Mpande's - University of Zululand Institutional Repository

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missionaries, however, condemned it as slavery in disguise and soon the
Republic was in disfavour with the philantropic world. 1I7
During Mpande's kingship a plethora ofrefugees flocked to Natal. About
3 000 displaced Zulus and other Africans stayed in the vicinity of the bay
of Port Natal before the arrival of the Voortrekkers. l18 The Voortrekkers
grouped them into no less than six reserves. Important among them were
the reserves of lobe, Matiwane, MmaNtatise in the northern corner of
Natal, Fodo in southwest, on the Mpondo borders and the reserves of
Ndabankulu and Nodada in the Klip River area."9
Numerous smaller sub-divisions of clans stayed on farms in family
clusters where they became labour tenants. They defected from Mpande's
rule and refused to go back to KwaZulu (north of the Thukela). With the
increase of Zulu homesteads in the Natal republic, it became imperative
for the Volksraad to inflict capital punishment on those refugees who
refused to be sent back to KwaZulu. 120 Large tracts of unoccupied land in
Natal without Voortrekker settlements further encouraged the Zulu
influx. 1ZI
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118
119
120
121
De Zuid Afrikaan, byvoegsel, 19 March 1841, p.3; De Natalier, 21 March 1841, pp. 3­
4; M. Nathan: The Voomekkers ofSouth Africa - from the earliest times to the
foundation ofthe Republics, pp. 290 - 293; RH. Thorn: Die Geloftekerk, p. 19.
EA Walker: Lord de Villiers and his times, p. 235.
G.M. Theal: Historv ofSouth Afri9l, p. 391.
I.A.I. Agar-Hamilton: The Native Poliev ofthe Voonrekkers, p. 34.
De atalier, 31 May 1840.