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whom since the beginning of the year I had repeatedly
reminded to earn the money necessary to pay their taxes. I
wanted to make sure that each one was in a position to
meet his obligations 520 .
In addition to encouraging Blacks into the migrant labour system,
missionaries also helped governments in writing out permits for young men
to go out and look for work. Missionaries were also important contacts for
labour recruiting agents. Those agents usually lived with missionaries during
their recruitment drives. On 3 May 1894 Sonntag wrote:
A certain Mr Norson from Johannesburg,
engaged in recruiting labour for a gold-company,
arrived here with his family. They appeared to be
decent people 521 .
Apart from the encouragement of the Makgabeng communities by
missionaries to be involved in migrant labour, other “push” factors which led
to labour migration were connected to ecological vicissitudes. These
included the grinding drought of 1872 which led to famine and reduction of
livestock and the stress on game resources following the impact of the local
520 C. Sonntag, My friend Maleboch, pp. 157 - 8.
521 C. Sonntag, My friend Maleboch,, p. 27.
297