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THE NATIVE RACES IN
SOUTH AFRICA.
(By the “ Daily Graphic” Corres
pondent.)
When the Governments of the South
African Republic and Orange Free State
“staggered humanity” by means of their
historical ultimatum early in October,
1899, one serious question among many
others presented itself to the minds of
Englishmen in South Africa, “W-cat will
the natives do?” It was commonly ac
cepted as a fact that the word had been
passed around to the native chiefs by the
English Native Commissioners that this
was a white man’s quarrel, and that they
must etand aside. There was, however, a
doubt in the first place as to whether this
had bean done or not, and also—if it bad
been done—whether the warlike chiefs
would heed it. The doubt was absolutely
justified, as I think everyone will admit,
in view of subsequent events. Had the
slhortcomings, which had been so evident
in the administrative branches of the Bri
tish army, also affected the Colon’-al Na
tive Administration, there ‘is every reason
to believe that the black races of South
Africa, who are never so happy as when
they are fighting, would have “chipped
in,” either on one side or the other, or in
discriminately. The statement that the
blacks “ are never so happy as whpn they
are fighting’’ may appear to many home
readers as being an exaggeration. The
idea that any human being actually en
joys fighting is, of course, absurd to the
peace and order loving community which
has never seen red blood. However la
mentable it may appear, it is nevertheless
a fact. It is also a fact which must obtain
due recognition, and which entails pro
vision being made to apply it to legiti
mate uses.
One striking illustration, among -many
other instances, came under my own ob
6’ervation four or fire years ago. Christ
inas time was generally observed as a holi
day on the mines of the Witwatersrand
among the white employes. The natives,
also, as a matter of course, were caused
to keep “ Klismas” as work was suspended
for the day. The event had previously
been marked by sanguinary encounters
among the various tribes, consequently a
few days beforehand measures had been
taken to disarm the “boys” along the reef
of all their sticks, pick-handles, gaspipe
and iron-rod weapons. On one large mine,
employing some 3000 “niggers,” a deputa
tion was appointed to wait on the com
pound manager to ascertain the purport
of this disarmament. The spokesman had
also been instructed to ask the “ Baas”
whether they might fight the Gold-mining
Company’s bops on “ Klismas’’ Day.
Upon the scheme being emphatically nega
tived, the deputation stated that if they
were not allowed to fight they would go to
work. “"What’s the use of a holiday if we
may not fight?” Many instances similar
to the foregoing might be quoted if neces
sary, but I believe any one with experi
ence of the native races in South Africa
will agree with me. I will not go so far as
•to say that all the blacks sba-re this love
of fighting. The predominant tribes, tbe
Zulus and the Basntos, undoubtedly do
so in an eminent degree, and it is with
these two magnificent races of men that
we shall have to deal with in the future.
Since the power of Cetawayo was broken
in 1579 the Zulu race has increased by
lea-ps and bounds. With him disposed of,
“smelling out” ceased. These periodical
massacres had their uses from an anthro
pological point of view, as all the cripples
and deformed persons were killed off, with
the result that we now have a striking il
lustration of the merits of the “survival
of the fittest” system in a race of magni
ficent physically formed men and woman.
Their old national fighting traditions are
pc-iforce doimant, but it is within the
realms of possbiliiy that, given the cause
or opportunity and the leader, the old
Adam may reassert himself in the Zulu
breast. Estimates as to the number of
able-bodied men among them are, of
course, far from being concise, but a con
servative approximation of their numbers
gives us the result that there are at least
100,000 men capable of bearing arms.
The Zulu is a “foot slogger;” we come
now to the Basuto, the mounted man.
In the south-east corner of the Orange
River Colony flows a stream that you have
lately heard of in connection with the
now famous De Wet, the Caledon River.
Beyond this to the eastward lies a moun
tainous country, intersected by streams
and fertile valleys, bounded on tbe east
•by the Drakensberg—tbe Mountains of
the Dragon. A country the size of Ire
land, fertile with a fertility which has
procured for it the name of the granary
of South Africa, populated with an un
beaten race of warrior horsemen, whos
fighting stength cannot be less than 60,000,
rich in minerals, as yet untouched—such
is Basutoland. A hard nut, with a rich
kernel —a nut that we once tried to crack,
with every ill success. Fortunately, the
scheme of playing off one chief against an
other, which has stood us in good stead in
other parts of the Empire, has kept the
Basuto quiet for years past. The spec
tacle witnessed by the leading chiefs in
Pretoria at the annexation parade had a
good effect. Or; the other hand, the pro
tracted game of hide and'seek in the vi
cinity of their border, and in full view of
their rocky fastnesses, which has been
going on for so many months past be
tween the wily Boer and ihe sometimes
pursuing at other times retiring Briton,
must have had considerable influence on
their martial spirit. Though nominally
forming a part of the British dominions
in South Africa, the Basutos actually are
an independent race. The Resident Com
missioner of Basutoland, Sir Godfrey Lag
den, advises and controls the chiefs to a
great extent. His influence is purely
moral. No white man may own ground
or prospect or dig for minerals. Traders
must be licensed to enter the country, and
not even a gill of spirituous liquor may be
taken over the border. The white settler
who wishes to farm land must fulfil the
same conditions as the native farmer does
in' the white man’s country of the Orange
River Colony or Transvaal. ‘He tills the
laud and gives half the produce to the
chief or owner -by way of rent. In fact,
the Basutos are an independent native
race, inhabiting their own country, un
beaten in war, and controlled by moral
suasion only.
Thus we have two great and warlike
races of men constantly increasing in num
ber, whose energies have of late years been
directed to the accumulation of wealth,
gained by tillage, and labor in tbe mines
of the Witwatersrand and Kimberley, who
strenuously resist all efforts to “civilise”
or “Christianise” them, and yet are moral
with a morality unknown among more
“favored” races. The Kaffirs of the Cape
and Kaffraria proper, the Pondos of Pon
doland, the Eingoes of the Eastern Pro
vince, the Griquas, Baralongs, Bataplids
of Griqualand, and Bechuanaland—n_ha
ma’s men—the Swazies of Swaziland —a
nother warlike community numbering them
selves by the tens of thousands—the Mata
bele and Mashonas, and the half-dozen
bastard tribes scattered throughout the
Orange River Colony and Transvoal—
these have all to be reckoned with. What
shall we do with them? Constantly in
creasing, thriving in their own climate and
on their native soil, what is their destiny?
Shall we ever in years to come have to
face a black danger ? Is it nearer than we
think? or it is so remote as to be improb
able? It mav be that the material lying
to our hand will-be made use of—that
native South African regiments will some
time- be formed, which will he able to take
their part in the garrisoning of the Em
pire. This would provide an outlet for
that undoubtedly martial spirit existing in
tbe Zulu, Basuto, and Swazie races, the
existence of which, unemployed, consti
tutes no small menace to the peace of Af
rica.
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