Mpande's - University of Zululand Institutional Repository

Mpande and Natal Colony.
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He was willing to accept that the
Voortrekkers should be pardoned for their past freedom actions, on
condition they took an oath of allegiance to the Natal authorities.'"
Surveyor-General Harding viewed Mpande as a monarch who wished a
discord between the Voortrekkers and the British."9 The Executive
Council in Pietermaritzburg resolved that Mpande had to be approached
by a delegation to strengthen the treaty "avoiding, however, anything that
may afford him a plea for a rupture at a time when the British Force in
South Africa is fully occupied elsewhere.''250 Four days later Mpande's
emissary MhIeWe came to West with a contradictory message. The Zulu
king, according to Mhlehle, accepted the border agreements as presented
by Kyle. 25I It was, however, too far from the Zulu territory and the
Thukela River had to serve as border. Mpande further wished to settle
some of his subjects in the vicinity of the Mzinyathi to prevent refugees
from crossing over into Natal Colony.2.12
West carried out his plan to compel the Klip River Voortrekkers to take an
oath ofallegiance and to name J.N. Boshoff as Resident Magistrate ofthe
248
249
251
252
MM. Behn: The K1ip River Insurrection. 1847. (Unpublished MA Dissertation,
ataI, 1932), pp. 37 - 39.
A.P van der Merwe: Die Voorgeskiedenis van die Republiek Lydenburg, p. 53.
F.A.F. Wichmann: Die Wordingsgeskiedenis van die Zuid-Afrikaanse Republiek. Cf.
Archive Yearbook for South African History, Vo!' II, 1941, p. 12L
M.M Behn: The K1ip River Insurrection, 1847. (Unpublished MA Dissertation, Natal,
1932), pp. 38 - 39.
M.C. van Zyl: Luitenant-Goewemeur Martin West en die Natalse Voortrekkers, 1845 ­
1849, p. 165.