South Africa: History in an Hour

This disastrous self-inflicted catastrophe resulted in 400,000 head of cattle being killed and 40,000 Xhosa dying of starvation, which so weakened the Xhosa that military action was not pursued for a generation. In 1877 further pressure from the white colonists brought a final and hopeless military response from the Xhosa. The Cape Colony annexed all remaining Xhosa lands effectively ending the independence of the Xhosa.

In a tragic turn of events in 1857, the Xhosa were persuaded by their witch doctors that they would succeed against the white man if they destroyed all their own cattle. This disastrous self-inflicted catastrophe resulted in 400,000 head of cattle being killed and 40,000 Xhosa dying of starvation, which so weakened the Xhosa that military action was not pursued for a generation.

The history of South Africa from 1652 onwards was written by the white historians. The history from the perspective of the black people was handed down orally. As is the way with history, each party paints a picture favourable to themselves, and each naturally accepts their version as ‘the truth’.