As we mark the 30th anniversary of democracy Fidel Hadebe reflects on the legacy of a forgotten fighter against British imperialism and colonialsm
The mistake often made by many is that of assuming or thinking that the fight against oppression started with celebrated leaders such as Mandela, Biko, and Sobukwe amongst others.
Or that the liberation battles started in the 1900s when in fact these latter leaders built on the anti-colonial struggles and wars fought by several leaders, some of whom did so at a great cost to themselves personally and collectively.
One such leader is amaHlubi king, inkosi Langalibalele who paid a heavy price for standing against the British and its system of colonialism in Natal.
As King of the amaHlubi nation Langalibalele quickly became a thorn in the flesh of the colonial government in Natal following its declaration as a British colony in 1845. His conviction for treason and rebellion in 1874 is regarded by some historians as the real first treason trial in South Africa.
This is given the charges he faced, the callous manner in which the trial was conducted, and the sanction passed (banishment) at the end of the trial.
This was intended to serve as a demonstration by Britain of what it was capable of doing against those who posed a threat to its interests and domination in South Africa and southern Africa.
This attitude also extended to several other countries in the region that were regarded as British colonies.
One colony and two sets of laws
When Natal was declared a colony in 1845 one of the consequences of this political and administrative move was the introduction and tightening of laws for natives and white residents of the colony. The biggest consequence of this declaration however was that all traditional leaders including Langalibalele were to be subjects of Her Majesty in England and locally they were under the Secretary for Native Affairs (a Minister appointed by Britain to oversee the Natal colony) and Theophilus Shepstone was the person appointed in this regard. In this role Shepstone was also the ‘Supreme Chief’, in other words, he was Inkosi yamakhosi and all traditional leaders were accountable to him and his army of izinduna loyal to him. Langalibalele had serious problems with this administrative arrangement.
As a colony, two sets of legal systems came into existence – Kafir Laws and Customs for natives on the one hand and Civilised Law for ‘civilised’ people. Residents of the colony and these two sets of legal systems later came into focus during the trial of Langalibalele and during the appeal on behalf of the King and his sons by the Bishop of Natal.
One of the most contentious laws that set Langalibalele on a collision course with the colonial government was the New Marriages Regulations introduced in 1869 aimed at regulating something as personal and intimate as marriage. Amongst other things, this new law was to increase the number of cattle paid for ilobolo which Langalibalele felt was an undue interference in the cultural affairs of natives in Natal. Secondly, the introduction of this peace of law was a scheme by the colonial government to increase its tax base and it was going to enrich the governing elite including the ‘Supreme Chief’,izinduna, and all those aligned with the Secretary for Native Affairs and was therefore objectionable.
Upon rejecting it, Langalibalele was labelled rebellious by the colonial government and sadly this was a battle that he had to fight alone without the support from anyone in the colony and his resistance to this piece of legislation amongst others was to form an important part of the charges he had to answer to during his trial in subsequent years. At the time of introducing this legislation, amaHlubi already had long-established systems on issues of marriage and the introduction of these nonsensical regulations was one of the biggest signs of colonial interference in the affairs of black people or natives. The new law was another act of unwarranted interference in the affairs of black people and it was out of this concern that Langalibalele pushed against it.
The administration of gun laws in the colony was another contentious point that caused great animosity between Isilo samaHlubi (Langalibalele) and the colonial government. According to Natal colonial laws ‘In this colony no native can legally own gun or fire-arm until he has obtained the written permission of the Lieutenant-Governor’. The problem that Langalibalele had with this law was not necessarily what it said but how it was selectively enforced. Those areas in the colony that had amakhosi who were loyal to Shepstone (who had proven to be Langalibalele’s nemesis) were not policed as robustly as those under Langalibalele and there was a reason for this.
Later on when the colonial government went on a military campaign against Langalibalele and amaHlubi the colonial government counted on the support of those chiefs loyal to Shepstone to bolster its military might. As Secretary of Native Affairs, Shepstone had perfected his strategy of reward-and-punishment in his dealing with traditional leaders in the colony and the consequence of that still lingers on to this day. Those loyal to him and his colonial government were rewarded handsomely while those viewed as rebellious such as Langalibalele were dealt with harshly and even dethroned as it happened with the amaHlubi King. People who were mere izindunas were promoted into chiefs and tribes that were in the good books were placed in lands that belonged to other chiefs while the rightful amakhosi were chased away from their lands.
With such anti-colonialism credentials, how can we as a country pay tribute to this humble, selfless pioneer who single-handedly developed the resistance script later to be used by others including prominent politicians?
There are many ways in which this can be done and the starting point will be to expose young and old to who Langalibalele is. This should be done through education as part of history but it can and should also be done through naming prominent geographical places after him. It is sad that despite the havoc wreaked by Theophilus Shepstone in the lives of black South Africans including on institutions of traditional leadership we still have places named after his family name which is a frightening display of cowardice on our part as a free country and people. Even more sad is the fact that we have chosen to retain our colonial past by keeping Natal as the name of the province that emerged in 1994 as if it’s a past to be proud of.
The story of Langalibalele is a painful reminder of where we come from as people. His merciless treatment by the colonial government of Natal and the subsequent dethronement should always serve as a reminder to all of us that the freedom we gained in 1994 did not come cheap.
You served all your people and country with distinction Bhungane.. .
*Fidel Hadebe is behaviuor-change strategist, lobbyist, thought-leader, commentator, writer and conference speaker.
