Introduction to slavery in South Africa By: Krista du Plooy and Litaletu Magwadi and Kerry Gough References: Dyer, C, 2005,LOOKING into the PAST source based history for Grade 10 chapter 5 & 7, Maskew Miller Longman, Cape town

Slavery excited in many and most ancient civilizations, e.g. Africa before there was any contact with Europe but it was different to that of when European colonists came to South Africa and began slave trade. Slaves were taken from there homes and forced to work in the society and never became apart of that society. They were not seen as human- beings but as things or possessions. They were owned by the people who bought them and had to do what that person told them to do but they were never paid for it.

Slavery started when there was a lack of agricultural workers and to increase labour, the colonists used slaves to work in domestic cleaning or on farms to produce more crops and harvests and work in mines to find raw materials, which were usually sent off to Europe, the colonists countries to be manufactured and then used to trade with in South Africa and with other countries.

Slaves were captured from all different countries e.g. from the West and East Indies and brought to South Africa to work in the Cape Colony on agricultural farms or homes. Slaves were captured in their own country, South Africa in raids or being defeated and had to work for the colonists. Chief and Kings in South Africa sold some of there own people but also captured enemies and sold the enemies to the colonists, who then used them as slaves.

When there were raids children were captured, raised and trained to work as laborers on farms until they were 25.

If a slave had a baby, the baby immediately became a slave as well. Some colonists also slept with the slave women and the baby did not become part of the colonist’s family but became a slave. After slavery was considered bad, slaves were named as servants and this meant that the colonists still had control over them.

When Britain passed Ordinance 50, the slaves were given more freedom and opportunity to choose who to work for. As the colonists lost control over the slaves, legal contracts were brought out and workers (slaves) had to carry passes.

Xhosa worked on farms in return for payments in food e.g. livestock and young men looked for work as they needed to pay lobola (bride-price) in order to get married.

SLAVERY IN SOUTH AFRICA By: Mihlali Ngqunge & Xatyiswa Mbalana References: Knowledge4afric.com Ask.com

First slaves The first slave to arrived in 1653 was Abraham van Batavia.

Why most slaves came from Madagascar, East Africa and Malaysia The Dutch East India Company forbade the use of Christians as slaves This is also the reason that many slave masters encouraged conversion to Islam rather than Christianity

Treatment of Slaves “There treatment of slaves was horrific. Slaves were forcibly separated from their families and tribes, hard labour affected the slaves immensely, causing a person to be harmed physically and psychologically” “There treatment of slaves was horrific. Slaves were forcibly separated from their families and tribes, hard labour affected the slaves immensely, causing a person to be harmed physically and psychologically”

Legal status In the Cape, unlike in America, slaves did have recourse to legal action (at least in theory). He/she had a right to speak in court out if the slave-master brutalized him/her.

Some extra information Although some slaves were given easy household work and some married their masters, most had a horrific life. Interestingly much of the wine industry was begun by emancipated slaves Slaves also helped to build The Castle now a famous landmark in Cape Town

Slaves at the Cape outnumber free people for the first time – External trading of slaves abolished (ie no more slaves could be brought into the country) 1834 – slavery abolished Reference :