D1.8.18: Native affairs

D1.8.18: Native affairs

Newspaper Clippings

Bleek examines race relations and race distinctions as the cause of conflict in the American, New Zealand, and South African contexts. He submits that the exclusion of natives from New Zealand's parliament, where decisions were made (particularly about land) for them paternalistically, incited the New Zealand Wars. Bleek follows this with his view that the Cape's coloured population would not resort to war, while alluding to periodic 'Hottentot rebellions' and 'Malay disturbances', as they enjoy 'the same privileges' as white citizens (i.e., the Cape Qualified Franchise). However, he qualifies this with the admission that their lack of (quality) education renders them 'without political importance', leaving the bulk of decision-making to 'the higher civilised race'. He appears confident that the Free State-Basuto conflict is unlikely to escalate further before one side sues for peace. Furthermore, Bleek writes that the 'native squatters' in Natal must be converted into landowners to avert catastrophic conflict and help advance the settlement where only a few thousand settlers reside yet feel entitled to make decisions unilaterally. He ponders how to prevent Cape Colony inhabitants from intervening in the Basuto-Free State conflict.

Printed newsprint glued on paper

12 January 1865

Two cut-out columns of printed newsprint mounted on foolscap folio (warped). 'Native Affairs' is the title Bleek wrote on the mount.

Race, war (of races), responsible government, paternalism (in New Zealand), coloured population (Hottentot and Malay), legislative organism (decisions of the higher civilized race), Hottentot (listening to them may lessen rebellions), Malay (their disturbances), Natal (race distinctions were exaggerated in), landowners (convert Natal's numerous native squatters into)

Pressed clippings of Victorian current affairs opinion pieces by Wilhelm Bleek. Published in Het Volksblad on Thursday, January 12th, 1865. Despite the article's invective tone, Bleek (in his second column) radically suggests 'converting' Natal's two hundred thousand 'native squatters' into 'landowners' taught to farm and involving them in settler-minority Natal's legislative matters to avert disaster.

Van de Sandt de Villiers & Co.