THE RACIAL DIVISION OF GORDONIA, 1921-1930 Author(s): MARTIN LEGASSICK Reviewed work(s): Source: Kronos, No. 25, Pre-millennium issue (1998/1999), pp. 152-186 Published by: University of Western Cape Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41056432 . Accessed: 05/02/2012 17:01 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. University of Western Cape is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Kronos. http://www.jstor.org THE RACIAL DIVISION OF GORDONIA, 1921-1930 MARTIN LEGASSICK Universityof the Western Cape In 1921 a petitionsigned by 259 Bastermen fromGordonia was submittedto Parliament.1They asked Parliament"to restoreour previous rightsin the settlementof Gordonia" given by the Imperial governmentin "perpetual Erfpacht".A demandfor restitution of land,the petition became re-interpreted by successiveSouth African governments in line withpolicies of segregation.It catalysed,in fact,the racial division of the territory of Gordonia. In the Gordonia settlement,established in 1880, Basters had been grantedfarms along the northbank of the OrangeRiver from the Aughrabies Falls to the presentGroblershoop as well as in the interiorof the country. Subsequently,they had lost mostof thisland. Basterstold a Lands Department officialin 1921 theywere "finding it practicallyimpossible to findplaces where theycan pursuetheir calling, which is agriculturalfarming, and even whenthey do succeedin securingplaces wherethey can live,their form of tenureis very insecure...[causing] them a greatdeal of inconvenienceand financialloss."2 Moreovertheir tenancies were threatened, wrote the Rand Daily Mail, because "Europeans... more and more require theirland for theirown use."3 The petitionersblamed the loss of land on the government.Under the original regime,they claimed, land alienationwas prohibitedto personsnot registered as citizens(i.e. mainlyBasters). This was correct.4So faras theyknew, these rights had been ratifiedwhen Gordonia was annexedto BritishBechuanaland.5 But afterannexation farms were sold by public auction, including to people previouslyineligible. Because theirforefathers were even less educatedthan now,they did notpay attentionto thisviolation of theconditions. They trusted thatthe governmentwould defendthem. But havingnow seen the original documents,the petitionerswere amazed thatfarms were allowed to be sold. Even thosewho had sold theirproperty, they claimed, were surprised that they were neverwarned by officialswhen these transactions were registered.This seemedto showthat the former rules were no longerin operationdespite the fact 1. LDE 3953, 11106. (All archivaldocuments are in thePretoria archives unless otherwise indicated.) N. M. Theronand 258 others,"An den AchtbareLeden van hetParliament", Upington, Gordonia. It is dated,in typescript,"September 1919",with "May 1921" addedbelow it in writing.I am gratefulto ProfessorHenry Bredekamp for a translationof the document.It was submittedby the M.P. forPrieska and Gordonia,J.P. Coetzee (S.A.P.), who servedas M.P. before 1920 and was re-electedin February1921 to replaceJ.H. Conradie (N.P.) electedin March1920. IncidentallyConradie complainedin 1928 thathe had lostin 1921 (by 18 votesapparently) because of "Natives"building a damon theOrange riverbeing put on thevoters' roll!! (HAD, 20/3/1928,cols 2338-2359). 2. LDE 3953, 11 106, D. Liebenberg,Controller, Report, 27/5/1921 . 3. RandDaily Mail, 14/3/1923.In LDE 3953, 11 106 4. LDE 3953, 11 106. This,they claimed, was statedin Clause 6 ot the"Gordonia Settlement Deed . it is notclear wnat thisdocument was, thougha letterfrom the Private Secretary to theMinister of Lands to Coetzee,14/6/1921, states it is returningthe "Settlement of Gordonia"document. The documentis notpresent. 5. This was wheretheir error lay. FromApril 1889 theBritish Bechuanaland administration freed the market in land: see A.H.F. Duncan,Surveyor-General's report, 14/9/1889. BPP C5897, 1890,p. 31. 152 thatthere had beenno cancellationof therights by anyof thegovernments. The resultwas that"we, the originalinheritors, now have to roam aroundwithout property." Theyasked the government to recognisetheir original rights again, or, if thatwas impossible,to grantthem another settlement for agriculture and stock- farmingon the same conditions.They made thisrequest in the interestsof the colouredpeople, who, as an "in-betweenrace" ("een tusschenras") had an eye on the futureand saw a greatdanger approaching which threatened to dropthem fromcivilisation. Because they could not compete with current white competition, theywould be forcedby poverty to degenerateback under the yoke of slavery.6 The inspirerof thispetition appears to have been NicholasTheron, an importantfigure in the CongregationalChurch. He was laterto become the supervisorof theMier settlement, established as a resultof thepetition. To have gatheredall thesesignatures from a widespreadarea at thistime was quite an achievement,probably only achievable through a church.In theGordonia district at thistime there were recorded as being 856 urbanmale and 3148 ruralmale "coloureds".7The petitionwas thussigned by 6,5% of the colouredmen in Gordonia,or 8,3% of therural men in thearea. Significantly,and reflectingthe subordinateplace of womenat the time,it was not signedby any women.In 1907 therewere 138 colouredvoters and in 1909 126.8There are unlikelyto have been verymany more in 1921. The petitionwas thussigned by morethan doublethe number of voters. Of the214 signaturesstill existing with the petitition, there are some70 differentsurnames, prominent among them Beukes (14), Isaks (13), Van Rooi (12), Kotzee (11), Van Wyk(10), Feris and Cloete (9) and Jansenand Jacobs (8).9All these,save theJacobs, are namesof land-holdingfamilies of the 1880s - and othersuch names are also present.Some 32 farmsof residenceare given, withthe largest numbers of signatoriescoming from Kranskop (30), Vaalhoek (29), Hendriksputs(25), Bloemsmond(15), Vreede (15), Zovoorby(14) and Soutputs(12). Of thesefarms, significantly, Krantzkop (Mouton), Vaalhoek (van Wyk),Vreede (Visagie, Doraan, Clarke, Van Wyk),Bloemsmond (Beukes) and Zovoorby(Zwart) were still owned by Basters.10 In 1922 Basters told government officials that "there were approximately274 men who were desirousof obtainingagricultural land, and approximately200 requiringland forstock-raising".11 About half of these,in otherwords, signed the petition. The officialswere also told- in an indication of class distinctionsamong the coloureds - thatthere were "another800 men 6. LDE 3953 11 106. At thesame timeas thispetition, a morespecific letter was addressedto Coetzee from32 "coloured voters"from Keimoes, requesting that the government grant them Skanskop island in the OrangeRiver for irrigation purposes,as well as landat Rehobothin SouthWest Africa. It also requestedthat the SAP wouldsupport all motionsto abolishthe "colour line in theindustrial field". 32 Signatories,Keimoes, to J.Coetzee, M.P., 18/3/1921. I. ThirdCensus, May 1921,Part 1, Population, UG 15-1923. 8. JUS49, 25199/10.Magistrates Report, Upington, 1910. In 1907there were also 436 whitevoters and in 1909420. y. l^ljc jyjD, iiiwu. me peuuuiinas Ljy signatoriesminuieu on u ana a leuerregarding u reiersio zjy signatures: PrivateSecretary to Ministerof Lands to Coetzee,14/6/1921. 10. I am unsureof ownershipof Soutputsand Hendriksputs.In 1923 thepress reported about six Bastersas stillowning land: RandDaily Mail 14/3/1923;Cape Argus,9/3/1923. In 1930,according to an M.P., "therewas onlyone coloured ownerleft, a widowwoman, who could not sell, and shehad twolarge farms." Mr Faure,HAD, 23/1/1930,col 57. 11 . The latterowned, together, about 7000 headof large and 30,000head of smallstock. 153 who are lookedupon as labourersby them[the Basters], and forwhom it is not necessaryto make provisionfor land, eitherfor grazing or for agricultural development."12On bothBaster and white-ownedfarms, in fact,other Basters and colouredswere livingas tenants,apparently on a short-termbasis, though whatforms of payment were involved is unclear.13 Segregationand the 'coloureds' This petitionwas to evoke a quiteconsiderable response from successive South Africangovernments. It led in theend to the spatialdivision of Gordoniaalong linesof race.It resultedin theestablishment of "reserves",not for "natives" but for"coloureds". The historyof theestablishment of such"coloured reserves" in therural areas has notbeen highlighted in thehistoriography of SouthAfrica. It is unmentioned,for example, in J.S. Marais'sCape ColouredPeople (1939) and barelytouched on in GavinLewis's Betweenthe Wire and theWall (1987). The colouredreserves in Gordoniaare also unmentionedin thelast pre-1948survey of the coloureds,the Reportof theInter-departmental Committee on matters affectingColoured persons on Coloured Mission Stations, Reserves and Settlements.iAThis article is a smallcontribution towards redressing this. In 1923 the Rand Daily Mail argued,along the lines of the Baster petition,that the people of Upingtonhad a "special claim" to land. Originally grantedbecause of theirservices