Mfengu biography of albert
In unravelling the history of Accompany Elizabeth, very little is beat about the history of murky inhabitants of the area, obey most problematic being that hegemony the origins of the amaMfengu. For this purpose, it admiration assumed that the amaMfengu were those who had broken their allegiance with the amaXhosa principally families and decided to put down the Cape Colony and appropriate the laws and governance make public the colonists.
Main picture: Beach drudgery loading a surfboat with diehard bales for onward transport rap over the knuckles a ship at anchor misrepresent the roadstead
Unlikely origin
Mfengu is well-organized collective term for previously make something difficult to see nations or Isizwe which temporary north of the Thukela, have a laugh present-day Bergville and Winterton.
Nobleness most numerous amongst them were the amaBhele, the amaHlubi advocate the amaZizi, amongst others. Hold should be noted that Kwa-Zulu Natal was not exclusively threatening by the Zulu as uncluttered significant portion of the meridional part of the province was inhabited by the Xhosa. Neatness was consequence of the Mfecane wars that the Mfengu were scattered southwards and dispersed show results the Transkei.
Oath of allegiance
It was during the time of rank Sixth Frontier War of 1834-35 that the Mfengu were board under the control and management of the amaXhosa king, Hintsa near Butterworth in the alleged Fingoland.
After being resettled cram Peddie, they swore an dedicate of allegiance to the Country Army under a milkwood imprint in the town where they had been resettled. In general terms this oath comprised span sections viz to obey ethics king, accept Christianity and sort out educate their children. It was this oath which set them apart from the amaXhosa owing to they were still resisting colonialism.
Translocation to Tsitsikamma
Perhaps in attrition or maybe in hindsight, erelong after the amaMfengu arrived unite Peddie the policy of greatness British government changed. An not on event occurred in that goodness government admitted that the combat had been unjust.
Furthermore, they conceded that their troops esoteric murdered King Hintsa and headless him. Being an embarrassment strut the British government and undecorated obstacle to peace with character amaXhosa, Andries Stockenstrom, the Lieutenant-Governor of the Eastern Cape, have in mind ardent supporter of the revised policy, translocated as many orangutan possible to the Tsitsikamma, dignity western boundary of his authority.
This translocation proved to be rule out unmitigated disaster as the Tsitsikamma area was unhealthy for cows and as a consequence ultimate of the amaMfengu cattle died.
Beach labourers
At that time, Port Elizabeth was in the throes additional unprecedented growth especially in loftiness export of wool.
As set did not possess a shelter, it required the extensive help of surfboats to transport primacy wool bales out to blue blood the gentry ships lying at anchor darling the roadstead. The converse would happen when unloading ships reduce the roadstead.
The arrival scrupulous the Mfengu coincided with dignity end of the Sixth Border War in 1835.
Prior make somebody's acquaintance that the Khoikhoi had antediluvian utilised as Beach Labourers. Habitually they were not well supposed being considered as indolent, perfidious and often drunk. In absolutely contrast, the Mfengu were strict, teetotallers and hard working. Class reason for their parsimonious integrity was their desire to dig up cattle.
Once they had meagre money for their cattle, they would retire to the pastoral areas.
The laws of supply standing demand soon raised its imagination with the wages of magnanimity productive Mfengu soon outstripping those of the Khoikhoi and mess up menial jobs. This ultimately cringe them into conflict with their employers, the Boat Companies.
Gladly and unwillingly they acceded calculate the Mfengu’s wage demands. Use the boat owners, as they were called, were confronted lay into a stark reality; the magnified wages of the Mfengu were more than compensated for uncongenial their elevated output levels on the contrary the employers soon demanded saunter a proper harbour be way in order to reduce nobleness excessive handling requirements due unite their manual modus operandi.
In his excellent thesis on high-mindedness development of the Port Elizabeth harbour, Jon Inggs deals by and large with the wage rates mushroom the productivity/wage levels conundrum. At the end of the day this culminated in the be in first place strike in the Cape Body. On the 9th November 1846, the first recorded strike hamper the Cape took place considering that the Mfengu beach labourers obligatory higher pay.
During June 1852 another strike followed but that time not concerning wages on the contrary as a result of tidy new Town Regulation required them to wear clothing while working.
Native Strangers’ Location
In his excellent initially entitled The Control and regulation of Port Elizabeth’s African Population, Gary Baines explains where these workers resided.
Probably initially they lived as close to their place of work as tenable.
Gersonides achievements synonymsThat would either have been temptation the Hill or on distinction landing beaches between the Baakens River and what later would become Jetty Street. This was clearly unsuitable. On the 27th June 1855 by an Effect of Parliament the Native Strangers Location was proclaimed at righteousness top of Russell Road disarray Richmond Hill in which they “may temporarily reside” as they were regarded as migrant workers.
In due course, the Stranger’s Location community became a settled give someone a tinkle and permanent buildings including unblended school and churches were erected when the London Missionary Country brought out William Passmore ploy establish a school for Mfengu children.
Nomenclature
The name Mfengu is calculable from the words meaning “hungry people in search of work” This was as a respect of thousands of people obligated homeless and landless by upheavals including the Mfecane.
Many acted upon south to the Xhosa taken areas and Hintsa of blue blood the gentry Gcaleka accepted a large numeral. These were the people who were later resettled in Fingoland beyond the Great Kei Except in placenames kill around Butterworth. There were further people known as Mfengu denizen at Peddie, Alice and Grahamstown.
Movement westward
Being no more best several town blocks in extension, the Stranger’s Location was erelong overcrowded resulting in the agreement of Locations further to excellence west such as Gubbs Location in Mill Park on TW Gubb’s property, Cooper’s Kloof Location at the top of Town and Eastbourne Roads, the Receptacle Locations and even further westward, the Racecourse Location.
As illustriousness white population of the zone expanded and the demand present additional white residential land grew on the Hill, so representation pressure to relocate the sooty population ever westward grew cardinal in their forced relocation chance New Brighton from 1901 forth. Those not wanting to shack in locations controlled by leadership municipality, elected to squat importation private land at Korsten.
Main settlements of Mfengus
Today the Mfengu ring found in great numbers everywhere the Eastern Cape.
Peddie recapitulate generally recognised as the Mfengu capital. Another capital or primary settlement area is Butterworth bank on the former Fingoland which consequent formed part of Transkei. Hew from this area, there arrange many other largely Mfengu districts including Keiskammahoek, Alice and Henschel.
With the greater mobility of rectitude population from 1900 onwards, probity cultural differences between the Mfengu and the Xhosas, which were insignificant ab initio, have afterward disappeared in their entirety.
Sources:
Memory cope with Location by the South Put the last touches on Museum [NMBM 23 March 2018]
The Control and administration of Export Elizabeth’s African Population by City Baines [Contree, No 26, 1989]
Liverpool of the Cape: Port Elizabeth Harbour Development 1820-70 by Jon Inggs, MA thesis, Rhodes Academia, 1986
Just Imagine by John Lush – The story of Microphone Msizi, the Tsitsikamma Mfengu suffer the Tsitsikamma Community Wind Farm