Umba Womhlaba wase Richtersveld

Ukususwa Emhlabeni

©David Fleminger

Banyanzelwa ukuthabatha inyathelo ngenxa yomba wokuxhaphaka koku grumba idayimane, urhulumente wase Mzantsi Afrika wade wagqiba ngemeko yomhlaba wase Richtersveld. Phakathi ko 1925 no 1926, ikomishini yasekwa ukuze ize nengcebiso, wagqiba okokuba oku kwakucelwe ngu Melville umhlaba awayewufuna mkhulu kakhulu, enye i143 000 morgen (122 500 ze hectare) zachithwa, ze umlinganiselo wokugqibela we Richtersveld waba ngaphezuku kancinci kuma 300 000 morgen, ngaphantsi kwesiqingatha soko bebekucelile ekuqaleni.
Kodwa oku kuhle kukuba lomhlaba sele ulungile wavunwa okokuba usetyenziswe ngama ‘Hottentots ne Bastaards’, ngaphantsi ko mphathiswa ojongene nezabantu bangaphandle (Native Affairs). Ekugqibeleni ngo 1930, itikiti elisemthethweni lokuthabatha umhlaba (okanye ukuwugcina) lakhutshwa ngu mphathiswa weze mihlaba – nangona nge kona wawu banjwe ngurhulumente njengesiqinisekiso.
Lendlela ifanayo yenzeka nakwezinye izitishi zemishini kwilizwe jikelele. Iziphumo zaye zaziwa njenge ndawo ‘zebala ezigciniweyo’ okanye ‘indawo zabantu bebala ezilalini. eNamaqualand, ezintlanu ezindawo zasekwa: Richtersveld, Steinkopf, Leliefontein, Komaggas kunye ne Concordia. Zaziphakathi kwendawo ezinkulu elizweni, zisenza ngapha kwe hectare ezi zigidi ezingama 1,5 million ze hectare.

Indawo Ezibekelwe Abantu Bebala

Ibhodi yolawulo endala kunye ne khansili zagcinwa njengabe zopolitiko abasemagunyeni kwixesha lokubekwa kwendawo zabe bala. Babegqiba okokuba ngubani ofanelwe ‘bubuzwe’ (citizenship) kwezondawo kwaye ngubani one Lungelo lendlu, umhlaba wokulima, amalungelo ovoto kamasipala njalo njalo.
Zikhona izicelo ezikhethekileyo ezavunywayo kumafa asakhasayo (amafama angeka zimeli okanye abanxusi – ababesebenza njengaba gadi bemfuyo, okanye amafama anikeza ngemfuyo njenge renti, okanye izicaka) kunye ne vreemdelinge (abangaphandle okanye abangaziwayo – ababe quka abashumayeli bevangeli, abathengisi,abefundisi ntsapho, kunye namanye amafama amhlophe). Lamaqela Mabini kwakufuneka afumane imvume ku masipala yezindlu zethutyana kwaye/okanye umhlaba wokulima, bona banikeze ngesipho, umbulelo okanye ukusebenzela abase kuhlaleni.
Ngelithuba, iintlanga ngentlanga ezazihlala eNamaqualand zazi zama ukuphilisana. Nangona oku kuthetha okokuba kwakuhliwa ngoxolo nabo babezintshaba, kodwa ukuba ngum Nama okanye Khoikhoi kwakusajongelwa phantsi kakhulu. oku ‘balilizwe elinye’ kwatshatyalaliswa kukubhaliswa kwabantu nokucalulwa kwabantu, oku kwavele kwenza okokuba bonke bacalulwe njenge ngqokelela ‘yabantu bebala’.

iGroup Areas Act

©Jaques Marais

ngokufanayo, ibaster zaye zabaphambili kwezo politiko zase Namaqualand kwicala Labantu bebala. Babe bhetele ngoku ninzi, bekwazi ukubala ngaphezulu koninzi lama Khoikhoi, kwaye baba nentlahla yemfundo ephucukileyo kwizandla zabashumayeli bezwi. eRichtersveld, oku kwatshintshwa kukufika kwe Bosluis Basters ngo 1949.
Eliqela le ‘bastaards’ lalinyanzeliswe okokuba lisuke emakhayeni abo kumandla we Pofadder ye Bushmanland ngumthetho we Group Areas Act, owabekwa ngokusesikweni ngo 1950. Yayi ngowona Mthetho wakhe wangcola owawu chaza okokuba zonke iintlanga mazohluhlwe ngokwendawo yokuhlala omnye komnye. Lomthetho (owawu kukuqhubeka komthetho omdala wemihlaba/Land Act ka 1913) wenza inani labantu lisuswe ngenkani, oku kwalothusa kakhulu ilizwe lonke ngonyaka 1950 (kuquka iSophiatown, District 6, South End njalo-njalo).

Abantu Abalihlazo

Kwathi xa urhulemente wobandlulo ka DF Malan efaka isabhokhwe, abantu be Bosluis Basters (kuquka iintsapho ezingama 68) abazange babenayo indlela naphandle kokupakisha konke okwabo kwinqwelo bahambe umgama ongapha ko 300 km ukugqitha amahla ndinyuka bekhangela ikhaya elitsha. Bafika kwindawo ezise maphandleni zase Richtersveld, indawo eyayi yi tiphu yezinto ezingafunwayo nabantu abaku mgangatho ophantsi.
Yayiluhambo olunzima, kodwa bancedwa bubunkokheli obuno buntu bomfundisi wabo, umfundisi uEkseteen, owayehlala kulendawo ukususela ngo 1945. Ekugqibeleni, indawo yachongwa emazantsi womfula omncinci, empenge-mpengeni. Kungekudala icawe yokhiwa lendawo intsha yabizwa okokuba yi Eksteenfontein, bewonga inkokheli yabo kamoya.
Ukuvalelisa, ndivumele ndithethe ngokuba iGroup Areas Act, yayi sika macala omabini. Ngo 1950, iintsapho ezilithoba zama fama amhlophe (ababegxamese kwindawo yabantu bebala) basuswa eRichtersveld. Aba babequka:
usapho lakwa Avenant olwalu lima eDe Hoop kule mihla eRichtersveld National Park (Amangcwaba bantwana abaninzi bama Avenant ayabonakal kulowo uyaziyo okokuba ajonge ndawoni); abakwa Van Rensburg ababene khaya eGrasdrif; usapho lwakwa Graaf eGelykwerf; abakwa de Vries abangabafana abazanayo ababelima eVandersterrberg nase Koeskop; nosapho lwakwa Bosman olwaluhlala eStinkfontein (ngoku eyaziwa njenge Eksteenfontein).

Translated by Zikhona Plaatjie