Cattle, Land and Entrepreneurship: Creating the Saulspoort Location after the Anglo-Boer War

Abstract

English

During the first four decades of the twentieth century, extensive farm purchases in the Rustenburg district of the Union of South Africa formed part of a complex, cross-border effort led from Mochudi in the Bechuanaland Protectorate by kgosi Linchwe Pilane and his son, the regent Isang, for the purpose of creating wealth free of the regional contract labour system. Their modus operandi was adapted from a successful nineteenth-century system for rustling cattle and securing good grazing. After the Anglo-Boer War, Linchwe and Isang's followers became investors in technology, property, water and veterinary development, as well as promoters of large-scale community development projects, cooperatives, and Western education. The Saulspoort Location, remarkable for its size, arose from Isang's vision of linking property ownership to community advancement as a form of capital investment. The Transvaal offered more opportunities for wealth accretion than the Protectorate and the Saulspoort Location became more productive agriculturally than the Bakgatla Reserve in the Protectorate and more effective in ameliorating the colour bar. Ultimately Isang's influence was undercut by administrators and young Kgatla in the Protectorate. Whereas Isang's methods were significant adaptations to the new regional political economy, Isang's successor in Mochudi, Molefi, and the officials who backed him, clung to the tribal system based on chieftaincy and labour migration. Molefi, without aspirations for his subjects, needed the chief's salary and tax commission to sustain his lifestyle. Similarly, officials needed even indifferent chiefs such as Molefi to run their administrations and afford the cost of the Protectorate through tax collection, at the expense of development.

Afrikaans

Beeste, Grond en Entrepreneurskap: Die Totstandkoming van Saulspoort-lokasie na die Anglo-Boereoorlog

In die eerste vier dekades van die twintigste eeu, het uitgebreide aankope van plase in die Rustenburg-distrik van die Unie van Suid-Afrika deel uitgemaak van ‘n ingewikkelde, oorgrens poging wat vanuit Mochudi in die Bechuanalandse Protektoraat deur kgosi Linchwe Pilane en sy seun, die bewindhebber Isang, aangewend is om welvaart te skep wat onafhanklik van die streek se kontrakarbeidsisteem sou wees. Hulle modus operandi was ‘n aanpassing van die suksesvolle negentiende-eeuse sisteme van veediefstal en die vind van goeie weiding. Na afloop van die Anglo-Boereoorlog, het Linchwe en Isang se onderdane beleggers in tegnologie, eiendom, water en veterinêre ontwikkeling geword, asook voorstanders van grootskaalse gemeenskapsontwikkelingsprojekte, koöperasies en Westerse opvoeding. Die merkwaardige groot Saulspoort-lokasie het uit Isang se visie ontstaan. Dit het naamlik behels dat grondeienaarskap as ‘n tipe kapitaalbelegging aan gemeenskapsvooruitgang gekoppel is. Die Transvaal het meer geleenthede vir die verkryging van welvaart as die Protektoraat gebied. Mettertyd het Saulspoort-lokasie op landbougebied meer produktief as die Bakgatla Reservaat in die Protektoraat geword, asook meer effektief in die versagting van die kleurskeidslyn. Uiteindelik is Isang se invloed deur die amptenare en die jong Kgatla in die Protektoraat ondergrawe. Waar Isang se metodes betekenisvolle aanpassings tot die nuwe politieke ekonomie van die streek was, het Isang se opvolger in Mochudi, naamlik Molefi, en die amptenary wat hom (Molefi) ondersteun het, aan die stamstelsel wat op kapteinskap en arbeidsmigrasie gegrond was, bly vaskleef. Molefi was sonder ambisie vir sy onderdane en het bloot die kapteinskap se salaris en belastingkommissie benodig om sy lewensstyl te handhaaf. Insgelyks het die amptenary selfs onverskillige kapteins soos Molefi nodig gehad ten einde hulle administrasie te kon beheer en die koste van die Protektoraat deur belastinginvordering, ten koste van ontwikkeling, te kon bekostig.