South Africa -- Description and travel; South Africa -- History -- 1836-1909; South Africa -- History -- To 1836
That was promising too much. It was found to be inconvenient to settle a
whole tribe of a new race in the Cape Colony. Nor was it apparent that
the tribe would wish to move after its Chieftain. Then it was decided
that instead of the tribe the Chieftain’s family should follow him with
any of his immediate friends who might wish to be transported from
Natal. Now Langalibalele had seventy wives and a proportionate
offspring. And it soon became apparent that whoever were sent after him
must be maintained at the expense of Government. Moreover it could
hardly be that Exeter Hall and the philanthropists should desire to
encourage polygamy by sending such a flock of wives after the favoured
prisoner. Complaint was made to me that only two wives and one man were
sent. With them Langalibalele was established in a small house on the
sea shore near to Capetown, and there he is now living at an expense of
£500 per annum to the Government.
But this unfortunately is not the end. He has still friends in Natal,
white friends, who think that not nearly enough has been done for him. A
great many more wives ought to be allowed to join him, or the promise
made to him will not have been kept. He is languishing for his wives,
and all should be sent who would be willing to go. I saw one of them
very ill,--dying I was told because of her troubles, and half a dozen
others, all of them provided with food gratis, but in great
tribulation,--so it was said,--because of this cruel separation. The
Government surely should send him three or four more wives, seeing that
to a man who has had seventy less than half a dozen must be almost worse
than none. But his friends are not content with asking for this further
grace, but think also that the time has come for forgiveness and that
Langalibalele should be restored to his own country. He has still fame
as a rain-maker and Cetywayo the Zulu King would be delighted to have
him in Zulu-land. The prayer is much the same as that which is
continually being put forward for the pardon of the Fenians. I myself in
such matters am loyal, but, I fear, hard-hearted. I should prefer that
Langalibalele should be left to his punishment, thinking that would-be
rebels, whether Zulu or Irish, will be best kept quiet by rigid
adherence to a legal sentence. Such is the story of Langalibalele as I
heard it.
On my return to Capetown I visited the captured Chieftain at his farm
house on the flats five or six miles from the city, having obtained an
order to that effect from the office of the Secretary for Native
Affairs. I found a stalwart man, represented to be 65 years of age, but
looking much younger, in whose appearance one was able to recognise
something of the Chieftain. He had with him three wives, a grown-up son,
and a nephew; besides a child who has been born to him since he has been
in the Cape Colony. The nephew could talk a little English, and acted as
interpreter between us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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