In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

P. W. van Niekerk THE WHITES WERE TO BE KILLED (ENGLISH) P. W. Van Niekerk, agovernment administrator for many years in Zululand, was the magistrate in Mahlabatini District in 1968. He spoke to me about Chakijana in his office in Mahlabatini on February 19 of that year. (3891, tape 76, side 1) At the time of the Bambatha Rebellion, which was a rebellion that was initiated by one Bambatha Zondi [Bambatha, chief of the Zondi people] in the Greytown Magistracy, to go and murder the whites because they [Bambatha and his followers] didn't want to pay taxes. And, of course, the English government at that stage retaliated. And a war ensued between Bambatha and the English government there. It spread to Maphololo, and it came over to Nkandla and eventually came up here [to Mahlabatini]. And in 1906, I think it was December, there were rumors that the Mahlabatini magistracy was to be attacked and the whites were to be killed. So the then magistrate, Mr. [H. M.] Stainbank, led the white people out of Mahlabatini, came to Nolele Drift on the banks of the White Mfolozi where they decided to spend the night. While there, he tried to phone Melmoth by means of a field telephone. Actually, he had a British soldier on either side of him, but somebody-some Bantu burst out of the bush a couple of yards from him, and at more or less point-blank range shot him with a shotgun.1 The man was later arrested, a man by the name of Chakijana Sithole, and he stood trial. He stood trial, and he was eventually acquitted . Obviously, there was no evidence lacking him. It was proved that he was in thAt area, that he was seen on that day with a shotgun, but there just was not the proof to connect him to the actual murder. And he was acquitted. He played a very active role in furthering Bambatha's cause in Zululand, he tried-he was moving around, he tried to get people to join and to rebel. And after the Zulu War, I'm not sure, he might have been tried then too, I don't know. But I know that he eventually came and settled just below Nkonjeni Mountain here near Ngoqo. And he drew a government pension then. In fact, in 1957, '58, I still paid him his pension. 358 ...

Share