Houdenbek Slave Revolt

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Koude Bokkeveld, Worcester District, Cape Colony
Surnames/tags: Cape_of_Good_Hope slavery

Contents 1 Categories: related profiles 2 Early "Droster" groups of runaway slaves 3 1808 Slave Revolt of Koeberg region 4 1825 Slave Revolt at Houdenbek 5 Book by André Brink 6 Academic exersize, summarizing the details 7 Report of the trial at Worcester 8 Koppieshoogte 9 Surveyor General farm diagrams 10 The revolt and its people on Wikitree 11 Unidentified Revolt/Trial-related people 12 Reasonable associations with known people 13 Sources

Categories: related profiles

Profiles related to this revolt at listed on the Houdenbek Revolt Category Page. This category is a sub-category of Slaves at Cape of Good Hope category.

Early "Droster" groups of runaway slaves

Starting from when slaves arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, many slaves ran away. This may have been a check on very bad treatment of slaves, as some have said. Indeed, the Cape of Good Hope had very few of the large slave-operated plantations known from elsewhere.

Some runaway slaves were caught and returned to their owners, some joined Khoi/San groups, who learnt western technology from them, and some collected into groups made up of runaway slaves. The term "Droster" was used to describe such groups. It was the word originally used for soldiers or sailors who had abandoned ship to fend for themselves.

In the early 1700's such groups congregated in the mountains behind Table mountain, but especially in the area opposite False Bay, near Hangklip. These groups sometimes succeeded in surviving, avoiding the commando groups sent after them. They even succeeded in trading for certain necessary goods with the community at the Cape of Good Hope. Or otherwise they stole what they needed. However, whenever they became a threat to the safety of travellers, they were hunted down and severely punished. The size of these groups remained limited.

1808 Slave Revolt of Koeberg region

There were two notable slave uprisings at the early Cape Colony, both of which failed. The first uprising took place in 1808. Two slaves, Louis van Mauritius and Abraham van de Kaap, met a couple of Irish sailors in a Cape Town tavern. The Irish told them that the external or oceanic slave trade was outlawed and that all slaves would soon be set free. They also told Louis and Abraham about countries such as Britain where slavery did not exist. Louis van Mauritius and Abraham van de Kaap decided that it was time to fight for the freedom of all slaves. They persuaded 300 slaves living on farms in the Koeberg region to march to Cape Town and demand their freedom. The slaves attacked some of the farms on their way. They were defeated and violently suppressed when they reached Salt River. ^[1].

1825 Slave Revolt at Houdenbek

The second uprising took place in 1825 on a remote farm (Houdenbek) in the Koude Bokkeveld. A number of slaves and Khoekhoe labourers, led by Galant van de Kaap (1801-1825), killed the farmer and two other men who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They threatened to take over the other farms in the region. They believed that emancipation had been promised by the government and that their owners were holding it back from them. However, the local Veldcornet, Willem Francois du Toit, called together a Commando of local farmers with some of their slaves and Khoi servants, to hunt for the group of rebels. In a short time most of them gave themselves up, and the more persistent were captured within a few days. An inquest was set up, leading to a large trial in Worcester, under a special court of justice. The leaders were executed and their heads were exposed on poles in the Koude Bokkeveld. Some were severely beaten and punished with lifelong hard labour. Others were 'only' beaten, or let off. This uprising is often referred to as the Galant uprising, named after the leader.

Book by André Brink

Of course the novel "Houd-den-Bek", or "Chain of Voices" in english, by André Brink is a must-read on this historic and tragic event, while Brink of course clearly linked those events to the 1980's Apartheid regime^[2].

Academic exersize, summarizing the details

There is a wonderfully consise summary, made for an academic exersize at the University of California in Irvine^[3] listing the persons involved, as victims, their families, rebels from slaves and Khoi workers, their co-workers, and also people like teachers living on the affected farms, as well as the 'law' as represented by the Heemraad, Fieldcornets, Landdrost, and even the commando that was called together to hunt down the rebels. It also has a list of references, and an index for the report of the trial as published by Theal.

Report of the trial at Worcester

The primary source for this event is the surprisingly readible report of the trial at Worcester, of Galant and his rebel group. This report summarised the views of all the witnesses, and one can directly see how this must have motivated the structure André Brink chose for his novel. ^[4] The judges^[5]had clear sympathy for the plight of the slaves, but also found it important to punish the violent acts, and to set an example to preserve the social order. On the other hand, it is striking to find that some of the judges themselves owned slaves, some in large numbers. The verdict clearly fits in times when slave trade was already prohibited, but abolition of slavery in general was still a subject of discussion.

This large trial at Worcester may also have been an impetus behind the idea to set up a 'proper' high court for the Cape Colony, which happened a few years later.

Koppieshoogte

The heads of Galant and Adam were displayed on stakes along the old wagonroad from Ceres to the North into the Ceder mountains.

The place is approximately along the modern R303, somewhat to the south of "Die Dorp op die Berg", at the coordinates 33º3'20"South 19º19'42"East (link to GoogleMaps). There is still a farm with guesthouse named "Koppieshoogte", so tourists can enjoy walks in beautiful nature, with an ironic reminders of slavery and the cruel justice, only 200 years ago. Slavery was finally abolished only a decade later, in 1834/38.

In a recent initiative, a very simple 'monument' or cairn has been set up by a Khoi/San organisation. It is the traditional pile of stones, to which all travelers/visitors can contribute their stone^[6].

Surveyor General farm diagrams

Important information of the geography of the area in this time can be extracted from the early survey diagrams of the farms in the region, as they can be downloaded at the Surveyor General of South Africa^[7]. It is interesting to note that detailed mapping of south africa started to a large extent with these early farm surveys, complementing the rough maps of main roads, rivers, mountains, made by parties travelling and exploring the larger inland areas. It is often surprising how bad many of the published maps were, even later in the 1700's, while obviously the administration and the farmers living in these areas had a to have a reasonable practical knowledge of the geography. The same was true for the original KhoiSan inhabitants.

The revolt and its people on Wikitree

Interestingly, the story of the Revolt and the proceedings of the trial can be combined with the known family relationships between the slave owners (on wikitree), and the Tulbagh Slave Registers to reconstruct sufficient information about some of the slaves that play a role to create actual genealogical profiles for wikitree, including children, and marriages which otherwise would have remained hidden for prosperity. It will be an interesting project to create those. ^[8].

There is a wikitree category, with its category page Houdenbek Slave Revolt 1825 category to list the various profiles connected in some way to this revolt.

Unidentified Revolt/Trial-related people

• Little information is available about slaves, even less about the free 'Hottentot' workers.
• Jan Dalree, and his wife Sally: now added to wikitree, but without (family) links
• Joseph Fourie at 'Zwartburg', birthplace of Isaac Rooy, aka Monk. Could this be the same as "Zwartkop" at the Doornrivier?
• Jan Bothma
• A. Wilson, owner of Dollie. No A.Wilson is found in the Tulbagh Slave Registers.
• George Muller, owner of the slave Karel, who apprehended Abel near Lakenvlei and Rietvalley of Piet van der Merwe Senior, and Rasmus van der Merwe, and Hendrik Petrus Jansen van Rensburg. The Tulbagh slave register contains no George Muller (Moller, Mulder), or anybody of that surname with a slave named "Karel". He may have been from another district? The location of "Paardekop" is also mentioned as nearby the place where Abel was apprehended.
• The farm "Matjesfontein" of (Johannes) Rasmus van der Merwe is not in the Surveyor General's database. We may surmise that it was another name for "Rietvalley", as 'matjesgoed' was a kind of reed used to weave mats and baskets.
• G. van der Merwe
• Daniel Erasmus van der Merwe
• Roelof van der Merwe. Could this be the same Roelof at far away Vendutiekraal at Hex River? As he was a son of Piet Lakenvlei it may have been that he had some presence in one of Piet's many loan farms? That would explain that his name is not found on a survey diagram.
• Piet Corporal .. could this have been a nickname for another van der Merwe?
• Fieldcornet Jan Stein .. probably at or near the town of Tulbagh
• Master Olof
• Piet Joosten, at Tulbagh: too many matching this name in Tulbagh
• Jacobus Joosten, member of the commando
• P.T. du Toit, one of the signatories under the report by Feldcornet W.F. du Toit, and hence presumably also one of the farmers of this area. (No such P.T. can be found (yet), so there may be is a mistake in these initials?)

Reasonable associations with known people

• Barend Janse van Rensburg was probably Barend Johannes (Jansen van Rensenburg) Jansen van Rensburg (1789-1854), probably the farmer of Tweefonteinen, and brother of Willem at Vaalenkloof. Alternatively (lesser match), may have been Barend Petrus Janse van Rensburg (1800-)
• Barend Lubbe (no slaves), Hans Lubbe, Schalk Lubbe are likely brothers of Elsje Johanna (Lúbbe) Janse van Rensburg (1776-aft.1843), wife of Willem Jansen van Rensburg, farming at Vaalenkloof next to Houdenbek and Moddervlei.
• Nicolaas Jacobus Jansen (van Rensburg), in commando, likely son of Willem & Elsje at Vaalenkloof, brother of Johannes Hendrik who was murdered at Houdenbek.
• Hendrik Janse van Rensburg matches Hendrik Petrus Jansen van Rensburg (bef.1784-1841),who is mentioned as having a farm near to that of Rasmus van der Merwe (and Piet Lakenvlei), near the place where Abel was apprehended by the slave Karel.
• Arnoldus Bothma of Groot Valley, origin of Klaas. -- found, with Tulbagh+Beaufort slave registers
• Buffelshoek farm diagram was found, on wagonroad to Citrusdal, next to Knujoe of Swanepoel
• P. Swanepoel is probably the son of Johannes Swanepoel at Knujoe next to Buffelshoek
• J.C. Erasmus signed the report of W.F.du Toit. This was Johannes Cornelis Erasmus from Bokkefontein, next to Langerivier of Jan Abraham du Plessis.
• A neighbour of W.F. du Toit that is strangely not mentioned, is Pieter Rasmus Erasmus, of Groenefontein, behind the Kleinvlei outspan.
• Old Sanna Jooste: Susanna Sophia van Rensburg, widow of Cornelis Jooste, at the farm "De Kruis"
• Willem Joosten: likely Willem Johannes Joosten (bef.1786-) at Rietrivier
• Jan Hugo: Fieldcornet Jan Charl Hugo died in 1822. He had a son Johannes Jacobus.
• Erasmus/Rasmus van der Merwe is most likely "Johannes Rasmus van der Merwe"
• David Theron at Tulbagh: possibly David Johannes Theron (bef.1781-1842)?
• Ryno Johannes Verster, signed report by W.F.du Toit, farmed at Krommefontein

Sources

1. ↑ Article from the Iziko Museum, which resides in the building that was once the Slave Lodge of the VOC, in Cape Town Houdenbek Revolt Added by Rachel Marais
2. ↑ 1982 book review in NY Times of "Houd-den-Bek" by André Brink
3. ↑ link at University of California in Irvine, with litterature and details about the Houdenbek Slave Revolt, to accompany a writing exercise for university students, by Laura Mitchell at the University of California in Irvine; Added by NC Brummer
4. ↑ George McCall Theal, Records of the Cape Colony, Vol XX, Feb-Apr 1825, starting from page 188 . This is the full report from the trial at Worcester, with the interrogation of the various witnesses, as well as the verdict of the judges, with their motivation.
5. ↑ Article about an Advocate Reitz, listing many of the judges of the time, and how the judicial system developed. This contains helpful information to identify the early judges of the still somewhat informal 'high court', that still had to evolve into a more fixed institution. These early judges did not all have a legal academic background, but they were notable persons trusted by government to make a judgement.
6. ↑ Blogpost about the Cederberg area, including a bit about Koppieshoogte and the Khoi organisation setting up this cairn/beacon.
7. ↑ Surveyor General of South Africa, website csg.drdlr.gov.za
8. ↑ Slavery at the Cape, the Slave Registers if 1816, and how to find relevant images at Familysearch.org: Space:Slave Owners and Slaves in South Africa Added by NC Brummer

• Ross, Robert. Cape of Torments: Slavery and Resistance in South Africa. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983, 105-16. This is a wider article, starting from the beginning of the Dutch at the Cape, and encompassing resistence against oppression more generally. The Cape was open and even slaves were not easy to control, and there was a longer history of slaves running away to and form groups for themselves, or join the local KhoiSan tribes.