British Kaffraria

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British Kaffraria was a former colony / subordinate administrative entity in present-day South Africa, consisting of the districts now known as King Williams Town and East London.

The term Kaffraria stems from the Arabic word qafir (adopted in Swahili) for infidel. So at first it meant Non-Muslim, and in Ottoman times specifically Christian, and was converted by British missionaries to Bantu heathen, i.e. non-Christian. This later extended to all Black South Africans, under Apartheid with an insulting connotation. Kaffraria once denoted a wider region comprising British Kaffraria.

Contents

[edit] History

The African natives were ruled by Chiefs from a Rarabe offshoot of the main Xhosa line:

  • Ngqika (Gaika) , 1797 - 13 November 1829
  • Sandile, 13 November 1829 - 1 June 1878

On 10 May 1835 the area was annexed to the British Cape Colony as Queen Adelaide Province, but on 5 December 1835 the annexation was already disallowed by Cape Colony; on 10 December 1835 it was renamed Queen Adelaide Land district. Grahamstown was its capital in 1835-1847

On 17 December 1847 it was again annexed to Cape Colony as British Kaffraria Colony; King William's Town became its capital.

On 7 March 1860 British Kaffraria became a a separate crown colony.

On 17 April 1866 it was finally incorporated into the Cape colony.

[edit] Administrative chiefs

The successive administrative chiefs, with repeatedly changed styles, were:

  • Administrator Harry Smith, 10 May 1835 - 5 December 1835
  • Lieutenant-governors:
    • Harry Smith (acting), 10 December 1835 - 13 September 1836
    • Sir Andries Stockenstroom, 13 September 1836 - 9 August 1838
    • John Hare, 9 August 1838 - September 1846 (acting to 31 August 1839)
    • Under direct rule from Cape Colony, September 1846 - 9 April 1847
    • Sir Henry Young, 9 April 1847 - 4 November 1847
  • Direct rule from Cape Colony, 4 November 1847 - 17 December 1847
  • Chief Commissioners:
    • George Henry Mackinnon, 23 December 1847 - October 1852
    • John Mclean , October 1852 - 7 March 1860
  • Lieutenant-governor (again): Jonn Mclean, 7 March 1860 - 24 December 1864
  • Governor's Deputy: Robert Graham, 24 December 1864 - 17 April 1866

[edit] Sources and references

[edit] See also

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