THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SOLOMON NXASANA

1.1 IZITHAKAZELO ZAMANXASANA (OUR PRAISE SONGS)

The Nxasana clan’s history can be traced back some 400 years ago. Through legends and stories which have been told through the years, as well as the praise songs (izithakazelo), the Nxasanas were well endowed with livestock fertile farmlands and good fortune. However, from the same praise songs, it would appear that Nxasanas also had their fair share of misfortune at some stage.

Praise songs for the descendants of Solomon Nxasana have evolved over time. From the research of their origin, they can be traced to the Nxasana ancestry as well as major events and developments which had an impact on the lives of the Nxasana clan. It is quite clear that as they evolved, they were carefully crafted to have profound meaning and relevance in defining who the Nxasanas are and what they stand for. This means that the current and future Nxasana generations may add to them, and take extra care that “izithakazelo” are relevant and have meaning to all of us who belong to the clan.

Today they go as follows;

NXASANA!

MKHIWA!

GAWU!

MBEKELA!

DUNJANA!

SKHONZA NGENKOMO KWABASEMZINI

NYOK’EMNYAMA EYACAND’ISIZIBA

SIZUKULWANE SOMTHWA

SIZUKULWANE SELAWU

MAHLATH’AYOPHELA SOSHONAPHI NA?

NONDUNA!

According to Bhekisisa Harold Nxasana, the praise songs (izithakazelo) have to be recited in the above order. This represents the Nxasana pedigree as descendants of NoNduna, Dunjana, Mbekela, Gawu and Mkhiwa.

In trying to understand the origin of izithakazelo zamaNxasana, we have tried to correlate them with major events and circumstances which may have influenced them and triggered their composition. It is important to mention that this analysis is pure speculation as none of the surviving descendants know their origin with certainty.

The analysis loosely translated, “Skhonza ngenkomo kwabasemzini” indicates that the Nxasanas were not only well endowed with livestock, but were also very generous. Normally, other people and clans would send their greetings verbally (bakhonza ngomlomo) whilst the Nxasanas would normally give their friends a gift of a cow as token of their greetings and good wishes.

“Nyok’emnyama eyacand’isiziba. Sizukulwane SoMthwa” indicates that the Nxasanas also lived and had intermarriages with the San people who were hunter-gatheres and were found along the Drakensberg escarpment (ezintabeni zoKhahlamba) and lived in rock shelters and caves. According to Dr Anne Solomon in “The Myths of Ritual Origins,” Examination of a range of San myths and religious accounts, reveal the existence of common and widespread beliefs in… sub aquatic or subterranean beings. One of these beings was Kaonxa, a big snake said to be living “in places where there is big water” Kaonxa was “the master of all illnesses” and brought violent winds and rainstorms.

Felicity Wood[1] says “a whole watery knowledge comes along with the San: rain-making magic, ancient beliefs in the water people, and mystical serpent-like beings associated with water. Fantastical hybrid forms of these serpent-like beings often associated with water, can still be found in the caves in the Drakensberg and the Maluti Mountains”. There was a great deal of cross-cultural exchange and osmosis of ideas, stretching over centuries, between the San, Zulu, Xhosa and Sotho-speaking people.

“Sizukulwane seLawu” shows that Nxasanas had African and white or mixed blood. This probably originates from the invasion of white settlers who impregnated the local women. It is widely known that from 1652 onwards, various European settlers occupied various parts of the South Africa.

“Mahlath’ayophela soshonaphi na?” can be traced to the fact that the Nxasanas occupied an area next to forests which provided them with shelter, building material, protection for their livestock, etc. It would appear that the Nxasana clan occupation of the area next to these forests was once seriously threatened. According to CW Marwick[2] the indigenous forests between Ixopo and Pholela were one of the best in Natal during the 1850 to 1900 period. They had some of the exotic timbers including yellowwood.  Around Creighton there is Hlabeni forest and Mcatsheni forest. The white settlers needed timber for wagon wheels and building construction. The local inhabitants were moved away from these areas as the then Natal Legislative Council colonized these forests. For instance, a steam sawmill was established in Dronkvlei in Creighton. This partly explains why the Nxasana clan was moved away from Creighton to Ncakubana, hence the saying “Mahlath’ ayophela soshonaphi na?”

1.2       TEMPLE CAMP’S ACCOUNT OF THE NXASANA HISTORY

Most of the history that follows was obtained from the manuscript of Temple Camp[3] .He compiled his stories from his own findings, as well as from the diaries kept by several shipwrecked captains and seamen. He also got help from Jakobo Dlamini and Kheswa who lived in Mahehle.

According to an interview held on 5 March, 1981, this is how Temple Camp recounts his family history and in a history honours dissertation submitted by Lloyd Temple Camp in 1986 to University of Natal, PMB.

According to Temple Camp, the Nxasana clan occupied KwaCekwana (otherwise known as Creighton) since at least the 1600’s, which is the first time that the Nxasana history was recorded. They were a peaceful people and were well endowed with cattle, fertile land and water.

In 1821-22 Shaka was building his power by absorbing the weaker clans. Three clans would not play ball. First the Khumalo’s who first held off Shaka, then finally decamped to the then Northern Transvaal. Next were the Mthembu clan under Ngoza who gave Shaka battle-actually beating Shaka at the battle of Thaleni Hill. But Ngoza saw the writing on the wall and fled South to be annihilated by AmaMpondo.

Next to flee was AmaChunu under Macingwana. Macingwana met up and beat up many small clans causing these to join him. With him from Zululand going south, came a few hundred Mkhuzes. Finally they arrived at the top of the Amabedlana Ridge near Creighton and peered down upon grazing cattle, the growing crops and many houses of the Nxasanas who lived quietly under their Chief Ntuluzele, son of Cekwana. The Nxasana saw, with alarm a vast horde of glittering assegais coming down the slopes of the two Amabedlana.

What Macingwana saw was a glorious scene. In those days Cekwana was a vast area of small lakes, vast reed beds and many streams and vast herds of cattle and fields of sorghum (amabele). There were also indigenous forests which still exist today. Macingwana remarked to his people “We go no further-this is our heaven-bulalani” There was a great deal of killing. The surviving Nxasanas fled down the river and settled in the present Harding.

Others fled across Umzimkhulu to the Cape Colony, and went further south as far as Qumbu and Tsolo. Macingwana gained thousands of cattle, all the planted crops and most of the ready-to-occupy houses. The Mkhuze’s who had joined him were sent across the Umzimkhulu to live and guard the area where Centocow now is. This area is still called eMakhuzeni.

Later in 1823 Shaka dispatched an impi of his Ufasimbe regiment and Izinsizwa regiment to seek out and destroy Macingwana and company. Round about where Richmond is now, the impi divided, one half across Umzimkhulu, and the other to KwaCekwana. Shaka’s Ufasimbe attacked Mchunus who fled and took refuge in what became known as the eHlabeni forests towards the eNsikeni Peak. Some of the members of Ufasimbe settled in KwaCekwana and built lion-proof kraals near the southern slopes of the Bhekizizwe (eMabedlana). The ruins where they settled are still there to be seen, the largest in the middle of the “Evans Plantation”.

The Mkhuze’s fled from Ufasimbe regiment towards Pholela and stayed there until all danger was over, and then came back to what is still called eMakhuzeni.

The period of Shaka wars and other wars and strife in various parts of the country between 1820 to 1830 went down in history as the Mfecane or Difaqane, meaning “forced dispersal. Africans were also displaced by the arrival of white settlers who were armed with guns, and were looking for land and other resources. The period was accompanied by large movements of Africans were running away from the wars into safe areas. For example, AmaMfengu fled Shaka and other wars to the Eastern Cape Colony, in the land of amaXhosa.

White people from Europe had started to increase in numbers in Natal, especially after the murder of uShaka by Dingane. Dingane was much more conciliatory with whites and gave them vast tracks of land.

In 1843, after the annexation of the “Republic of Natalia” by the British Natal became an autonomous district of the Cape Colony. Martin West was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor, Hendrick Cloete took the position of Chief Justice and Sir Theophilus Shepstone was appointed the “Diplomatic Agent to the Native Tribes”

In 1846, the Natal Colonial Government under Sir Theophilus Shepstone (Somtsewu) came in to power. Natal had been annexed to Britain in 1843.This saw a flood of British colonists into Natal. Natal thus became the most English of the South African colonist states. The Somtsewu government started the re-settlement of Africans and by 1850 a number of clans who had fled Natal across the Umzimkhulu river to the Cape Colony started to move back to the Exobho-Creighton area.

Somtsewu introduced the “Shepstone System[4]” for African administration, which consisted of three facets, Firstly, African communities were to be administered separately from the colony of Natal. Africans would be allowed to govern themselves by their own laws, excepting those that were “repugnant to the general principles of humanity”: such as killing and torture. Hereditary chiefs were responsible for the immediate running of the reserves set aside for Africans . Secondly, the African hut-tax was introduced and would finance this African administration. And lastly, Africans in Natal were accepted as the original inhabitants of Natal.

Since Africans in Natal far outnumbered the whites, it was decided that “reserves” would be created for Africans. Five of these “reserves” were identified with a total of some two million acres. This would allow each African family to have over thirty acres. These reserves were provided with little in the form of Natal government support. However, those Africans who were aligned and working closely with missionaries, did surprisingly well[5].According to the “Shepstone System” qualified Africans could apply for exemption to live under British law, which included access to the voting franchise. The majority of white settlers thought the idea was unacceptable as it would threaten white supremacy, and as a result, very few Africans were approved as “exempted natives”. To be approved as an “exempted native” Africans had to abandon polygamy, adopt Christianity, achieve a minimum standard of education, engage in commercial enterprise and own property.

We speculate that the liberal laws which were introduced by Somtsewu under the “Shepstone System” may have prompted Soli and his brothers to return from the Qumbu area to Creighton. Their move may also have been prompted after the killing of Hamilton Hope, the Magistrate and police officers, in 1880 in Qumbu at the start of the AmaMpondomise Revolt.

However, KwaCekwana was the original home of the Nxasanas, and Soli and Mabhongo were simply going back home. They probably had been told of the beauty of the KwaCekwana and with Soli being a businessman, knew that relocating back there would present business opportunities for his transport and building construction business.

It is quite possible that some Nxasanas may have migrated to the Qumbu-Tsolo area earlier than 1822 and lived as Xhosas. The Nxasana clan found in the EXobho-Creighton area today, live as Zulu’s and practice mainly Zulu cultures and customs as opposed to Xhosa cultures and customs.

From 1860 a number of white settlers and colonists moved into the farms in the Ixopo-Creighton area. These are families such as the Smiths, Hardmans, Delganos, Fosters, Walkers, Hancocks, and Camps. They still own most of the farms that surround KwaNcakubana even today. In fact some of the Nxasana family members have worked for some of these farming families. For instance Basizile Nxasana’s mother worked for the Fosters.

[1] Felicity Wood in collaboration with Michael Lewis- The Extraordinary Khotso Millionaire Medicine Man

[2]  CW Marwick-Green Shadows “372 Pamphlet”

[3] Temple Camp-Imilando Yezindaba zase-Xobho

[4] RE Gordon, Shepstone: The Role of the Family in the History of South Africa 1820-1900

[5] Frank Welsh – A history of South Africa. 213-215