Driving on the busy road R72, which links East London and Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape, one cannot ignore the scars left by centuries of exploitation and subjugation by European nations that colonised and conquered African people. The indigenous people residing in the lower areas of the Eastern Cape in South Africa were no exception to this history.
This op-ed examines the triple-stacked stages of conquest the people endured: the Xhosa Wars, the Christian evangelisation, and the climate change imperialism that is currently ongoing. Between 1779 and 1879, they suffered from incursions, dispossession, and violence at the hands of determined, all-conquering European nations. Europeans were determined to expand their territorial control and sought to do so by invading people’s lands, seizing their cattle, and forcing them off their lands.
In what today is called the Xhosa Wars, the British utilised brute force and barbarism to stamp their authority over the Xhosa people. These wars marked the beginning of multiple conquests of various types that the people had to face, and their pain and streams of blood are evident in the Fish River and other streams that pour into the Indian Ocean. The people also fought back nevertheless, with notable acts of resistance such as the Battle of Grahamstown in 1819 against the British, under the brave Makana fought.
But one of the most brutal acts of the Xhosa Wars was the forced removal of the Xhosa people from their lands. In 1834, Governor Benjamin D’Urban signed a proclamation that declared all Xhosa lands forfeit to the British government. The wars resulted in significant losses for the people, including the loss of their lands, their livestock, and their freedom. The wars also led to the deaths of thousands of people.
Among others, the death of King Hintsa kaKhawuta in 1835 remains one of the untold stories of our time and involved British colonial authorities, including Harry Smith, and Benjamin D’Urban. This incident occurred after the king and his military commander Maqoma refused to hand over approximately 50,000 cattle to the marauding conquerors.
Great kings Hintsa, Sandile, Makana and Ngqika lay buried in hidden memories after conquerors like D’Urban, Smith and George Grey utilised brute and barbarism to stamp their authority. These men later moved up to Natal and Free State as well as New Zealand where they repeated their heinous crimes that led to their knighthoods from Britain.
That is why Africans should snub King Charles’s coronation this month. Not only that, they should also withdraw their membership from the Commonwealth of Nations and demand reparations. Today, King Sandile is reduced into a tiny village of KwaSandile between Port Alfred and East London, alongside many colonial names that dot the beautiful landscape of rolling hills.
The aftermath of the Xhosa Wars was devastating for the Xhosa people. Their lands were taken, their people killed or forced into poverty, and their kings buried in hidden memories. Many colonial names were imposed on the landscape of rolling hills, reducing the legacy of the indigenous people to mere shadows. The Xhosa Wars were a clear example of the devastation wrought by colonialism, and their legacy continues to be felt to this day.
The second form of conquest in the Cape was the forceful Christianisation and evangelism that shook and confused the people. Christian missionaries began arriving in the eastern frontier of the Cape Colony in the early 19th century, around the same time that the Xhosa Wars were taking place. They aimed to spread Christianity to the indigenous peoples. This was made possible by successivecolonial governments who saw Christianity as a tool to control the native population, and so they actively supported the missionary efforts.
Whereas the statecraft used guns and brutal force, the missionaries used evangelism to purportedly save the localpeople, whom they saw as savage heathens, from their primitive ways. They believed that the people needed to abandon their traditional beliefs and practices and adopt the Christian faith. The missionaries used various methods to convince the people to convert, including the provision of education, healthcare, and food. In many instances, theywere forced to convert to Christianity, with severe consequences for those who refused.
The Christianisation process was accompanied by the suppression of their traditional beliefs and practices. This resulted in a loss of cultural identity and a disconnection from traditional ways of life. The imposition of Christianity also had a significant impact on the local languages, with many traditional words and phrases being replaced by Christian terms. This further eroded the cultural heritage of the African people.
The final and ongoing conquest of the people in the Border region concerns climate change imperialism, a weaponisation of science against Africans. The Eastern Cape is currently home to several renewable energy projects, including wind farms and solar power plants. While these projects are seen to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change, they have significantly impactedthe local people.
Projects like the Wesley Wind Farm, owned by a Belgian company Vestas, have been built on people’s lands, without their consent or consultation. This has resulted in the displacement of communities and the loss of traditional lands. Again, somebody still believes that he or she knows what is better for the Africans. The beauty and peace of the people living in the villages of KwaNdaba, Wesley, KwaSandile, etc. are now shadowed by the towering wind turbines.
South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan aims for the renewable energy sector to meet 42% of the country’s energy needs by 2030, with wind farms playing an increasingly significant role in achieving this target. A typical wind turbine has a lifespan of 25 years, depending on maintenance quality and environmental factors.
Following the decommissioning of the Dutch Irene Vorrinkwind farm in 2021, one question was asked: Where do wind turbines go when they die? The input (mining) and output (dismantling and recyclability) sides of net-zero equipment like turbines and solar panels are still a subject of a huge debate. Owing to the forceful and autocratic stance of climate change fundamentalists, it is almost impossible to engage their effect on the environment and people. The Eastern Cape’s people are unlikely to know what will happen when the gigantic environment spoilers reach their time.
Nonetheless, the turbines that dot the landscape have significantly impacted the livelihoods of the locals, who have always relied on agriculture and livestock farmingunder very trying circumstances. Several studies and reports, including a study in the journal Environmental Research Letters (2014) as well as the reports published by the National Academy of Sciences (2010) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (2012), suggest that turbines disrupt weather patterns, affecting crop yields and water availability.
The construction of these projects has also significantly impacted the environment, with the destruction of natural habitats and the loss of biodiversity. These renewable energy projects in the Eastern Cape have been promoted as a solution to climate change, but they have come at a significant cost to the people. The lack of consultation and consent has resulted in a violation of human rights, and the impact on the environment has been significant. The people have been relegated to passive recipients of a solution that is supposed to benefit everyone.
The triple-stacked conquest of the people is a reminder of the devastating impact of colonialism and imperialism. The Xhosa Wars resulted in the loss of lands and lives, while the Christianisation of the people led to the suppression of traditional beliefs and practices. The current climate change imperialism has led to the displacement of communities and the destruction of the environment.
The legacy of these conquests is still felt today, with the people continuing to struggle for their rights and their cultural heritage. Like everything else, the climate change myth does not guarantee reindustrialisation with its main beneficiary being blacks. In Africa and the rest of the Third World, net-zero gimmicks create abandoned communities of death, hopelessness, and forgetfulness – soon the massive turbines will cut them out like a sharp blade.
The continuation of the triple-stacked conquest, now through the climate change myth and science, implies that Africans are being passed over for the umpteenth time from benefiting.
Siya yi banga le economy!