v A W L u c a s

Location,3CHWEIZER RSN3KE,

7 April, 1931.

Chairman,Native Sconomie Commission.

Six*

It is very regretable that your Commission only returned forty-two (42) miles from here at Vryburg, Bechuanaland, while I was prepared to lay before you the grievances of the Natives in the Christiana district (Schweizer Reneke). However, with no doubt these I w ill do in writing to you will also be included in those done verbally.

In this particular district Native farm labourers are suffering under, and from drastic treatment from their employers. Complaints are coming in night and day by Natives against their employers, withheld wages, few acres ploughed for them and their stock, and no assistance can be obtained from the local Officer in the Native Affairs Department. No protection for the interests of the Natives in this district as far as the Department is concerned.

The Native Land Act of 1913 is the cause of all persecutions now in existence towards the Natives, because since it is in operation, Natives have no more the rights they were enjoying before it came into force; it barred them from hiring and buying farms lawfully, unless in private. To-day the poor Natives are wandering the country through with their blankets on thefr* shoulders and their children alongside them sick or not, in most cold winter days, they are made homeless by those who were empowered by this dlab&lical act (Native Land Act). Their slogan is " I am the Boss and you are the boy"," I have $ot land and you have none". It is at times said that Natives have an antagonistic spirit against the Europeans, and yet, even if they should, they are not responsible because they are driven thereto by those governing them. Surely if Natives should be considered human being®, there should be great peace between white and black in South Africa, the whole trouble of the restlessness lies with the Native Land Act.I maintain that immediately this Act is removed things should weigh equal on the scales.

It is at instances interpreted that the Contract is no good. Yes, it is to a certain extent 11 no good" but on the other hand it is good because it binds the en^loyers and employees if only it be carried on in the proper way. There should be no employers (farmers) who would take up Natives on their farms without the knowledge of either the Magistrates, Police, J .P 's or any Officials of the Government, who would act under instructions. The law should force the Europeans before taking up Natives, to take them to either of the above- mentioned to make or sign written contracts, presently this law is, but it does not compel the employers therefore they are on the chance of making and breaking their agreements every fortnight with their employers. I Maintain that there should be something of protection made for the African Natives as a whole from the bad laws now in existence.

COPif/WSM.km ',Y

’s S:

Urban \reas.With regard to the wages of the Natives in places

such as these the minimum* wages should he 3 /6 to 4/- per day, because the cost of living is very high* Those on the farms should be 2 /6 per day additional to the six or eight acres ploughed for them, because it is at times that it doesn’t rain then they get nothing from the soil. Sometimes (as these few years) crops are very cheap, then they are unable to pay or meet their necessary expenses (such as school feesj doctors expenses, clothing, groceries, e tc .).

On the question of unemployment, it is very un­reasonable to replace the Natives with the whites, because Natives are just as well asked taxes as the Europeans. It should only be advisable to share the wk* work between white and black, as they are also citizens of this country.

Hoping and wishing this statement also to be included in all others, though unfortunately I happened to mids you when at Vryburg.

With sincere wishes,

Yours faithfully,

(Sgd) J . HENRY MMjEKS.

Dist. Secretary, I .C .U .o f Africa,Western Transvaal and Borders.

■

PRETORIA.26 .6 .1 931 .

.

■ '

' m

i ■ !#r wm -

-.sr.. v

CQ?Y/WBiL^ ‘V v. *v- '.V-,'., y jfVHsr-s* » 4$:''■v'l ' -'--I'

iekukuniland,

? .B . L3QJ2HBORG.’ fVg -■■ '-.'V-V 'v-i-

17 April, 1931.

■

® •- V . - . ..■■■/:■ j

• •

Dear BP, Ho1loway,

lim

v*\fcV/S ■*,/£>

b,&3j

rfc-

,->r t-%

&y??

%

- V. . . ' . v ' , ‘.^*v-vv./

Wifiy.V’ £v

. . . . . . . i® quite right in saying that the

information about Phetedi being aekukuni's physical fathtr/-,• •.’• v - v • ;vv ;* ’f i ' ' ' ' . . »J ' ;*.•• rT / .V c ■.>•’•:• ‘ ,& k ‘iY* • ■ .1

cam* from ay office. That information cams from my office

but not from at. That was dona while Driver waa Commissioner

here and I was in Uusteriburg. I have hia schtdules before me

aa I write this, in fact, some of the details of his schedules

of relationship aeem to have been derived from old papers of

mine but not this particular one. A youngster named liekwati,

a younger brother of Ptosthedi was the father of oekukuni 11*

This youngster sekwati escaped from the tribal

debacle at Fighting &op in 1379 and fled to i^hahlela's and,

in 1380, While sekukuni I was in prison in Pretoria, the mother

of Thoroattjane II allowed liekwati to "tsenela” "go in unto"

fhoroBietjans I I , hence Sekukuni II born at the end of 1380.

A schedule w ill make it clearer, so here goess- vide attached..

rhororaetjane is now a fat, cheery old soul

and would probably make no bones about it a ll now, i f you■ • ..

asked H«r*■

X X X *

Kindest regards,

Yours sincerely•

COPIED FROM A LETTER HEADED: " APRIL 17th, 1931 „ SEKUKUNILAND

PRIVATE BAS LYDENBURG" WRITTEN BY MRe DoR,HUNT TO DR, JcEo HOLLOWAY,

ILLUSTRATING NATIVE CUSTOM OF VICARIOUS PARENTHOOD.

\By an old Shrew of a wife whose name I forget:!

M O Y A L O D I

S JE K W A T I d e1861

(1)Indirectly by Kgomo Maka- tane who should have been Tribal wife of Chief Matekutu who died 1826 j

K A B P U R U

1 ( 2 5By Thorometjane Phala whom Chief Sekwati married before Matebele invasion of 1827 ? 1828

U K U N I IS E K

An unpopular ^bad tempered man

---------------------f-----

PHETHBDI SEKWATI( 3 )

------------------------------ --------------- !

MOREOANE

Local Councillor to°day and a fine old fellow »whom you saw.

(O

13 O R O A M O. T J . H j

Killed at Fighting Kop 1879 - nomin­ally married 6lder daughter of Chief Mutle of Mpahlela* This daughter died and was substituted by her sister Thoromet,}an£>- II (still Alive

' - ~ I' ' ^ " S E K U K U N I - II

Born end of 1880

A small headman named Kapjane and not of the royal house was the physical father of Mampuru

Thorometjene, the dnv rhter of Phale , is Sekwatl’ S favourite ife, whom he had married before

10to do., his house fell away, - After c h i 'f Sekwati''s death in 1861 the fight for the Ohieft lnship was between Knrapnru ^nd Sekukuni I

COPY/WBM.

Magistrate's Office,

DUNDEE. Natal.

5 August, 1931.

The Secretary,Native Economic Commission, PRETORIA.

In reply to your minute N.E S . 43 of 4 instant, I beg to state that the passage contained in the "Johannesburg Star" and mentioned by you is incorrect. The charge was one of murder and involved evidence alleging a "cure" by a. liative doctor.

I attach extracts of the evidence of the witnesses giving the relative passages relating to this Native doctor and the alleged curs.

(bgd) V

MAGISTRATE - 0UNDEE.

passage quoted to Magistrate, Dundee, which appeared

in "The Star", Johannesburg, 5 .2 .1931 :

"All the Native witnesses said they believed that witch doctors could prevent Europeans from discoverirg that a man had done wrong*"

NQAMBI IIKWAYXs eald:-

" .......................... Aooueed Ho.2 then said "Haw brother get us

the doctor ae wo i o m out Tory late.* Both aeeused thon loft aftor

X had promised to got thon a dootor. About ten daye Xator - X know

it was a Saturday aftornoon - X mot a dootor "DHLAhXVX* at tho Kino.

X took this dootor to ay house and slaughtered a aheap. This wee la

see or dan ee with previoue iaetruetioae froai Aeeuaed Ho. 2. Zarly next

warning * Sunday - the two aooueed eaupe to wy houee to Interview tho

dootor who rawalned overnight at aty house. They eoneulted tho

deeter la wy preoeneo, DHLAMINX eald to the two aooueed "ihet do yea

want boye?” Aooueed *e .2 then eald *we want you to wake ue "brave-

hoar ted” • DHLAMIHI then eald ~ "lhat lo the wetter with you?"

Aeeuaed Vo*2 then eald "Vo have killed Plot and we do not want te b«

oeen.” Aooueed Ie *l oorroboreted and supported Aooueed Mo.2. The

dootor then out tho flesh of both aeeuaed on the eheat, forehead an4

beak of the neek and threat, with ahat looked like a razor. They

both bled from theoe euta. The deeter then aald he wanted to wash

thaw with eewe wediclne and that he wanted the neek of the eheep.

The deeter aeked for a eup. X gave the deeter a eup and the two

aooueed and the deeter then left wy hut for a nearby eprult........... a

BY THE COURT; « X oannet read or write and have never been to eeheol

X believe in Xatlve Dootera."

h m u m w -* ld :-

........ . Aooueed Ho«2 had inetrueted wy hueband t<

get a eheep if the dieter ehould require one. The dootor alaughterti

the eheep. Xt wee on a Saturday. The dootor elept et our houee

that night. The following warning the two aooueed errlved. X was

at the time buay with wy heuaelrerk and didn't pay wuoh attention te

thew, but X heard thaw relate te the dootor tha^iad killed Piet an<

wanted the dootor te aura thaw. The deeter took a live ooal frew

the fire and told thew te eplt on it . The deeter then out the flea!

of the two aooueed on the ehoet and baek of the n e e k . . . . . .......... •

repfffnT. sald:*

I an a lioeneed native dootor - V! years of ag« and

realdo at Hewoaatlo Street, Dundee, district Dundee. My kraal

being at Mr .Anderson* a farm Ndumeni, Dundee Dlotrlet, Chief

. ifcndaneswe. I know the two aaeueed and the witnesses Hq<«mbl Mkwayj

and Mis wife. I remember one day during September 1M O sooting

Hqambl Mkwayl at the married quarters at No.4 Shaft, Fatal lari-

gatlon Collieries. He asksd no whether Z was a dootor. 1 said,

•yea.» I had ay paraphernalia aa a dootor with me. Thio wao on a

Saturday. At Mis request Z went to Mio hut. Ho told me Mo wanted

ao for two MrotMovs of Mis who want to bo cured. That night I

slopt at his hut. The following morning the two aeeuoed arrived,

fiqaabi pointing to tMo aeousod said - "Kara they are*. 1 told the

two aeouse&fto apeak and toll ae nhat they were oiok about. Aeed;

No#2 said, "We hare killed a person." Ns.l aeousod repeated same

statement. Vs.2 aoeuoed did aeot ±M of the speaking saying "la

want you to euro uo not to bo wild or show signs sf haring killed

anyone. • Z undertook to euro them...........................................................4* f

? ............................Xt is a sustea aaongst natives to eoae to bo

eurod when guilty of haring done sons thing wrong. ........................

a n a , m&muaoi * § # *

xjxdjby Aoouaed Mo*2; "Obeserved s m s green substance on your

hands with whieh you appeared to bo washing yourself. Z shased

Dhlaminl away beeauoo natlven dootors are not wanted at the Mine.

Z didn»t aak you where you got tMo aodioino Area. I f Z eaw a

person suring himsslf Z wouldn»t worry, that is ahy I didn’t

question you*”

m Mfcft UWXXUSIi (Aoouaed Ho .l ) said:-

" ........................ About two weeks after Plat ’s death, it was

on a Saturday Jigquambl Mkwayl arrived and said to ae,"Coae to ay

houoo and pay me a vlait .” The following morning - a Sunday - Z

went to hie house. Aeeuoed No.2 wao with mo. W found the native

dootor Dhlaalnl there. On entering Mkwayl said ts am to the dootor

Dhlaalnl "These are the boys Z have eailed tm x you for." Dhlaalnl

M M -«hat 1 . th. I t h « n t i , >i m , w w n l „ u

someone / ................

"someone. " Dhlamini then sake A "*hy I had quarrelled?" I said,

"A aan wanted to commit sodomy on u . " Dhlamini then asked who

was with me tkta at the time of the quarrel. I told him, • ! waa

alone." He then tot up ftea where ho waa ait ting and started eut-

ting am us. He then asked me Whether accused No.2 was not with at

•ad X said " I s , I only told aeeused No.2 what had happened. It wai

then Dhlamini said to Aeeused Ho .2 "Come lot me eut you too." Them

aeouoed Ho .2 said, "Ho you eannot eut no bee suae 1 know nothing

about th is ." Ho then said "No, lot me out yon because you wore thi

first person to whom Lutaaka told the story." and on this accused

Ho*2 agreed ta allow himaelf to be eut. After wo had bean eut, we

returned to the Compound and juat before lunch the following day

Hkwayi again eame ta ay rooa and aaid Dhlamini wants us to eoaa

again. Ha than ealled Riohard and the three of ua went again ta

kkwayi *s hut. On arrival Dhlamini aha waa there said "Oaao with

aa and we*11 wash.H When we got to the spruit we washed euraelros

with the aedioine Dhlamini gave ue and then returned to the

Compound................................ ............... .................................................., . . . . "

m u m m m * No.g) said :.

..............................When Dhlamini wanted to eut

me X refused saying "So 1 have killed nobody." Dhlaminim said,

"You ware the first perssm the report waa made to ." "You've gat

to be out because you ausn't go about spreading the seer at and this

will aake you brave." On that X agreed and he eut aa. We were

waahed in the apruit on the following day and returned to the

Ceapound.............. ............................................................................................ •

93,

Kingwi11iamstown,

18th September, 1 .

2 /30 .

EUPHORBIA CONCESSIONS x CISKBI

The Seoretary,

Native Economic) Commission,

PRETORIA.

With reference to your Minute lo .

N .E .C . 26 of the 10th instant, on the above subject, I

have the honour to report as follovas

Two concessions to tap latex from

Euphorbia trees in Crown Native Locations in this area

have been granted by the Government, vis*

(a) to the Euphorbia Concessions limited, of which Senator Ginsberg is the Managing Director, in respect of the Ncabasa Location and the Dubi Drift Outspan, bfrth Bituated in the division of Ki ngwi H i ams town.

(b) to F . 1 . Townsend, of Hew York, in respect of all Euphorbia trees in Crown Native Locations in the districts of Kingwilliamstown, Fort Beaufort, Victoria East and Peddie, excluding those referred to in (a ) . This concession was signed in May last.

Concession (a) has only recently

been signed and the Company is merely experimenting on

a small scale.

In regard to Concession (b) I

attach:

Annexure 1 which indicates the extent of latex tappings as from the 1st June last.

Annexure 2 showing the average number of Native employees in each district.

/Annexure.............. .

Annexure 3 which contains a report by a member of my staff who recently inspected some of the work carried on by the Company*

Mr, Townsend has also for some con*

sldsrable time been operating on private farms in the Peddle and

&ingwilliamstown Districts, He informs me that he could employ

300 Kntires on this work. Payment is at the rate of 6d. per

gallon of fluid latex. An average quantity collected per Native

may be reckoned at from 4 to 6 gallons per day*

A p t h o r j *

CHIEF HATIVS C0HMISSI0IT5R.

iiRIOD*

ABBA 0 LLOHS TAPPED.

HEIGHT OF ' A1ICMHT DISTRICT*DHT COAQ- PAfABLB.ULUM IB LBS.

1. 6. 31 to 30,6. 31

1.7.31 fto31.7.311.8.31 to

31.3.31

BreakfastVI ei

350

664

1050

2052

3102 £3- 2- 1

1.6.31 to Line Drift 32630.6.311.7.31 to •0

•o1 1009

31.7.311.8.31 to 1 0. 0 1 1075

31.8.311.6.31 to Brighton •

30.6.31 Drift1.7131 to -do- 665

31.7.311.8.31 to -do- 810

31.8.31

1.6.31 to30.6.311.7.31 to

31.7.311.6.31 to

31.8.31

Healdtown

-do-

. do-

186

161

368

978

3027

3225

1995

2430

11655

558

483

1104

£11-13-2

2145 £ 2- 2- 1 1 .

Paddle

King Wms. Town.

PortBeaufort.

P . 0 . Box 153,KINGtflLLIAKSTO V/H,

17th Sept., 1931.

The Chief Native Commissioner,KINGWILLIAMSTO WN .

Sir,

In accordance with your request I have to advise you that tiie average number of natives employed by me in the tapping of latex from the Euphorbia trees is as follows*-

JUNE JULY AUGUSTBreakfast Vlei - 10$ 15

Linedrift 13^ 17 16

Brightondrift 10 11 14*

Fort Beaufort 11 4*6

8

34i 43 53£

Youre obediently,

F . E* TOWNSEND.

Per............

The Chief N? tive Commissioner,

KINO WILLIAM'S TOWN#

Native economic Comraisnlon - Cape Procince Evidence.__________________________

air,

I hare the hon ur to report th? t at the invitf?tion of Mr*

F* i£* Townsend, the holder of the -.Uphorbin Concession In these

parts, I visited the soene of his operations at Brighton Drift

on the 27th August, 1931*

A casual glance at an operator gave the impresaion of a

simple task but only on discussion with Mr* Townsend were the

difficulties with which he has been fr>c*id in the past appreciated

Ur• Townsend has for the past 3 or 4 ye* rs been carrying

on research work in connection with latex tapped from the

E up h o rb ia and when 1 mention that he designed and tried some

sixty different types of knives for opening up the bark of the

tree without injuring it in order to reach the latex yielding

section of the tree before finding a satisfactory one the amount

of preliminary work muy be readily gauged. This is of course a

matter apart from much labor*torical work which was necessary to

preserve and render the latex suitable for export*

?r ;; hipcass o? xmv:TiNQ aiip •oll .^ tikg latsx»

;ach labourer is supplied with one or more four gnllon

drums, a one gallon drum, a strainer, a wire container holding a

number of samll tin cups, a bark-grooving knife and a dull edred

knife•

The bark-grooving knife is used for opening a $ furrow

from the base of the tree upwards to the maximum of the operator'

reach in a single straight line* The cup which has a sharp edge

is then pushed into the b rk at the bottom of the groove and the

latex yielding layer of the tree Is slit (down the groove) with

the dull edged knife* The latex then runs down the groove into

the oup whilst tne next tree is being opened. Ten minutes

/ Bufflees................

suffioee to drain the latex which la then etrained Into the collecting

drums and at the end of the day carried to the collecting stations.

The equipment ie designed for use by Hntives as ex-

pertinents showed that trees were easily injured and os a result a rot

set in killing the tree* A carelesn or too deep out causes such

damage as also does any cross or V-shaped cut*

LABOUR SUii'iyt

Both sexes are capable of doing the work and are em­

ployed. Considerable difficulty was experienced In securing labour at

first , owing, it ie said, to various superstitions, e .g . iiluphorbia

trees are a sign of twinB and that the latex was filth which could not

bs handled and so on, but I tnlnk the tide has now turnsd. Pny at the

rate of 6d. per gallon is a very i* and an »*«rage worker cnn

collect from four to six gallons of latex drily. Liome collect as much

as eight or nine gallons and draw round about 20/- per week in wages.

The employees live at their own homes in ths locations. All tools are

supplied by the employer.

0K>HRAH

The flow of latex from the trees is said to be freerper tree

in warm weather and the average yield/is te sted thrice <1- ily \ it . a

view to framing a rough entiraate of the numbers of trees tapped. Trees

ars topped on one side only at each tapping which tnkes place at

quarterly Intervals thus giving the wound time to heal up and ensuring

a regular supply of latex and a rotation or work without undue injury

to the life of the tree.which

The tecanical worty'is naturally secret was not ex­

plained beyond that elimination of natural moisutrs from latex had

proved a matter of some difficulty but it was thought had now been

euccssefuHy overcome.

I have the hon<> r to be,

> Sir,

Your obedient servant,

Jr E dc N- ”

\4- i

1UTIVJS A?#AIR3 dtsi artmkitt.

■ •- I. :V # ’:#■•■ --. - . M l

art ICS OF THIS .oricultural SXTSHSIOU OFFlGjat IaTaLI

UMXOrfUAS, ' ~. •"Siiv ^7 October, 1931*

Major nderaon,Member of the Satire economic Uoirunission,

.

PRETORIA*

■v'■";V ■.

■

aeonamio v^ainnussion,

V ' ' * ' • i ' :f

*•f e f e v-V ./ j ■

Sir,

Oar department haa brought to my notioe that you are

enquiring for information about tha "Lalla jralm" and 1 presume

.pa

that the eoonamle value of the yibre content of this plant to the

' ' *>' V&yj, ' V £ '' ’’ V £2* -‘Vf " ViNatives is what would be of interest to you*

- • . •- ., :Aa you are aware the falm ooeurc chiefly along the

o ' v. ' „ ■< ••■ •'. -■?~i7:rr'\ •;v‘ V*,- v/ ▼ •’v;\-* •*• /£•

cretaceous formation of the -ululand Coast and la uaad by the

Natives far extracting fibre for their own uaa and 1 think ia. v '' ; ' . 4 # P ’t'A 'J'l- v.. •'* ' . "• ' •" '

made uaa of airily because no other plant in their area oan■ - /v..:

aupply what they want*

s i

Jf'rom an economic point of view 1 am of opinion thatir ■

its growth ia too elav and that other fibre planta could be. .V '■ '

introduced into all iiative areaa where the rainfall ia low and'

the aoil poor, which oould aupply the hativea with euffioient

fibre far their own uaa aa well aa for aatablishlng heme in-

duatries, such as the making of ropes, mate, carpets, eloth,

sacking and fancy articles.

!T:'

/ V; •• . . . s : :lrr*>-

Shile doing ay rounds supervising Agricultural Umaon-

n.:-v' :•

;4&m

stratore in moat of the Locations of Katal, the thousands of

acres of broken thorn country, gradually being destroyed by aoll*

' ■ ■ — ■ a 'i1 . 1 '■ - • -verosion, point to the pitiful state these areas are rapidly

declining into*

overstocked by goats and cattle, no check la made on

thesoil washing away and it requlree some hardy aloe type of%t$w

■mi.

plant to arreat any further damage being done.t , K" 'y ' ' ^ i. ■ . . V y . - C l

Plants such as Brazilian .loe, sisal and Jfuroraea

would be ideal for Natives to oultivate in these areas*

/ Besides

Collection Number: AD1769

NATIVE ECONOMIC COMMISSION, Lucas Papers

PUBLISHER: Publisher:- Historical Papers Research Archive

Location:- Johannesburg

©2013

LEGAL NOTICES:

Copyright Notice: All materials on the Historical Papers website are protected by South African copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, or otherwise published in any format, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Disclaimer and Terms of Use: Provided that you maintain all copyright and other notices contained therein, you may download material (one machine readable copy and one print copy per page) for your personal and/or educational non-commercial use only.

People using these records relating to the archives of Historical Papers, The Library, University of the Witwatersrand,

Johannesburg, are reminded that such records sometimes contain material which is uncorroborated, inaccurate, distorted or untrue. While these digital records are true facsimiles of paper documents and the information contained

herein is obtained from sources believed to be accurate and reliable, Historical Papers, University of the Witwatersrand has not independently verified their content. Consequently, the University is not responsible for any errors or

omissions and excludes any and all liability for any errors in or omissions from the information on the website or any related information on third party websites accessible from this website.

This document is part of a collection held at the Historical Papers Research Archive at The University of the

Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.