The life and times of Kama Chungwa, 1798-1875
- Authors: Yekela, Drusilla Siziwe
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Kama, William, 1798-1875 , Shaw, William, 1798-1872 , Methodist Church of Southern Africa -- Missions , Gqunukhwebe (African people) -- History , Wesleyville mission , Gqunukhwebe (African people) -- Kings and rulers , South Africa -- History -- Frontier Wars, 1811-1878 , South Africa -- History -- Xhosa Cattle-Killing, 1856-1857 , Converts -- South Africa , Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2520 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001849
- Description: Few students of History understand the derivation and/or origin of the Gqunukhwebe oath "Ndifung' uChungw' efel' ennyameni: I swear by Chungwa who is lying dead at Mnyameni (Alexandria)." A desire to eludicate this point and other related facts inspired me to undertake a close examination of the history of the Gqunukhwebe people, selecting as my main theme the life-work of Chief Kama. In the first chapter I am discussing the creation of the Gqunukhwebe Chiefdom under Khwane by the Xhosa King, Tshiwo. The central theme here is the Black-White confrontation of the 17th - 18th centuries on the Cape Eastern Frontier. As a result of the collision the Gqunukhwebe people were forced to make a home on the banks of the Thwecu River along the east coast. It was here that Kama reached early manhood. The second chapter describes the establishment of Wesleyville Missionary Station by William Shaw in 1823, the first Methodist Missionary Institution in all Xhosaland. In chapter three the discussion centers on the significance of Kama's conversion. An unforeseen outcome of his public profession of the Christian faith was that it not only stigmatized the latter religion as a force destructive of the old order in Xhosa society, but it also reshaped Kama's political image for the good of his religious life. He not only fled from the neighbourhood of his relations and sojourned in a strange land, but also reinforced the Colonial forces in the contemporary frontier struggles. His integrity, self-sacrifice and pro-Colonial inclination eventually won him Middledrift. Chapter four opens with Kama's settling in Middledrift. The theme here is two-pronged. It presents the 'Cattle-Killing' delusion as a source of new trials for the 'priest-chief', and at the same time exposes the Colonial Government's efforts to gain ascendancy above the Xhosa chiefs. Kama's land was the first testing ground in this respect, and the Chief was initially agreeable to the scheme. Chapter five alludes to instances of Chief Kama's unco-operative attitude as signs that his compromising spirit had its limits. An atmosphere of disregard towards Kama pervades the period. But the adversities that threatened to dominate his later life did not by any means shake his Christian principles and convictions. The traces of his good works may to this day be seen in Middledrift, the traditional home of the Kamas.
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- Date Issued: 1989
The development of the secretaryship to the government at the Cape of Good Hope under John Montagu, 1843-1852
- Authors: Breitenbach, J J
- Date: 1958
- Subjects: Montagu, John, 1797-1853 , Montagu family , Cape of Good Hope (Colony) -- Parliament -- Legislative Council , Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- History , Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2620 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1014603
- Description: The development of the Cape Colony during the 'forties and early 'fifties last century is, indeed, a fascinating study. And as one aspect of it, a critical study analysis of the public career of John Montagu, while he was Colonial Secretary at the Cape, is of particular interest. For, by tracing the influence of his office in relation to the changing political, social and economic structures of the colony, it is hoped some contribution will be made to the knowledge of the period. Thus, the present thesis is, in part, an examination of the duties and responsibilities of the Colonial Office; but more particularly, it is an examination of how Montagu, who virtually dominated the Cape scene for almost a decade interpreted these duties and responsibilities. By concentrating, then, on his role in the civil administration and political management of colonial affairs, other aspects are revealed. The authority of the Colonial Office, which had through the years become a sort of government 'archives', was developed to such an extent, that every memorandum issued by it seems to set the tone for government policy. More. The very fact that Montagu was, time and again, left in charge of civil affairs at the Cape, while it reveals the dominant native problem and the vital question of defence, accounts also for the patenalism in government. The most important primary sources for this study have been the British Parliamentary Papers on Cape Affairs, the Cape of Good Hope Blue Books, Government House Records and the relevant minutes of the Executive and Legislative Councils. The Annual Almanacs of the Cape proved to be invaluable; they contain a wealth of information on the institutions of government, central and local, as well as the most indispensable returns for all the many services at the Cape.
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- Date Issued: 1958