KaNgwane

History

The Swazi Territorial Authority was established at Tonga in the Nkomazi Region on 23 April 1976 by the then Deputy Minister of Bantu Affairs Development and Education, Dr F. Hartzenberg (who read the speech on behalf of the then Member of Parliament and Minister of Bantu Affairs, Mr M.C. Botha).

It was established, Pretoria claimed, to cater for the interests of the Swazis within the borders of the Republic of South Africa. The first leader of the Swazi Territorial Authority administration was Prince Johannes Mkolishi Dlamini, the Chief of the Embhuleni Royal Kraal in Badplaas. The establishment of the Authority was preceded by disruptive events. In 1975, the forced removals of the people from Kromkrans, Doringkop and elsewhere, in the so-called black spots in white areas, to settlements like Kromdraai (Ekulindeni) started. In 1976, the majority of the people from Kromkrans were settled on the farm Eerstehoek.

The plans for the establishment of the Swazi ‘homeland’ continued, and in October 1977, the Swazi Territorial Authority elected Enos John Mabuza to become the Chief Executive Councillor of the ‘homeland’. The ‘homeland’ from there was named KaNgwane (a name, it should be added, that the authorities in Swaziland did not have a problem with).

Contrasts: KaNgwane and the Inyandza National Movement

The Inyandza National Movement was the governing party of the then KaNgwane ‘homeland’ government. It was founded in October 1978 at Lochiel, a village with no more than a filling station a few kilometres from the Oshoek border post. It became a critical driving force of politics. It was through the Inyandza National Movement that KaNgwane contrasted with other ‘homelands’ and refused independence. Inyandza was formed instead to politicise and mobilise the masses of the people of KaNgwane in furtherance of the aims and objectives of the liberation movement: on the one hand, through its relationships with the ANC in exile; and, on the other, through its socio-economic development programme, through which it sought to uplift the standard of living of the ‘citizens’ of that ‘homeland’.

After Dr Enos J. Mabuza assumed office of Chief Executive Councillor of the ‘homeland’, negotiations to be granted the second phase of the ‘homeland’s’ development, i.e. self-governing status, began. The leadership of KaNgwane had already repeatedly indicated that the people of KaNgwane were against so-called independence. The apartheid government of South Africa was however reluctant to grant self-governing status to KaNgwane. They wanted to do so on condition that KaNgwane thereafter opt for Pretoria's offer of independence.

The leadership of KaNgwane refused to accept such a condition, and request after request for self-governing status received no positive responses from Pretoria. Pretoria sought to punish KaNgwane for its refusal to co-operate with plans to make ‘homelands’ independent, and KaNgwane began to experience extreme under-funding.

But the Inyandza National Movement had politicised the people. Weekly prayer meetings and rallies were organised. The leadership of the Inyandza National Movement intensified the call for the unbanning of the ANC and other political organisations. Pretoria's call for independence was rejected completely. The people were mobilised so that when Pretoria refused to grant self-governing status to KaNgwane, they stood up and defended their rights. They did not stand up because they believed in the ‘homelands’. They never desired to opt for independence but to fight until South Africa became free from the shackles of apartheid. That is why the capital of KaNgwane in Louieville was just a temporary structure. There was no point in building massive and magnificent structures.

After some time without responding at all to the intensified mobilisation, the government of South Africa found another way to force independence on KaNgwane: it announced the incorporation of KaNgwane territory and Ingwavuma region of the then ‘homeland’ of KwaZulu into the Kingdom of Swaziland, the so-called land deal between the government of the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Swaziland.

Districts in 1991

Districts of the province and population at the 1991 census.

• Eerstehoek: 192,115
• Nkomazi: 276,965
• Nsikazi: 310,160

References

Bibliography

• „Informa” April 1981 vol XXVIII No 3 (The Department of Foreign Affairs and Information of RSA, newspaper)

References

1. (2005-01-01). "South Africa's Diverse Peoples: A Reference Sourcebook". ABC-CLIO.
2. Ally, Shireen. (2017). "South African Homelands as Frontiers: Apartheid's Loose Ends in the Postcolonial Era". Routledge.
3. "KaNgwane (South African homeland)".
4. (1984). "Swaziland's Proposed Land Deal with South AfricaThe Case of Ingwavuma and Kangwane". Verfassung und Recht in Übersee / Law and Politics in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
5. (1991). "The Abortive Swazi Land Deal". African Affairs.
6. "The Ingwavuma/Ka Ngwane land deal".
7. Dennis Austin. [https://books.google.com/books?id=D_0NAAAAQAAJ&dq=KaNgwane+Swaziland+%22Supreme+Court%22&pg=PA54 ''South Africa, 1984'']. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. 1985. p. 54.
8. Leroy Vail. [http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft158004rs&chunk.id=d0e8042&toc.id=d0e7328&brand=eschol ''The Creation of Tribalism in Southern Africa'']. California: University of California Press. 1989. pp. 310-316.
9. "Census > 1991 > RSA > Variable Description > Person file > District code". Statistics South Africa - Nesstar WebView.