The nascent town of Port Elizabeth required labour especially surfboatmen who loaded and unloaded the vessels moored in the roadstead. Initially it was the local khoikhoi who were employed but at a later stage they were replaced by the amaFengu as they were deemed to be more productive.
To house these workers, areas – the so-called Locations – were set aside on the Hill and allocated for their use. As the white population swelled exponentially, they sought land nearby on the Hill leading to the inevitable competing demands for land.
Thus commenced the settlers’ quest to relocate the indigenous people further out of town. None of their petitions could effect a change as the Council was legally committed to reimburse the Blacks for the improvements that they had effected to their properties in the event of their eviction but the residents were unwilling to bear the cost of the relocation.
This blog covers the path from uprooting these communities until their settlement on the periphery and also outside the town’s boundaries.
Main picture: Russell Road. The top of Hyman’s Kloof. On the right is the Strangers’ Location, set aside for Mfengu labourers in 1855
Existing Locations
By 1896 a large body of Blacks resided in a number of Locations in the heart of Port Elizabeth. Over the years, negotiations had been held between the various parties representing the Municipality, the Government, the Black inhabitants and other interested parties. Owing to the intransigence of vested interests, the Municipality was unable to do anything without special legislation from Parliament being passed. As a consequence, these discussions were fruitless as they never resulted in any definitive action plan.
At this time the Strangers’ Location existed at the top of Russell Road, in which the residents possessed title to their holdings, Gubbs Location located on TW Gubbs property in Mill Park holding several thousand Blacks, a large Location known as Cooper’s Kloof, now Albany Road and the Reservoir Location further west near Mount Road and Charlie Brown’s Vlei. In addition there were other smaller Locations such as one known as Elmslie’s Location on Walmer Road.
For a number of years, the matter lay dormant and drifted aimlessly on. The chief overriding factor inhibiting a resolution of the issue was the fact that the Municipality was duty bound to compensate the residents who would be deprived of their rights and interests. Nonetheless, as time elapsed, discussion began to crystalise into conviction. Steps were taken for the removal of all Blacks to a more distant Location on a site near the Race Course.
Furthermore, the inhabitants were now informed that compensation would exclude recent improvements and therefore, the dwellings, bad as they were to begin with, became worse and worse, owing to the disinclination of their owners to spend money which they were unlikely to recover in the event of the building being demolished.
Status at March 1901
The status of the matter was unresolved when a bubonic plague broke out at Port Elizabeth in March 1901. This event would inexorably change the path forward for it was believed, erroneously so, that the disease could only be successfully combatted by relocating all of the Blacks and many of the Coloureds from their insanitary dwellings and to apply drastic measures of improvement to large areas of slum property. The Town Council prevaricated forcing the Plague Administration to grasp the nettle and evict a large number of tenants and residents from their dwellings.
As the plague progressed, no permanent improvement was effected. As a last resort, the whole of the Black population was removed from Port Elizabeth as they were believed to constitute the source of the scourge. In reality imported cargo was found to be a contributory factor. As a result of pressure, the Town Council intervened by inter alia demolishing the whole of Strangers’ Location. To house the displaced and evicted Blacks, two properties were purchased on the periphery of the town viz the eastern extent of Cradock Place as well as the whole of Deal Party Estate which were combined to create the New Brighton Location. For their accommodation at this Location, the Blacks were charged rent for their dwellings as it was intended that the occupation would be permanent in character.
On the other hand, Coloureds, Whites and Asiatics, who were evicted, were provided with temporary accommodation by the Plague Administration on what was known as the North End Eviction Camp. For the accommodation at this Camp, no rental was charged as it was deemed to be temporary accommodation only.
In terms of the Plague Regulations, evictions were permissible, but it was impractical to compel those evicted to reside in any particular place. As a result, the Blacks refused to move to New Brighton because they were charged rental while the Coloureds and the Asiatics were not permitted to remain in the Eviction camp as it was deemed to be only for temporary accommodation. As a result, large numbers of evictees settled outside the boundary of Port Elizabeth with extensive communities rapidly congregated at Korsten and Dallie’s Kraal, two extremely tiny pieces of land. Here the owners of the land, sensing that they could earn a quick buck from the newcomers anxious to obtain some stability, they sold small allotments on lease or by purchase on easy terms.
Unsanitary conditions
Called into existence over the course of a few months, this land was populated by an accumulation of the lowest, most ignorant and poverty stricken classes, entirely without Municipal control and with no means of obtaining a proper water supply or of making the simplest sanitary arrangements. This was a recipe for disaster. Gross insanitary conditions could only result in the outbreak of infectious, contagious and fatal diseases.
In the meantime, the Native Reserve Locations Act, No 40 of 1902, became law. It compelled the removal of all Blacks from Port Elizabeth but which had no power to control them beyond the Municipal limits. Consequently, instead of the Blacks voluntarily settling in New Brighton, they descended upon Korsten and Dassie’s Kraal in ever increasing numbers.
After long and due consideration, the Port Elizabeth Municipality acceded to the decision that Korsten be included within the municipal boundary by means of an extension of the boundary. To do so, this amendment would require a special Act of Parliament due to the fact that the existing boundaries were laid out in the town’s Act of Incorporation.
Accordingly in 1903, the Municipality applied to the government for assistance in obtaining the necessary legislation to enable the Port Elizabeth Municipality or any other municipality under similar circumstances to vary its boundary. Then followed a General Election and the inhabitants of Korsten and Dassie’s Kraal who had some time being agitating for the establishment of a Village Management Board, obtained the avowed support of various Parliamentary Candidates to their claim. As a result, on the 10th May 1904, the area of Korsten was brought under the Villages Management Act, 1881.
Incompetent Board of Management
As many had predicted, a, Board of Management under the conditions prevailing in this community, was worse than useless, retarding rather than aiding improvement. In September 1904, during a visit to Port Elizabeth by Colonel Crewe, he instructed the Magistrate to enquire from the Board what they had done to improve the living conditions of the residents to justify their existence. Furthermore, the Board was notified that unless immediate improvements were made, the Board would be abolished. On the 9th December 1904, Mr Becker reported that he had inspected Korsten and had found that the place was in a worse condition than during Crewe’s visit. Shortly afterwards, the Prime Minister visited Korsten. A shocked Dr. Jameson decided that the Board should be abolished as soon as possible. On the 8th December he telegraphed the Colonial Secretary, and the Board was abolished in terms of Proclamation No. 422 of 16th December 1904.
Proclamation regarding New Brighton
With the proverbial bit between the teeth, Gregory, the Medical Office of Health for the Colony, addressed a memorandum to the Government strongly recommending that a special Plague Regulation should be promulgated to compel the Blacks to accept accommodation in the New Brighton Location. The Regulation was duly promulgated and from January 1905 action was taken by the Plague Administration to overcome these problems. This consisted of the summary eviction of all persons – including Europeans, Blacks, Coloured and Asiatics – occupying dwellings unfit or not being capable of being made fit for human habitation. These dwellings would be demolished with immediate effect while the owners of dwellings capable of improvement were compelled to improve them to the satisfaction of the Government Medical Officer. These measures did effect a considerable improvement.
The control measures were undertaken in terms of the Plague Regulations but subsequent to the passing of the Native Reserve Locations Act the forceful removal of a Black to a Location was performed in terms of this Act. In the intervening period, the Lay Inspector was paid out of the Plague Fund and is regularly inspected by the Plague Medical Officer.
Stubborn opposition
Initially when these operations were commenced, the Black residents were implacably opposed to the Government. As a result, prosecutions had to be instituted and convictions obtained in the Magistrate’s Court against those obstructing action taken under the Regulation. So great was the opposition that Colonel Stanford had to deal with them and ultimately obtained a considerable measure of co-operation from them and they formed amongst themselves, a Vigilance Committee for the supposed purpose of assisting the government but undoubtedly their ulterior motive was to make the Government accede to their request for the reestablishment of the Village Board. The members of the Vigilance Committee comprised ten members with eight being black with two being White property owners. The exceptions were Moses Foley, a General Dealer, being the Chairman, and William Wauchope, a shopkeeper, the treasurer. This Committee persistently agitate for the re-establishment of the Village Board. They even sent a deputation to waylaid the Prime Minister who provided a conditional promise that he would favourably consider the issue.
Midway through the decade, the population of Korsten and Dassie’s Kraal amounted to approximately 6,000 residents of which the Resident Voters amounted to 55 Whites, 80 Coloureds and 260 Blacks.
Detractors and supporters
The removal of the Blacks from the Locations within the White areas garnered detractors and supporters. In support were the Merchants and the Boat Companies who were reliant on their labour. In the case of the Boat Companies, where demand was erratic and labour required at short notice, their close proximity to their place of work was crucial for them. On the other hand, the ratepayers railed against the notion of paying for the servicing of the Locations in terms of water, sanitation and health. Moreover, with the majority of the Town Councillors being merchants by occupation, and hence in favour of workers living in close proximity, the councillors in support of relocating the Black to the town’s boundary were always outvoted. It was the bubonic plague in 1901 which served to engender the fear of the nearby Locations but it was the Plague Board which served as the battering ram to action it.
Source
Detailed correspondence between G. John Gregory, Medical Office of Health for the Colony and the Colonial Secretary dated 18th September 1905