to support the growing settlement at the Cape and replenish the Dutch ships en route to the East Indies, Jan van
Riebeeck established a garden along the shores of Table Bay. It soon became apparent, however, that he would need a
large labour force to manage the garden effectively.
In the beginning, he tried to use the local Khoi people for this purpose but was unsuccessful as they refused to work for
the VOC. In addition, the small labour force that was brought with Jan van Riebeeck in 1652, was not able to cope with
all the work that had to be done, as well as the expansion plans for the settlement, so he requested that the VOC send
additional labour to help him.
This was not a popular request and did not bode well with the executive VOC council. The establishment of a settlement
at the Cape was to make a profit, therefore sending more labour to the Cape would have meant a greater reduction in
their profit margins. Hence an alternative plan for labour had to be found – ‘slave labour’.
The Transport of Slaves
In 1653, Abraham van Batavia, arrived aboard a ship named the Malacca. He was the first slave at th Cape. The following
year, a slave voyage was undertaken from the Cape via Mauritius to Madagascar to buy slaves. The first shipment of
slaves to the Cape Colony arrived on board “The Amersfoort” on 28 March 1658. They had been captured in Angola by
a Portuguese trader and were en route to Brazil, when the Dutch
captured the ship and brought them to the Cape. A total of 250
slaves were captured, but only 170 survived long enough to get
to the Cape. The first slaves came mainly from Guinea and Angola
– West Africa. Later they were brought from Mozambique and
Madagascar. The most highly sought-after slaves were from the
East and some were imported from India. Enough food and water
had to be taken for all the slaves as well as the traders and this
was an expensive undertaking. Travelling by ship was unhygienic
and uncomfortable for the slaves who were confined to very small
spaces and hardly saw daylight for months. Many slaves died en
route to the Cape due to illness, poor hygienic conditions, poor
nourishment and death by jumping overboard.
The Amersfoort was the first ship to bring slaves to the Cape
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Activity 3: Summary
These escape attempts are described in this extract from the journal of the Schuijlenburg (Rijksargief, VOC 10 814),
returning from Madagascar.
24 Oct. 1752: It was discovered in the morning that 13 slaves were missing from the hold… some were found
who stated that the others jumped into the water during the night in an attempt to swim to land, but it must be
assumed with the stormy seas that they have drowned.
And
16 Nov. 1752: Some of the slaves attacked the sailor who went to give them food, and came up out of the hatch,
but they were forced back and hand and leg chains were secured on them all. The leader was then questioned, but
he refused to say anything, so some of the younger slaves were interrogated who said that there had been a plot
amongst the slaves to massacre all the Europeans and to escape. It was decided to severely punish the leaders as
an example to the others.
Using the notes above, make a summary of what you have learnt about the slaves at the Cape. Include: reason for
the slaves, transport, where the slaves came from, conditions on board ship.
Total: 10
Activity 4: Data Handling
Number of slaves delivered to Cape by VOC sponsored voyages,
1652-1796
1652 1700 1750
Region
Totals
1699
1749
1795
Madagascar
1 069
779
977
2820
Mozambique, East African
974
974
coast, Zanzibar
approx.
approx.
Delagoa Bay
280
280
Dahomey (Ghana)
226
226
approx.
approx.
Totals
1290
1951
1059
4300
Source: Jim Amstrong & Nigel Worden in R. Elphick & H. Giliomee (eds). 1989. The Shaping of
South African Society 1652 –1840. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman, p. 112.
Questions:
1. Plot the data from the table above onto a bar graph to portray the number of slaves that were delivered to the Cape and where they came from. (10)
2. In which time period were most slaves delivered to the Cape from surrounding countries? What was the main reason for this? (2)
3. Why were so few slaves taken from Ghana? (2)
4. From which country did most of the slaves come from? (1)
5. Draw a map similar to this in your class workbook. Using an atlas, find the above mentioned places and record them on the map, then highlight the slave route that was taken. Draw each route in a different colour and mark the number of slaves that were taken to the Cape along that route. Colour in the map. (10)
Total: 25
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Treatment of the slaves at the Cape
Upon arrival at the Cape, the slaves were made to work in the Company’s garden which was growing in size in order to
provide fresh fruit and vegetables for the settlement and the ships passing the Cape.
Due to the number of slaves arriving, accommodation was becoming a problem and so in 1679, the Slave Lodge was
built, housing a total of 9000 slaves over its 132 year history.
Initially the VOC owned all the slaves, but it soon
became apparent that the free burgers would
need more labour on their farms and so the
slaves were sold to them to assist them. A slave’s
life was harsh and often the farmers were cruel
and uncompromising.
Slave living conditions
Slave Lodge at 49 Adderley Street, Cape Town
• Slaves had very few human rights
• They could be bought or sold at the discretion
of the farmer
• Slaves were transferred from one owner to
another without any compensation or asked
where they wanted to go
• Some slaves were sold more than once and
then had their names changed by the new
owner, so their identity was stripped
• Slaves had to be indoors by 10pm. If they
were not at home by 10pm, they were forced
to carry a lantern with them on the street
• Slaves were not allowed to ride on horses on
the street
• They were banned from gathering outside
church buildings whilst a service was in
progress
• Slaves were not allowed to talk to each other
when they saw each other on the street
• Slaves hardly had a private life; they were not
allowed to move around freely or accorded
the rights that other members of society had The place where slaves were sold in Spin Street, Cape Town
• Slaves had very little time for family life; upon
arrival some found themselves alone on a farm
• Sometimes slaves were placed in groups of different cultural backgrounds. In these instances, unification through a
common tradition, religion or language was almost impossible. Slaves were expected to understand Dutch and other
languages from the outset
• Marriage between slaves was not allowed and so if a farmer wanted to, he could split the partnership and sell each
of them off to the highest bidder at an auction. Often, life partners were split and then the couples relied heavily on
the goodwill of the farmer to be able to see each other
• Often slaves (which included children) were forcibly removed from their families and then forced to live in a foreign
country away from their families
• The authority of owners of slaves who had children often caused disputes
For a comprehensive
as the slave owner disregarded the authority of slave parents over their
set of slave images and
children
a concise history of
South Africa,visit:
• Punishment for minor misdemeanors was harsh because the male slaves out
numbered their owners
CAPE SLAVE IMAGES.wmv
i
• Mortality rates were high due to the harsh living and working conditions
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=GdVDuUt6D1I
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7
Ansela van de Caab
Excerpt taken from: www.muratie.co.za
When the Cape of Good Hope was established as a Dutch colony in 1652 by Jan van Riebeeck, the international slave
trade was in full swing. With a new port at the southern tip of Africa, slave ships trafficking people from African countries
to a life of slavery at the Cape and other parts of the world were a common sight. Ansela’s story begins during this dark
period in history with the Dutch colonists capturing a Portuguese slave ship carrying slaves that had been forcibly taken
from their home country of Guinea.
One of the slaves, a woman, was enslaved in the Cape’s notorious Castle. Here the woman gave birth to a baby girl who
was named Ansela. During those times slaves born in the Cape were only given Christian names, followed by Van de
Caab – Dutch for “from the Cape”.
Ansela spent her infant years as a child slave in the vicinity of the Cape Castle, the Cape Gardens and the market area
of Greenmarket Square. Yet each evening she and hundreds of other slave children and women were locked up in the
notorious slave quarters.
Having reached womanhood, Ansela fell in love with Laurens Campher, a dashing German soldier in service of the Dutch
East Indian Company. They obviously had to keep their illicit love affair a secret and could not even afford to dream of
getting married.
Laurens had a deep love for the soil and had always dreamt of becoming a farmer. So when the Cape Governor Wilhelm
Adriaan van der Stel granted a farm to Laurens in 1685, he moved to this piece of land at the foot of the Simonsberg
Mountains, some 40km from Cape Town and 6km from the town of Stellenbosch.
Whilst setting up his farming venture, Laurens was, however, committed to the love of his life. He would regularly set-off
on the three day trek by foot to visit Ansela in the Cape’s slave quarters. Three children were born to Laurens and Ansela,
and Laurens’s one wish in life was to see his family set free from slavery and to bring them home.
In 1699 Ansela was released after being baptised in the Castle. Laurens came to collect her and their three children –
Cornelius, Jacoba and Agenetjie – and to take them to their new home of Muratie.
During her lifetime on Muratie, Ansela played a major role in building-up the farm into a successful enterprise where the
family spent the rest of their lives celebrating their freedom in the shadow of the Simonsberg Mountains.
Today, Ansela van de Caab, Muratie’s multiple award-winning wine, pays tribute to one of the most remarkable stories –
and individuals – in the history of South Africa’s wine culture.
Activity 5: Answer the questions
Use the story and information about the living conditions of slaves to answer the following questions:
1. What is the name of the slave ship that the Dutch captured in 1658? (1)
2. How did Ansela get the surname, “Van de Caab?” (4)
3. What purpose does a name or surname serve in terms of a person’s identity? (1)
4. Why is this so important?
(2)
5. Find one sentence in paragraph 3 that resonates with one of the living conditions of the slaves in the Cape at that time. (1)
6. Which other law governing the lives of the slaves did Ansela break? (1)
7. Why was Ansela fortunate to be able to take her children with her when she went to Muratie? (1)
8. What do we enjoy today that has been left as part of Ansela’s legacy? (1)
Total (12)
Cause and effect of slavery at the Cape
Slave numbers increased as the settler population increased at the Cape. Because the slaves were divided in origin and
dispersed geographically, they were not able to develop or establish a cohesive identifiable culture and mount effective
resistance to enslavement. Individual acts of rebellion were regular however, and in the early 19th century, there were
two small, but ineffective uprisings. Although slavery was officially abolished in 1834 in Cape Town, the slave culture
provided the basis for a working class culture after the freedom of the slaves.
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8
A slave’s resistance to enslavement was observed as follows:
• Damage to machinery
• Stealing from their owners
• Avoiding work by working slowly or pretending to be sick
• Early termination of pregnancies so that the slave’s child did not become the property of the slave owner
• Poisoning their masters by using plants to make poisonous medicines
• Slaves would try and run away, but more often than not they were caught and suffered brutal punishment
Read the article below which gives a detailed account of a rebellion against slavery lead by Louis
of Mauritius
Date: 27 October, 1808
This was the first such ‘mass movement” against slavery and
oppression at the Cape, and suggests a deep awareness around
issues of abolition and freedom held by slaves and servants
throughout the Cape Colony. The timing of the Cape uprising
was surely influenced by stories arriving in the Cape about
uprisings in America, Ireland and the Caribbean, as well as the
recent abolition of the slave trade on the high seas. News of
these events inspired the ethnically mixed band of conspirators:
a slave tailor by the name of Louis of Mauritius, two Irishmen,
James Hooper and Michael Kelly; another slave, Jeptha of Batavia,
two more slaves Abraham and Adonis. Another Indian slave and
two Khoi men later joined them.
Their plan was to march from the rural districts gathering slaves
on the way and then to enter Cape Town, seize the Amsterdam
Battery, turn the guns on the Castle and then negotiate a peace
which would involve establishing a free state and freedom for all
slaves.
On the evening of 27 October 1808, on the farm of Gerhardus
Louw, Vogelgezang, just north of Malmesbury, Louis arrived on
horseback dressed as a visiting Spanish sea captain. Hooper
and Kelly rode up by his side, disguised as British officers. They
managed to convince the absentee farmer’s wife to hand over
all their slaves into the hands of the ‘military’ party. They even
charmed the farmer’s wife into supplying them with a good
meal and a place to rest for the night. The next morning the
party proceeded from farm to farm, persuading slaves and
Khoi servants to join them. Only in one instance did the march
encounter resistance. In fact, overall there was surprisingly little
violence given the magnitude of the insurrection.
Even though all appeared to be going according to plan, a march
of some 300 mutinous slaves and servants is a difficult secret
to keep. News soon reached the Governor of the Cape, who
ordered Infantry and Cavalry to lay in wait for the insurrectionists
at Salt River just outside the city. Here the trap was sprung. The
participants quickly scattered in the face of superior forces. The
dragoons rounded up and captured 326 of the marchers. Of these
47 were put on trial including the leadership group of Hooper,
Kelly, Louis and the two Khoi leaders. Nine were found guilty of
treason and sentenced to be hanged, including Louis of Mauritius
and James Hooper. Another 11 were sentenced to death as well,
for ‘active participation’. Many others were given lesser sentences
including imprisonment on Robben Island.
Slave trade timeline at the Cape
1652 Refreshment station established at the Cape, in April, by The Dutch East India Company, to provide for its ships on their voyage to the East. In May the commander, Jan van Riebeeck, requests slave labour
1653 Abraham van Batavia, the first slave, arrives
1654 A slaving voyage undertaken from the Cape via Mauritius to Madagascar
1658 Farms granted to Dutch free burghers (ex-Company soldiers). Portugese slaver with 500 Angolan slaves captured by the Dutch; 174 landed at the Cape on the Amersfoort
1687 Free burghers petition for slave trade to be opened to free enterprise
1717 Dutch East India Company ends assisted immigration from Europe
1745-46 Free burghers petition again for slave trade to be opened to free enterprise
1753 Governor Rijk Tulbagh codifies slave law
1787 Government directive abolishing the importation of male slaves from Asia repeated again
1791 Slave trade opened to free enterprise
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9
1795 British take over the Cape Colony. Torture abolished
1802 The Dutch regain control of the Cape
1806 Britain occupies the Cape again
1807 Britain passes Abolition of Slave Trade Act
1813 Fiscal Dennyson codifies the Cape Slave Law
1822 Last slaves imported, illegally
1828 Lodge (Company) slaves and Khoi slaves emancipated
1830 Slave owners have to start keeping a record of punishments
1833 Emancipation Decree issued in London.
1834 Slavery abolished. Slaves become “apprentices” for four years
1838 End of slave “apprenticeship”
Activity 6: Timeline precis
Read the account of attempted resistance to slavery at the Cape and study the timeline. Make notes in your class
workbook using the criteria provided below:
• Date of rebellion
(1)
• Reason for the attempted resistance
(1)
• Who were the main leaders of this rebellion?
(6)
• What effect did this rebellion have on slavery at the Cape? (timeline)
(1)
• What do you think caused this rebellion?
(2)
• How many years after the rebellion was slavery eventually abolished at
(1)
the Cape?
Total: (12)
Slave legacy at the Cape: The rise of Islam
Islam is a religion in South Africa practiced by less than 1.5% of the total population. The first Muslims were brought to
the Cape through involuntary migration of slaves, political prisoners and political exiles from other African countries
and Asia from 1652 to 1800.
By the 1600s, the VOC had colonised areas of South East Asia and introduced the Cape’s slavery system. Those that
opposed this colonisation and land occupation by the Dutch became political prisoners and were shipped into exile to
the Cape as slaves during the latter half of the 17th century.
In addition, the origins of further Muslim migration to the Cape can be traced as far back as the 16th century, when
European military penetration and anti-Islamic persecution caused resistance and were crushed by the Dutch and the
opponents exiled to the Cape. Included in this group were a group of Malay servants of the Dutch who were travelling
back to the Netherlands from the East.
Many of these slaves in exile were skilled artisans like silversmiths, cobblers, singers, masons and tailors. This diverse
group became known as the Cape Malay, despite their varied origins.
Two men are accorded the honour of bringing Islam to South Africa: Sheikh Yusuf and Tuan Guru.
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Activity 7: Develop a time line
Read the history of their struggles in the articles below and then develop your own time line and points of
interest for each of their lives in your class workbook.
Sheikh Yusuf
(10)
refused by the Dutch.
In 1698, the Batavian Council issued a definite refusal
to even consider the request and a year later on 23
May 1699, Sheikh Yusuf died. He was buried on a hill
overlooking Macassar. A tomb constructed there in his
memory is among the 25 Islamic shrines or kramats
that encircle Cape Town.
The teachings of Sheihk Yusuf established a sound
Muslim community at the Cape. His insightful approach
and understanding of the religion still continues today.
Sheikh Yusuf, who resisted the Dutch occupation of
the East lndies is credited with having brought Islam to
South Africa. He was born in 1626 in Goa on the island
of Celebes. He joined forces with Sultan Ageng in his
fight against the Dutch attempts to gain complete
control of the Sultanates in the East Indies.
In 1683, Sheikh Yusuf was captured and exiled to
Ceylon and eventually brought to the Cape of Good
Hope. Sheikh Yusuf, his family and followers were sent
to Zandvliet farm at the mouth of the Eerste River, just
outside Cape Town, to prevent his influence on the
Islamic slave population.
Under the leadership of Sheikh Yusuf, the group at
Zandvliet established one of the first elementary
structures of a Muslim community. Dutch attempts to
isolate them failed as Zandvliet became a gathering
spot for Muslims and a rallying point for runaway slaves
and other exiles from the East. This farm area is now
known as Macassar.
Tuan Guru
Another prominent person was Imam Abdulla Kadi
Abdus Salaam, or as he is now referred to as ‘Tuan Guru’
(which means Master Teacher) who was born in Tidore
in Tinnate Islands of Indonesia.
Tuan Guru was captured in 1780 by the Dutch for
allegedly conspiring with the English and was sent as a
religious prisoner to Robben Island.
He was a keen academic and whilst he was a prisoner,
he completed a book on Islamic law which explained
practices of the creed of Sunnism which stressed the
acceptance of the faith of Allah’s will in the world.
This creed particularly suited the experiences of exiles
and slaves. Tuan Guru’s teaching and philosophy
provided the basis of Cape Islam until mid-to-late
nineteenth century.
As Sheikh Yusuf’s influence and spiritual teachings
spread widely amongst the slaves at the Cape, they
came to represent one of the first areas of resistance to
colonisation at the Cape.
After his release in 1792, he set up a Madrasah at
his house in Dorp Street and by 1797; he was given
permission to convert a warehouse in Dorp Street into
the Auwal Mosque. It is said that Tuan Guru transcribed
the Koran from memory as there were no copies at the
Cape in his day. Later, when copies were brought to the
Cape, it was found that his version contained very few
errors. A Kramat was erected to his honour on Robben
Island.
Repeated calls from the people and the King of Goa
to have Sheikh Yusuf released and sent home were
Source:
www.sahistory.org.za/people-south-africa/cape-malay
The French Huguenots
On the 31st Dec 1687, the first of the French Huguenot refugees set sail from the Netherlands to the Cape. This was an
organised migration because of the persecution that they had suffered at the hands of the Protestant Reformed Church
of France during the 16th century. By the end of the 17th century, about 200 000 Huguenots fled France due to religious
persecution. Many of them relocated to Protestant friendly nations which included England, Switzerland, North America
and South Africa.
The VOC set about to integrate the Huguenots and the Dutch communities and solidarity between the two groups grew
over various communal concerns such as the market price of fresh farm produce paid to the farmers, and the decision of
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11
the Governor of the Cape about who could participate in the wine and
meat markets.
Many of the French Huguenots were given farms in Franschhoek which is
Dutch for ‘French Corner’. This valley was originally called “Olifantshoek”
which means Elephant’s Corner because of the vast herds of elephant
that roamed the area.
Many of the settlers named their farms after the areas in France that
they came from, such as La Motte, La Cotte, Chamonix and Dieu Donne.
Expanding European Frontiers
By the mid 1700s it was clear that the Dutch settlement’s land had
expanded far more dramatically than its actual population. Many of the
Huguenot Memorial Museum, Franschhoek
free burghers were unemployed as they regarded manual labour to be
slave work and would not involve themselves in employment at what they considered to be beneath them. In addition,
the VOC could at any time demand that the free burghers return to service. This tyranny did not only apply to the free
burghers themselves, but to their children as well.
The answer to this unemployment and extended tyranny lay in a move away from the coast into the vast open spaces of
uninhabited land of the Khoi and the San tribes. So began the semi-nomadic lifestyle of the Trek Boers (and their slaves),
who were descendents from almost equal numbers of the Dutch, French Huguenots and German Protestants in the
Cape. These Dutch nomads became known as Trek Boers, which is Dutch for “wandering farmers”.
They were fiercely independent, seeking out land and water for their herds and families. Conflict between the Trek
Boers, the Khoi and San people grew as they advanced further into the interior and up the coast near the Fish River.
There were frequent conflicts with the Xhosa tribes, particularly in the Zuurveld and in 1779 the first of the bloody
wars broke between the Trek Boers and the Xhosas. In urban settlements, their was also growing animosity towards
colonial administration and eventually the townsmen called for their independence which resulted in Graaff–Reinet and
Swellendam being proclaimed as the first independent Republic.
By now the Boers were very different from the Dutch people at the Cape. They called themselves ‘Afrikaners’, a name
which proudly emphasised their birth in Africa. Their language, Afrikaans, differed from the Dutch language and their
independence was accompanied by an uncompromising form of Calvinism.
The independent republics were short lived however and the power struggle between the citizens and the colonial
administration ended when the British ships landed at the Cape in 1795 and the colony was annexed to the United
Kingdom.
Land inhabited by various
indigenous tribes of South
Africa at the time of the
Trek Boer Expansion
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12
Activity 8: Complete the Map
Use the map on the previous page to create your own one highlighting Trek Boer Expansion from 1720–1770.
Total: (12)
Lifestyle of the Trek Boers
• They lived a free life in their ox wagons and
in tents
• They had a subsistence economy – trading
cattle for gunpowder and other supplies
• They had large families
• The Trek Boers had very little formal
education; there was a small school in
Swellendam, but apart from that there were
no other churches or schools for education
purposes. Literacy levels declined as result of little or
no education
• Adopted a conservative version of Calvinism as their
religion
• Trek Boers developed “commandos” (mounted patrols)
in order to protect their cattle and fight the Khoi
• Male Khoi would be shot on sight; the women and
children would be taken as slaves
• The Trek Boers were huntsmen, hunting game like Blauuwbok and Quagga.
Their hunting exploits led to the extermination of these two buck species and
the total reduction of other species in the Karoo. The damage to the ecosystem
of the Karoo permanently affected the Karoo’s ecology
Activity 9: Summary
Use the information regarding the Trek Boer lifestyle to write a summary
about the lifestyle and hardships facing the Trek Boer as they expanded
into the colony. Total: (12)
Genadendal: The first mission station
in South Africa (1738)
Genadendal (Valley of Grace),
was originally known as
‘Baviaanskloof’ and is built on
the site of the first and oldest
mission station in Southern
Africa. It was founded by
George Schmidt who settled
in Baviaanskloof (Ravine of
the Baboons) on 23 April
1738. He was a German
missionary from the Moravian
Church, whose challenge
was to spread the gospel to
i
For interest....
The Dutch colony prospered
to the extent that the Cape
Town market for agricultural
produce became glutted.
With market stagnation
and with slaves providing
most of the manual labour
in the colony, there were
few economic opportunities
for the burgeoning white
population. Eventually more
than half of these people
turned to the self-sufficient
life of the trekboeren (literally
“wandering farmers” but
perhaps better translated as
“dispersed ranchers”).
The Boers were hostile
toward indigenous African
peoples, with whom they
fought frequent range wars,
and toward the government
of the Cape, which was
attempting to control Boer
movements and commerce.
They overtly compared
their way of life to that
of the Hebrew patriarchs
of the Bible, developing
independent patriarchal
communities based upon a
mobile pastoralist economy.
Staunch Calvinists, they saw
themselves as the children
of God in the wilderness,
a Christian elect divinely
ordained to rule the land
and the backward natives
therein. By the end of the
18th century the cultural
links between the Boers and
their urban counterparts
were diminishing, although
both groups continued to
speak Afrikaans, a language
that had evolved from
the admixture of Dutch,
indigenous African, and other
languages.[8]
Encyclopædia Britannica
Online
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13
the Khoi people. Many thought that mission work among the
Khoisan was impossible, but in spite of many hardships, Schmidt
continued with his work as a missionary to the almost extinct,
impoverished and widely dispersed Khoi people.
By the time Schmidt had arrived at Baviaanskloof, there were
already thirteen “Trek Boer” farms in the area, with very few Khoi
kraals remaining. He set to work with determination, and within
a short while, Schmidt had formed a small Christian congregation.
He taught the Khoi to read and write, but when he began to baptize
people from his congregation, there was an outcry from the Cape
Dutch Reformed Church who maintained that Schmidt was not an
ordained minister. Consequently, he abandoned his work and in
1744, he left the country.
In 1792, the Moravians finally obtained permission to resume
Schmidt’s work at Baviaanskloof. When three Moravian missionaries
Home industries flourished at the mission station
arrived, they discovered the ruins of his house and made
acquaintance with an old woman, Magdalena, whom Schmidt had
baptized. She showed them a Bible which Schmidt had given to her and they listened intently when Magdalena asked
her daughter to read parts of the New Testament to them.
The mission station once again began to flourish and at one stage it had the largest population settlement in the colony
after the Cape. In 1806, the name was changed to Genadendal.
Job creation at the mission station was a top priority and subsequently the mission station town developed into a selfsufficient, self sustaining community. The home industries flourished and Genadendal became an important centre
of learning for teachers in training. The first Teacher’s Training College in South Africa, now the Museum building was
erected in 1838.
Unfortunately the flourishing community’s utopian end was near when in 1909, the Communal Reserve Act of 1909 for
Mission Stations prevented inhabitants from gaining property rights and in 1926, The Teacher’s Training College closed
down. Once again, the indigenous people became victims of unjust legislation. Many of the Genadendal residents were
forced to seek employment on the “Trek Boer” farms in the area.
Today, the town council looks for creative ways to introduce community projects for job creation at a local level. On the
1st February 1995, Nelson Mandela announced that his Cape Town residences would officially be renamed ‘Genadendal’
and on the 10th October 1995, he paid the once small flourishing mission station town an official visit.
Activity 10: Read the extract below and answer the questions
Rebecca L. Weber, Special for USA TODAY 9:54 a.m. EST December 11, 2013
Mandela named the official presidential residence in Cape
Town after the small town of Genadendal
GENADENDAL, South Africa – When slavery formally ended in the Cape Colony in 1838, more than 1,000 slaves
fled to Genadendal seeking refuge.
More than 150 years later, President Nelson Mandela honoured the hamlet set among lush mountains by
renaming the official presidential residence in Cape Town after the small town about two hours east of the city.
Then, in October 1995, children in their school uniforms lined the dirt road as he arrived, speaking to them in
Afrikaans, the predominant language in the town, which means “valley of grace” in Afrikaans.
Virtually all residents in the village were classified “coloured” under apartheid, meaning of mixed racial
background. Many have lived here for generations, and recall that day with visible pride.
“In addition to being the first permanent Khoi settlement at the Cape – it was also a place of sanctuary for more
than a thousand slaves when slavery was abolished in 1838 – Genadendal is blessed with a rich tangible and
intangible heritage,” wrote Mandela in a foreword to the 2009 book, “The Challenge of Genadendal,” edited by
Hannetjie du Preez. “May the history of Genadendal continue to inspire.”
Confusion between the two Genadendals has caused an unexpected boost for tourism: When luminaries such as
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14
Bill Cosby, Princess Diana, or Hillary Clinton have visited Mandela, it would usually be reported that the celebs had
met Mandela at Genadendal.
“The next week, people would stream to Genadendal, asking, ‘Where did the meeting take place?’” said Isaac Balie,
a historian and curator of the Genadendal Mission Museum, who would then have to explain that Mandela had
actually received Princess Di at Genadendal in Cape Town.
Still, he would usually seize the opportunity to explain the background about why this town was uniquely
significant to Mandela and South Africa.
Questions:
1. What does the name Genadendal mean?
(1)
2. Why is this name particularly relevant to the people of Genadendal?
(1)
3. What function did Genadendal serve to the Khoi people?
(5)
4. Why did Nelson Mandela rename his official residence Genadendal?
(4)
5. Why did Nelson Mandela address the people of Genadendal in Afrikaans?
(1)
6. Where do the origins of this language stem from in South Africa?
(1)
7. How has the town of Genadendal benefitted from Mandela renaming his official residence after it?
(2)
8. Why was it important for Nelson Mandela to visit Genadendal and what was he hoping to achieve
through his visit?
(3)
Total: (18)
The work of Wilhelm Bleek and Lucy Lloyd
Full name: Wilhelm BleekFull name: Lucy Lloyd
Born: 8 March 1827
Died: 17 August 1875 (aged 48) Born: 7 November 1834
Died: August 31, 1914
Occupation: LinguistOccupation: Teacher
Bleek had an interest in African languages from a young age. The main point of his thesis was to try and link North
African languages to that of the KhoiKhoi, thinking that all African languages were somehow connected. Much of his
research for his thesis was conducted in the Cape Colony.
Bleek met his wife, Jemima Lloyd, on one of his journeys to the Cape in 1861 and married her in November 1862. Shortly
after their marriage they moved into a house in Mowbray, where Lucy Lloyd (Jemima’s sister) also joined them. Much
of Bleeks’ working life at the Cape was characterized by financial difficulty which made his continued research difficult.
Lucy began her work with oral histories when the first |xam (Cape Bushman) speaker arrived at Mowbray in 1870. Lucy
was responsible for two-thirds of the texts recorded until Bleek’s death and the publication of their second report to the
Cape Parliament in 1875. After Bleek’s death, Lucy continued working on their joint Bushman studies with the support
of her sister, Jemima.
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