The Causes and Impact of the Mfecane in South Africa - Essay Example

Mfecane War Mfecane is a Xhosa word that meant becoming thin as a result of hunger or suffering; it referrers to a period in South Africa when there was a lot of political disruption and migration of people between the years 1820s to 1830s. The Afrocentric and pervasive theology of the approach of Mfecane is quite striking (Cobbing 1988, p.448). Mfecane took place as a result of nation building that was aggressively done by the Zulu lead by Shaka and the Ndebele of Mzilikazi. Mfecane is sometimes referred to as the war of wondering and it accompanied the rise of the Zulu people. The war was highly concentrated at Drakensberg Mountains, along the river Limpopo and between the Kalahari Desert. Causes of Mfecane War There were geographical barriers that made people unable to expand towards the west eastern part, contributing to a rise in population hence people engaged in war in order to secure land. Indian Ocean waters and the Drakensberg Mountains were the key geographical features that complicated the lives of people living in this region. Mfecane was caused by the war between the tribes of Mthethwa and Ndwandwe who were expanding their territories at the expenses of their neighbours who were weak (Okoth 2006, p.246). These led to warfare that became frequent and severe as people fought for land. Increased inequality that was witnessed between communities and environmental crisis led to competition for natural resources and trade on South Africa leading to violent struggles for survival (Eldredge 1992, p.1). There was a shortage of land and many people at that time migrated to that area because it was fertile and convenient for farming activities. The high population growth caused a lot of population pressure lead to various tribal expansions, which led to the emergence of units amongst the Bantus that occupied that place. During 18th century, there was the presence of the Portuguese at the east coast of Delagoe who participated in long distance trade. There was a rise in the desire to control the trade amongst people who were at the region and as a result, the Nguni tribe launched attacks to other communities with an aim of controlling the trade. The Portuguese, on the other hand, wanted to carry out trade with groups that were organized and had powerful leaders. The creation of Zulu state displaced hundreds of people who fled in different directions in order to establish themselves (Pizzo 2007, p.53). The Zulu nation was rapidly rising during that time, and its effect was the presence of the intensification of Mfecane war by the Shaka even though Mfecane war begun way before Shaka was officially inaugurated as the chief of the Zulu. Shaka’s leadership later intensified the war because of his zealous interest in wars, and he was able to defeat other tribes. The idea of having a growing domain of terror was touted by speculators who wanted imperial military backing in order to secure future land (Landau 2010, p.35). Cape Whites was expanded at the end of 1st century because the whites wanted more land at the eastern side, and their expansion created a shortage of land while the population was increasing hence worsening the land issue. The three powerful groups that emerged and rose up at that time fighting each other; Zwide group was responsible for sparking war with its rivals Sobhuza, and later Ndwandwe joined the war. Most communities had at that time spread at the countryside and moved across the frontier, dividing themselves to settle in concentrated places. Americans introduced corn through the Portuguese in Mozambique, and this significantly contributed to the communities’ settlement in the region. This is because corn ensured there was plenty of food as compared to indigenous grasses thus it was able to sustain a larger population. At the end of 18th century, the possibility of people moving from the region became limited, and shortage of land was experienced. Most Bantu farmers at the region had reached the margins of arable land that was at the edge of Kalahari Desert; it was also difficult to access water from this region. Towards the last decade of eighteenth century experienced low rainfall hence the people experienced calamitous drought lasting a period of 10 years. This drought caused disruptions and suffering to people living in in this region, especially after adopting corn as a staple food crop; hence it needed water in order to grow. The Nguni, who were pastoralists, centered on raiding other communities (Thomson 2007, p.105). There was a devastating effect of lack of rain, and there was a lot of fighting between the people in that community over grains and cattle. Others opted to hunt for animals, sorting out any water that could be found in order to survive. Warfare erupted between Ndwandwe and Mthethwa kingdoms all the kingdoms attempting to gain control over the few resources that were available. Towards 1818 Ndwandwe community became victorious after killing Muthethwa leader but was soon overthrown by Shaka, the leader of the Zulu state. Effects of Mfecane in South Africa Most societies that were present in South Africa in the nineteenth century experienced a lot of difficulties, conflicts, location to other places and even subjugation due to the dramatic developments that took place transforming the nature of the society. Most of the African chiefdoms responded in a vigorous and innovative way to the conditions caused by Mfecane. There were enormous loss of life that was caused by Mfecane and the communities were greatly dispersed. Several new states emerged after the Mfecane war including Kaloo who were in Barotseland, and Soshangane who formed Gaza and Moshes Basuto. Most emergent states were formed for the main purpose of defending the community and they ensured they defended their land. Political reorganization was also witnessed as a result of Mfecane war. Most traditional clans that were small had to join together and become one large multi-clan state in order to be strong and able to protect themselves against its enemies. People who were conquered during the ware also incorporated into the tribe that was expanded. The fighting witnessed from the Ndebele and other communities making Nguni become the home of military organization in the region copied Nguni. Moreover, several groups of people who migrated from the northern part and were good in the art of smelting iron. These immigrants later coalesced into several chiefdoms, while in the south, Tswana speaking kingdom of Rolong split and gave rise to Tlhaping. There was introduction of weapons such as spears and it was preferred because of its efficiency. Other military tactics such as surrounding an enemy using the cow-horn shape was acquired in order to conquer weak states. Population dispersion during Mfecane was attributed to drought, degradation of the environment and white settlement advancement (Crush and Tevera 2010, p.54). Many communities witnessed depopulation due to the deaths and starvation caused by the war. Livestock were stolen making people unable to stay at a particular place long enough to cultivate and get food. Consequently, there were lots of deaths and districts left deserted due to the war. As life became insecure for everyone, most agricultural activities practiced in the region were abandoned due to the killings and forcing of people to exile that took place during Mfecane. The kingdoms from the east and central parts such as Lozi, Tumbu and the Rozwi, declined even though they were strong before Mfecane. The reason behind that decline of these kingdoms was the inability to withstand military strengths of communities from the south that had adopted Shaka’s styles of fighting. Mfecane caused several social upheaval that had domino effects which weakened many societies (Frankental and Sichome 2005, p.46). Most traditions and customs were broken and in place new activities took place such as stealing of livestock, and cannibalism in order to get food. Shaka’s expansion of his territory made many refugees to flee in various directions causing a plundering reaction and lots of chaos as these refugees entered into other communities. The aftermath of the Zulu gave an illustration of the capacity of African leaders to have creative statecraft and the ability of African traditions to adapt to new purposes (Omer-cooper 1993, p.274). The Zulu were able to control trade and it the process they acquired weapons such as guns, although they were unable to use it efficiently. Zulu then became conservative and resisted change in all ways but the kingdom of Shaka was terror built becoming highly militaristic. During Mfecane war, a lot of livestock and food crop were destroyed and this lead to a lot of hardship in the region for both human and cattle that remained. People were forced to exile while others were killed and they left the cattle without care causing destruction. The forces that were bequeathed by the wars created hardening of the African communities who turned their backs against each other enabling, the Europeans to conquer the country (Nasson 2004, p.69). The weaknesses experienced by the Africans led to the penetration of Europeans into Africa. For instance, the Boer was able to penetrate into the land after they heard the news that Natal, which had a fertile land, was uninhibited land. On reaching Natal, the Europeans were met with little or no resistance caused by the Mfecane towards the unity of communities around. Hunger and the famine that was experienced was caused by the death of people during the time of war leading to low agricultural activities and people unable to stay in one place for long and cultivate crops. Mfecane is, therefore, one of the facts of the South Africans that were able to illustrate several social and political upheavals that were experienced by the African societies. The main cause of Mfecane was Shaka’s leadership and interest in war with other communities. Mfecane was marked with slavery, taking of people to exile, including killings to those who tried opposing, especially in Natal. Mfecane weakened the Africans and provided an opportunity for Europeans to invade South Africa and develop colonies. References Cobbing J. 1988. The MfecaneAs Alibi: thoughts on Dithakong and Mbolompo. Journal of African History. 29(3), p487-519 Crush S. J. and Tevera S. D. 2010. Zimbabwe’s Exodus Crisis Migration Survi: Crisi, Migration, Survival. Cape Town, SA: South African migration Programme. Eldredge A. E. 1992.Sources of Conflict in South Africa. Journal of African History. 33(1),pg1-35 Frankental S. and Sichome O. B. 2005. South Africa’s Diverse People: A Reference Source Book. California: ABC-CLIO. Landau S. P. 2010. Popular Politics in the History of South Africa. New York: Cambridge University Press. Nasson B. 2004. Why They Fought: Black Cape Colonists and Imperial Wars, 1899-1918. The International Journal of African Historical Studies. 37(1), pg55-70 Okoth A. 2006. A History of Africa. Nairobi Kenya: East African Publishers. Omer-cooper J. D. 1993. Has the Mfecane a Future? A Response to the Cobbing Critique. Journal of Southern African Studies. 19(2), p273-294 Pizzo D. 2007. “To Devour the land of Mkawa”: Colonial Violence and the German-Hehe War in East Africa. Miami: ProQuest. Thomson J. 2007. Ngoni, Xhosa and Scot: Religious and Cultural Interraction in Malawi. Zomba: African book Collective. Read More