Microsoft Word - PhD Thesis Final.pdf - University of Limpopo ...

missionaries shaping only religious identities by converting more people into
Christians, they were also trapped in politics in which they intended to exert
their influence.
After the departure of Beyer under pressure, his successors were more
cautious in meddling with political matters. However, even if they tried hard
to stay out of politics, it was usually not possible to do so. The souring of
relations between the Bahananwa and the ZAR Boers towards the close of
the 19 th century, led to the missionary at that time, Christoph Sonntag, to be
actively involved in political matters. Sonntag, who wrongfully regarded
himself as an impartial negotiator between the ZAR authorities and Kgoši
Malebogo, found himself more involved in politics than in religious matters.
In his “mediation”, Sonntag encouraged Kgoši Malebogo to surrender to the
Boers, something which made him partial. By failing to restrain, or at least
disapprove, the Boers quest to attack the Bahananwa, and at the same time
request the Bahananwa to submit, clearly put him on the side of the Boers.
That was vindicated later during the war when treatment of wounded Boers
took place right at his mission station, while there was no attempt on the
part of the missionary to aid the wounded Bahananwa. To the Boers forces
he was also very helpful in giving them valuable intelligence information
about their enemies, the Bahananwa. He knew the area fully well and as a
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