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Eastern Cape tribe’s 1835 oath to Britain holds lessons for SA, says analyst | News24

Sithandiwe Velaphi

14 Mei 2025

• Made in 1835, the Eastern Cape’s AmaMfengu oath pledged loyalty to God, education, and the British government.
• The oath was made under a milkwood tree (umqwashu in isiXhosa) in Peddie, Eastern Cape.
• The umQwashu Memorial Site was recently declared a national heritage site, recognising its historical significance.

Political analyst and human rights activist Nkosikhulule Nyembezi says a historic oath made to the British government by the Eastern Cape ethnic group of AmaMfengu in 1835 holds profound lessons for South African governance and social cohesion.

On 14 May 1835, under a milkwood (umqwashu in isiXhosa) tree in Peddie, Eastern Cape, AmaMfengu formally declared their allegiance to Christianity and to Britain.

Under this tree, they vowed to be faithful to God, to educate their children, and to respect the British government.

The oath was made two days after the killing of Xhosa monarch Hintsa kaKhawuta by the British forces.

The site, also known as the umQwashu Memorial Site, was declared a national heritage site by the South African Heritage Resources Agency late last year.

“The AmaMfengu were among the African converts the first to make use of a plough and to plant wheat. They also aligned themselves with the British and were exposed to missionary education the longest of all African groups. This exposure led to some of the first African academics to have come from the Mfengu, for example, DDT (Davidson Don Tengo) Jabavu, the first African to obtain a BA degree,” the agency said.

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Nyembezi, who delivered a public lecture on the 190th anniversary of the AmaMfengu oath at the Ncumisa Kondlo Community Hall in Peddie on Friday, said the historic pledge had remained an integral part of South Africa’s “traumatic and strife-ridden” history.

“It has since played a crucial role in shaping AmaMfengu’s identity up to the present day,” said Nyembezi, who also comes from the Mfengu ethnic group.

He said the oath led to the development of AmaMfengu and their generations.

“This oath, pledging loyalty to the English throne, devotion to God and a commitment to education, played a crucial role in shaping [AmaMfengu] identity and contribution to regional development.

“AmaMfengu oath, which we are commemorating on this 190th anniversary, is a version of the resilience of our ancestors that many present-day generations had earnestly desired all through the long reign of the colonial and apartheid governments and the shorter one of the seven administrations governing in a democratic South Africa since 1994,” said Nyembezi.

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He said AmaMfengu were proud that the umQwashu Memorial Site had now been declared a national heritage site.

“That strong commitment to perpetuate the AmaMfengu oath in a democratic South Africa is good for the overall governance of the country, for the ability of local leaders to offer moral guidance and hold elected leaders to account, for the sense of values and unity that is supposed to define our society,” said Nyembezi.

He said the meeting on the umQwashu Memorial Site in 1835 and the determination to realise its commitments have led to the area being what he calls a “living heritage”.

“For AmaMfengu, the heroic sacrifices and milestones of success relive moments we must never forget. It is an honour for us all to be part of the continuation of this historic oath,” Nyembezi added.

Kommentaar

Daniel Louw

Dit is die eerste keer dat ek hiervan hoor. ‘n Mens wonder hoekom daar so min daarvan gemaak word?