TOPIC:

The recent discussion on bronze QSA's and the native inhabitants of Natal came to centre on the Scouts of the Colony. This in turn led to research that gave the names of these guides and which also revealed some of their activities during the war. I intend to compile an annotated list of these men. In the meantime, I have transcribed some of the records where named individuals are linked to places and events, as well as giving some details of the actions of these individuals. So far, histories of the war seldom mention them, and then only as nameless men, whose contributions to the ultimate British victory, though small, have not been given the acknowledgement they deserve.

Hopefully, the series of posts that follow will go a little way to correcting this injustice and, also, there will be contributions from other sources that will add to their record.

Brett

Natal Native Scouts during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) – 1

Robert Charles Azariah Samuelson (1858-1934)

Robert Samuelson is introduced here because it was through his efforts to secure the award of the Queen’s South Africa Medal to the Native Scouts of Natal that valuable information on these men and their services was preserved. In most accounts of the Boer War, the black scouts were nameless men, whose activities have been largely underestimated and who have been given only passing attention. Few, if any black scouts were ‘mentioned in despatches’ by the British high command, in spite of their sometimes sterling work and sacrifices. They were also shabbily treatment by the Natal Colonial Government, which neither acknowledged nor rewarded their courage, dedication and loyalty. Thanks to Samuelson, it is possible to give some credit to these men, long after credit was due. The information on Samuelson that follows comes mostly from Spencer (2005).

Robert was the son of the Reverend S M Samuelson, a Norwegian who came to Natal in 1851 as a Lutheran missionary. He later joined the Anglican Church and served at the Umlazi Mission near Durban and St Paul’s Mission in Zululand. Robert’s missionary background brought him into contact with Zulus from an early age. He spoke their language fluently and understood their customs and way of life, facts that had a significant effect on his attitudes and conduct in his later life.

Robert qualified as an attorney and had a practice in Pietermaritzburg, where he became a champion for causes involving the Zulus. For example, in 1908/9, he was King Dinizulu’s solicitor during his trial after the 1906 Natal Rebellion. His advocacy for justice for the Zulus strained his relationship with white Natalians and, as a result, his legal practice suffered. White disapproval of Robert manifested itself in other ways as well. For example, he is omitted from the 1906 Natal Who’s Who, while his brother, Samuel, a civil servant involved with Zulu affairs, has a long entry. There can, however, be no doubt as to which brother better deserved an entry in that book.

Although Robert was sympathetic to the Zulus and had defended their King in court, he had not supported the Rebellion. In fact, he was instrumental in founding and raising the Natal Native Horse, in which he served as a Captain and Adjutant. This unit provided valuable assistance to the Natal forces fighting the rebels.

Robert’s association with black soldiers started at the time of the Boer War. He was then a Captain in the Natal Carbineers and, because of his links with the Zulus, he was assigned to become the officer commanding the native scouts in the Natal theatre of operations. Most of the scouts were recruited from the Christian settlements at Edendale, near Pietermaritzburg, and Driefontein, near Ladysmith. During the war, many of the scouts were attached to regular army units, both Colonial and Imperial, but others worked independently. Although termed ‘scouts’, they also functioned as guides and interpreters. However, some of their most valuable work was as ‘behind the lines’ spies, and ‘through the lines’ messengers. There are also records of sabotage, as well as of stealing cattle and horses from the Boers and handing the animals over to the British, who evidently condoned the practice.

It soon became evident to the British high command that the services of scouts, both white and black, needed to be organised in a formally constituted unit, and so the Field Intelligence Department was formed and most of the Native Scouts of Natal were absorbed into it.

It was apparently Robert Samuelson who formalised the term ‘Native Scouts’, which is followed here out of respect for these men.

REFERENCES FOR THIS AND SUBSEQUENT PARTS OF THIS SERIES

Lambert, John. 2002. Loyalty is its own reward: The war experience of Natal’s
“Loyal” Africans. In: Writing a Wider War. Eds Cuthbertson, Grundlingh and
Suttle. Ohio University Press.

Maphalala, S J. 1979. The story of compensation, silver and bronze medals for
Zulus after the Anglo-Boer War. Historia 24 (2): 26-31.

Sole, Terry. 2011. For God, Queen and Colony. Token Publishing.

Spencer, S. 2005. History of the Natal Native Horse. Natalia 35: 1-9.

Much of what is quoted in this series on the Native Scouts is in file 1/1/316 (1905/4) in the Pietermaritzburg Repository of the South African National Archives.


Brett Hendey
7/02/2013

Natal Native Scouts during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) – 2A

Jabez Molife

Before proceeding to the account of his wartime activities written by the Chief of the Native Scouts, Jabez Molife, edited extracts of a tribute to Molife written by Robert Samuelson follow:

“Sergeant Major Molife, a man of sterling character and invaluable worth to the Natal Government, began his services to the Crown in 1866 when he with Solomon Xaba, Lazarus Xaba, Solomon Molife (now dead) and other Edendale men formed part of the expedition under Captain Allison and proceeded to [the] Drakensberg and eradicated the Bushmen who were such a trouble to Natal.”

(The Bushmen [San] inhabited Natal when the southward-migrating Nguni peoples [later identified as Zulus, Xhosas and others] arrived in the region. Conflict evidently ensued and, by the time that white settlement began, reduced numbers of Bushmen were confined to the high foothills of the Drakensberg. They were hunter-gatherers and, as settlement by whites in the Natal Midlands reduced their hunting opportunities, they took to ‘hunting’ stock on the farms. Since genocide was still an accepted practise in those days, men, women and children were hunted down and killed, until eventually the Bushmen were eliminated in this part of South Africa and the nuisance ceased. [There must have been many times when Natal settlers wished the same could be done with the Zulus.])

In 1873, Jabez Molife took part in another punitive expedition to the Drakensberg, this time to deal with the rebellious Chief Langalibalele. Before the expedition began, Molife had been instructed by Sir Theophilus Shepstone, the Secretary for Native Affairs, to enlist the support of Chief Hlube and his men, who occupied the land that fronted the central Drakensberg. Hlube’s men “proved themselves most worthy [on the expedition] as they did also in the Zulu war and the late Anglo-Boer war.” Molife was “attached to the late Colonel Durnford as his immediate attendant”. After Durnford was injured in a fall from his horse, Molife accompanied him back to their base camp. The expedition continued without Durnford and the men were later ambushed by Langilibalele, loosing several men killed and wounded. When Durnford saw the men retreating, he mounted his horse and galloped to meet them. “Jabez Molife with others of Hlube’s men galloped back and caught hold of the reins of the Colonel’s horse and led it back saying their chief should not throw away his life.” Thanks to Molife, Durnford lived on to find a place in history books by dying during the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879. In his last stand he was surrounded by men of the Natal Mounted Police and Natal Carbineers, who all died with him. Durnford’s role in this battle is the subject of controversy to this day.

“In 1877, Jabez Molife was in charge of a body of Hlube’s men who accompanied Sir T Shepstone to annex the Transvaal. He also accompanied Sir T Shepstone when he went to crown Cetywayo [king of the Zulus].”

“In 1879 the Edendale, Driefontein and Hlube’s men went to the Zulu war and there acquitted themselves well. Jabez Molife was made …. the senior Sergeant Major over the Edendale men, who were called the Edendale Horse [a part of the Natal Native Horse]. [Molife evidently moved to the Hlubi Troop and it was with them that he took part in the Battle of Isandlwana. His account of this battle is given by Sole (2011: 326). While escaping from the battlefield Molife “assisted in the act of saving a Carbineer who had lost his horse by carrying his gun while S E Kambule …… carried him on his horse beyond danger.”

After the first phase of the war was completed, Molife joined Shepstone’s Native Horse and took part in the final drive through Zululand, which culminated with the Battle of Ulundi and the defeat of the Zulus. By the end of the war, he had served “at the battles of Isandlwana, Kambule, Hlobane and Ulundi.”

Molife will relate some of his experiences during the Boer War in his own words in the next in this series of reports, while Samuelson summed up his service in this war as follows: “Jabez Molife served under Generals Hildyard, Penn-Symons, Buller [and] Cunningham, Colonel Bensen, and Marquis Tullibardine, at various times and places in Natal, Zululand, Transvaal and Orange Free State and has several excellent testimonials from generals etc.”
Samuelson ended:
“The above facts have been gathered by me and I have thought it my duty to bring them to light so that some recognition of them may be shown, Molife gets his dues and fair play be done.”

Sadly, Molife did not get his dues and fair play was not done.

Brett Hendey
8/02/2013.

Hello Brett,
thank you for posting these, found them most interesting, look forward to more.

Paul

Natal Native Scouts during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) – 2B

Jabez Molife

The following report written by Molife has been edited and shortened.
Recommendations and remarks by Jabez Molife. Chief of Native Scouts,in connection with men with whom he had to do during the late Anglo-Boer war.

In August 1899, General Penn-Symons had me summoned to him to inform him who were the most trustworthy men I would recommend for spying what the Boers in Transvaal and Orange River Colony were doing. I recommended W.G. Mini, Waka Sopela, Stephanus Xaba, Simeon Kambule, Chief Ncwadi, and Chief Mayime, Hlubi’s brother in Zululand. These men were from that day forward used to get information about the Boers for the Authorities and they worked well.

I went at once to spy in the Orange River Colony accompanied by W.G. Mini and Waka Sopela, both of whom I left on the [Drakensberg]. Stephanus Xaba and Simeon Kambule worked on near Ladysmith and other places. I went as far as Witzie’s Hoek and Bethlehem and twice brought the information I had gathered from my Basuto friends to Major Henderson and Colonel Royston. [The] Boers meant to fight as they were arming secretly all over the country.

I advised Kosi Mude, Hlube’s brother, at Witzie’s Hoek, [a Chief …. under the Boer Government], to league himself with our Government and [to] give us all the information he could get about the Boers. He agreed and placed his Scouts at Olivier’s Hoek. [These] Scouts gave Stephanus Xaba information which he got to Ladysmith [just before it was besieged]. W.G.Mini, Waka Sopela and Simeon Kambule were also shut up in Ladysmith.

After the Siege [was lifted], Stephanus Xaba [parted from me and] went on with General Buller and got command of Scouts in the Transvaal. W.G. Mini and Waka Sopela also went on to the Transvaal with General Buller.

Simeon Kambule was the Native Chief in charge of the Edendale and Driefontein Scouts and after the Siege he took a separate command [as Chief Native Scout under Colonel Henderson, who was the Director of Military Intelligence in South Africa (Maphalala 1979: 29)].

Sambo Sikosana [who I had recruited] was Chief [Scout] in charge of Hlubi’s men in the siege.

Chief Ncwadi [had] many of his men [work] as Scouts. …. [He was so trusted that] eventually was allowed guns for many of his men.

Mayime, brother of Hlubi, and several of his men were recruited in Zululand and I had them registered at the Nqutu Magistracy. Among the men was Micah Nkwananzi, who got information from Isaac (a Boer of some importance in the Vryheid district) that the Boers [all over Natal] were ready to fight with the English, and this information he brought to Major Henderson in September 1899.

Cornelius Dhlamini and Joni Kunene (later killed in action) while at Volksrust under Major Foster …… used to volunteer and go out far from the camp and return with fine horses they had got out of the Boer stables. One day they brought back 153 fine fat cattle. Subsequently, in company with one Jantyi, they went to Erasmus’ homestead and he fired at them, whereupon they dived into a donga and separated and then reappeared in three places and captured him. They harnessed his carriage – in spite of his female folk beating them with sticks – placed him in the carriage and handed him over to the authorities. Erasmus was out on parole but broke his parole and was tried and sent to captivity.

Abraham Kunene, a headman under Chief S Mini, also served through the Siege of Ladysmith. While scouting in General Hildyard’s column, under Major Foster, he ascertained and reported that J Joubert, son of General Joubert, had threatened to shoot any scouts who came on his farm. Then, before daylight, he accompanied some dragoons, who captured said J Joubert.

Robert Mtembu and Josiah Kumalo accompanied me to spy out the land at Vryheid. Using the excuse of family business. I went to Liba Sikosana, who I knew and who was a policeman of [General] Lucas Meyer. … Meyer asked me the size of our army and I replied that I did not know as I had not been in Maritzburg for two years. He then said, “I do not think the English will have a chance this time. They will be driven before us like the wind. We will do much more than we did at Majuba because Joubert has 60 cannons with him, besides many more in the Transvaal. Kruger was with me last Sunday and arranged that I take charge of 8300 men. I have three big guns and two magazines, and I am leaving for Landman’s Drift tomorrow evening.”
Just then he told me to listen and I heard the roar of guns. I then bid him adieu and returned to Hlube’s Magistracy [at Nqutu]. I reported all this and asked that it be sent by wire. It was found out that the wire was cut, so we rode day and night and got to the [Umvoti Mounted Rifles] camp at Helpmekaar and I reported there. We passed on and near Elandslaagte we were caught by the Boers under Grobbelaar. Some were for shooting us and some for imprisoning us, but they eventually let us go on my assuring them that we had been to see a sick sister of mine. Just then it was reported that the English were in sight and the Boers scattered.

We went on to Driefontein and while there a troop of Boers arrived bringing news about Lieutenant Gallwey [of the Natal Carbineers, who had been captured on 17/10/1899 near the Drakensberg], and a letter to his wife from him. I sent W.G.Mini with the letter to Ladysmith and just after this the siege was commenced.

Shortly after this, Scout Teise Ndhlovu came through Boer lines with a message from General White to me to take to General Hildyard asking him to find a hill from which to heliograph [so messages could be exchanged]. Elijah Lutango and Josiah Gumede accompanied me on this occasion.

At the time of General Buller’s move against the Boers at Spion Kop, I sent Elijah Lutando to get news from Harrismith. Finding it difficult to get passed the Boers, he went to them and secured a pass and proceeded to Harrismith, where he got valuable news and returned with it. On another occasion when he was scouting the Boers on a Sunday they saw him and gave chase. He coolly rode towards a Native Church, whose members he knew, rang the bell, entered the Church and mounted the pulpit to take the service. When the Boers saw this they left him and went on their way. He then returned to his scouting. On another occasion he was with Scout Joel Mabaso, when they were caught by a Boer commando and brought before the Commandant. He told the Commandant that they were going through the country preaching the Gospel to Natives in their kraals and, as proof, produced his books, for he was a local preacher. The Commandant released them on condition that they did not help the English. He did, however, return to scouting. On another occasion he escaped capture by hiding under a bed at a Native’s house.

Because of his age and damage to his leg, Solomon Xaba could not personally go to the front as a Scout, but he was the main mover and spirit of the interest taken in scouting by the Edendale people. He daily urged the young men to do their duty and helped very much in making recruiting a success. He finally gave over his only horse to the work of scouting. He is one of the oldest Christian Natives at Edendale and was in service against the Bushmen in 1866 and in the Zulu War, for which he has a medal. I trust he can get a medal for the late war.

General Buller knew Luke Kumalo during the Zulu War, when he acted as a Corporal, and in the Boer War of 1881, when he acted as an Interpreter for Sir George Colley. Soon after his arrival, General Buller summoned Luke Kumalo to his side and used him as his Orderly and Interpreter until his return to England. This man has the Zulu War medal.

I recommended Chief Stephen Mini to Marquis Tullibardine. During 1901, he used to take charge of the Scouts in my absence.

(Signed) Jabez Molife

Brett Hendey
15/02/201

That's fascinating Brett. It is not often we see accounts such as these.

Best wishes
David