Mgolombane Sandile

Mgolombane Sandile was a Chief of the Ngqika ("Gaikas") and King of the Rharhabe tribe - a sub-group of the Xhosa nation. A dynamic and charismatic chief, he led the Xhosa armies in several of the Cape-Xhosa Frontier Wars. Newly armed with guns, Sandile's forces successfully inflicted losses on their enemies that led to Sandile gaining a reputation as a Xhosa hero. He was captured during the War of the Axe in 1847, but on his release he was granted land in "British Kaffraria" for his people. He later supported Chief Sarhili(Kreli) in a war against the Cape Colony and the Fingo tribe, and he was killed in 1878 in a shootout with Fingo soldiers.

Early life

He was born at Burns Hill in 1820, at which time the Xhosa lands were still independent. His father died in 1829 while Sandile was still quite young and Maqoma, Sandile’s brother, acted as Regent until 1872 when Sandile was installed as King. Sandile was born with one leg shorter than the other, which made it difficult for him to walk, but he nevertheless played an important role in the Frontier Wars. The Xhosa nation had long been divided between the eastern Gcaleka (ruled at the time by Sarhili) and Sandile's Rharhabe to the west.

The Seventh Frontier War (1846-1847)

The 7th Frontier War was also known as the "War of the Axe" or the "Amatola War". Tensions had long been simmering between farmers on both sides of the frontier between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa lands, and cattle raids were frequently launched across the border.

The conflict was sparked when a Khoikhoi escort, who was transporting a manacled Xhosa thief to Grahamstown to be tried for stealing an axe, was attacked and killed by Xhosa raiders. Sandile refused to surrender the murderer and war broke out in March 1846. Sandile's Ngqikas were the chief tribe engaged in the war, assisted by portions of the Ndlambe and the Thembu. Xhosa soldiers had, by this time, replaced their traditional weapons with modern firearms and it was their new use of guns and horses that made the Xhosa much more effective in fighting the British.

A slow British column, sent to confront Sandile, was temporarily delayed at the Amatola Mountains and Xhosa raiders were able to quickly capture the center of the three mile long wagon train which was not being defended - carrying away the British officer's supply of wine and other supplies. On 28 May, a force of 8,000 Xhosa attacked the small British and Fingo Garrison at Fort Peddie, but were defeated after a long shootout. A sizable army of Ndlambe Xhosa were also defeated on June 7, 1846 by General Somerset on the Gwangu, a few miles from Fort Peddie. By early 1847, most of the major Xhosa clans had made peace with the colony.

Violence flared up again over claims that members of Sandile's tribe stole a number of goats from the neighbouring Kat River Settlement. Sandile gained considerable respect for successfully eluding the British during their intensive sweeps of the Amatola forests, in spite of his physical disability. The war continued until Sandile was eventually captured and sent to Grahamstown. The other chiefs gradually followed suit. On 23 December 1847, the Keiskamma to upper Kei region was annexed as the British Kaffraria Colony, with King William's Town as capital.

The Eighth Frontier War (1850–1853)

Also known as the Mlanjeni's War. Bitter at their recent defeat in the War of the Axe, the Xhosa found hope in a new prophet Mlanjeni, who predicted that the Xhosa would be unaffected by the colonists' bullets and promised supernatural aid to assist in the overthrow of their white neighbours.

Believing that the chiefs were responsible for the unrest caused by Mlanjeni's preaching, Governor Sir Harry Smith travelled to British Kaffraria to meet with the prominent chiefs. Sandile refused to attend a meeting outside Fort Cox as he distrusted Governor Smith's motives, so Smith ordered him deposed and declared him a fugitive. On 24 December, a British detachment sent to arrest Sandile was ambushed by Xhosa warriors in the Boomah Pass. The party was forced to retreat to Fort White under heavy fire.

The Xhosa forces advanced into the colony and British Kaffraria erupted in a massive uprising in December 1850, joined by half-Khoi, half-Xhosa chief Hermanus Matroos. British military villages along the frontier were burned, and the post at Line Drift captured. ^[1]

After these initial successes, however, the Xhosa experienced a series of setbacks. Xhosa forces were repulsed in separate attacks on Fort White and Fort Hare. Similarly, on January 7, Hermanus and his supporters launched an offensive on the town of Fort Beaufort, which was defended by a small detachment of troops and local volunteers. The attack failed however, and Hermanus was killed.^[2]

Insurgents defend a stronghold in the forested Water Kloof during the 8th Xhosa war of 1851. Xhosa, Kat River Khoi-khoi and some army deserters are depicted.

By the end of January, the imperial troops had received reinforcements from the Cape Colony and a force under Colonel Mackinnon was able to successfully drive north from King William's Town to resupply the beleaguered garrisons at Fort White, Fort Cox and Fort Hare. With fresh men and supplies, the British expelled the remainder of Hermanus' rebel forces (now under the command of Willem Uithaalder) from Fort Armstrong and drove them west toward the Amatola Mountains. Insurgents led by Sandile's brother Maqoma established themselves in the forested Water Kloof and held out for a considerable time in this stronghold.

The Ninth Frontier War (1877–1879)

This 9th War started after the supposed harassing of the Mfengu/Fingo people, by Sarhili's Gcaleka Xhosa. The Fingo nation, however, were traditional allies of the Cape Colony and a war between the Gcaleka Xhosa and the Cape ensued. When summoned to meet at King William's Town, the Gcaleka chief refused. Sandile, who on his release had been granted land in "British Kaffraria" for his people, fatally threw in his lot with Sarhili and his Gcaleka armies. The armies of the Fingo and the Cape Colony soon emerged victorious, Sandile was killed in a shootout with Fingo soldiers in 1878, and all remaining Xhosa territory then became part of the Cape Colony ^[3].

Death

On 29 may 1878 Sandile was mortally wounded in a shoot-out with a detachment of Fengu troops (The Fengu were a Xhosa speaking nation who had long suffered oppression at the hands of the Gcaleka Xhosa, and had consequently become traditional allies of the Cape Colony). He died a few days later and his body was brought to a nearby military camp. Widely admired by this time, he was given a full military funeral at which his body was carried on eight rifles by Fingo pall-bearers. Sandile was buried by the graves of British soldiers A.Dicks and F.Hillier, who were killed in the same war. ^[4]

Sandile's grave is today about 16 kilometres from Stutterheim at the foothills of the Amatola Mountains where he fought many of his campaigns. A memorial plaque erected at the grave site in 1941 reads as follows:

SANDILE
Chief of the Gaikas. Born about 1820
Killed in the Ninth Kaffir War 1877/1878
and buried here on 9.6.1878

Recent excavations - overseen by the local Xhosa community - have confirmed the body's identity and dispelled centuries-old rumours that Sandile was post-humously decapitated.

References

1. ^ Abbink, J; Jeffrey B. Peires (1989). The Dead Will Arise: Nongqawuse and the Great Xhosa Cattle-Killing. LULE. http://books.google.com/books?id=Xrey5fkzMkwC&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
2. ^ Abbink, J; Mirjam de Bruijn, Klaas van Walraven (2008). Rethinking Resistance: Revolt and Violence in African History. LULE. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=DJ54bFqJtV8C&dq. Retrieved 2008-01-01. 
3. ^ "Xhosa Wars". Reader's Digest Family Encyclopedia of World History. The Reader's Digest Assoiation. 1996. 
4. ^ http://www.border.co.za/harrison/stutt/sandile.htm