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Nongqawuse Prophetess Of Doom
Located in
South Africa :: Eastern Cape (Wild Coast)
Category:
Attraction :: Interesting Places
Fourteen year old Nongqawuse, when fetching water at a nearby pool, claimed to see images of her ancestors in the water. They told her that they would drive the white settlers out of the country, but that the Xhosa people would first have to kill all their cattle and destroy their crops, in order to proof their faith. The spirits will then chase the settlers out of the country, and bring with them large herds of cattle to replace the ones slaughtered.
Nongqawuse reported the sighting to her uncle, Mhlakaze, a well-known spirit-medium, and chief Sarili believed in her prophecy. Over a period of ten months during 1856-1857, the Xhosa killed over 400 000 head of cattle, and destroyed all their crops, but on the promised day, Nongqawuse’s prophecy never came true. The Xhosa was now a starving nation, and turned to the settlers for help.
Sir George Grey, then governor of the Cape, instructed the settlers not to assist the Xhosa, unless they provide labour to the settlers. By the end of 1858, more than 40 000 people had starved to death, including Nongqawuse’s uncle, Mhlakaze.
Nongqawuse survived the famine and was later arrested and imprisoned on Robben Island. After her release she returned to a farm in the Eastern Cape, where she passed away in 1898.
| Address : | Qolora, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
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