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—The political types forever want to present a picture of Black and White having been permanently at war in South Africa. That is simply not true. As we have seen in the first three Chapters of the series South Africa: Who stole the Land?, it took 130 years from the Dutch settlement of the Cape before the first Frontier war at the Fish River, about 500 miles to the east of Cape town.
They also never tell the innocent reader that, in the first two frontier wars, the strongest amaXhosa King actually solicited the help of the Frontiersmen against (what he saw as) rebellious followers who were invading the white folks’ country. The struggles went back and forth over the coastal Suurveld countryside in the image above near Grahamstown, and in the drier interior in the Achter-Bruyntjeshoogte area around what is now Somerset-East (below).
The politicians also do not tell the reader that the amaXhosa councillors stated to British negotiators in 1819,
When our fathers and the fathers of the amaBhulu first settled the Suurveld, they dwelt together in peace.
That would be the Afrikaner Frontiersmen—the amaBhulu—that the councillors were talking about, complaining about British conduct up to the Fifth Frontier War, being the third such confrontation with the British.
In Chapter 4, (click to access), we recount what happened during the First and Second Frontier Wars. Both of these were between the Settlers and the “spin-off Houses” of the amaXhosa people. The powerful amaRharhabe people and their king sided with the Settlers.
I guess the Media and Politicians did not tell you that, did they? I just thought the reader should know these things in a spirit of openness and honesty.
The complete story of the development of the land issue in South Africa may be read in South Africa: Who stole the Land?
— Harry Booyens
AmaBhulu 