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The British took control of the Cape for the second time in 1806. A
year later, British Parliament passed a law to abolish the slave
trade. By the 1820s, Britain had passed laws that would improve the
living conditions of slaves, and in 1834 slavery was officially ended.
Slaves at the Cape, however, had to serve a further four-year
apprenticeship, and were only freed in 1838.
Resistance
Understandably, forms of resistance by slaves were common. These
ranged from escape, arson, attacks, to suicide – on average 15 to 20
slaves were reported to have committed suicide per year in the 18th
century – the ultimate form of resistance. Surprisingly, only two
slave uprisings occurred in the Cape.
The first slave resistance in the Cape, led by Louis van Mauritius and
Abraham van De Caap, happened in 1808. They managed to rally 300 farm
slaves from the Koeberg region and marched to Cape Town to demand
their freedom. The rebels were intercepted at Salt River and the
instigators executed.
In 1825 slaves in the Bokkeveld region believed their owners were
withholding their freedom and resented the continual ill-treatment.
Led by Galant, slaves rebelled, attacking their owners. The
ringleaders were brought to court and found guilty. Some were publicly
hanged, others severely physically punished, and few were acquitted.
Two main factors underpinned the abolition of slavery:
1. Economic reasons
Industrialization: Introduction of factories and wage labour.
The slave colonies served as an ideal market for goods produced in
factories in Britain. Britain could continue to reap the financial
benefits through the exploitation of human life.
Cape wine farmers sold wine to Britain cheaply. More slaves were
purchased to extend their vineyards. However, slave labour no longer
became profitable on the wine farms, as Cape farmers had to compete
against cheap French wines being sold in Europe. Slaves who had to be
fed and maintained became a liability for the farmers, and from the
1820s onwards, slave labour was no longer profitable.
2. Humanitarian reasons
William Wilberforce, amongst others, made people aware of the
abusive treatment of slaves in the British colonies. Constant pressure
on the British government eventually forced the ending of slavery. In
1833 the discussions and drafting of the Bill for the Abolition of
Slavery in the British Empire took place around the Buxton–Wilberforce
Anti Slavery Campaign Table. An exact replica of this table is now
housed in the Iziko Slave Lodge Museum in Cape Town.
The Cape slave owners were concerned about the transition from slavery
to wage labour. They were anxious that they would not receive
financial compensation for slaves lost and that they would not be able
to find enough labour after the abolition of slavery. The four-year
apprenticeship helped owners make this transition from slavery to wage
labour.
Amelioration laws
In the 1820s, laws were created to improve conditions for slaves.
Examples include:
- Reduction in working hours for slaves
Stipulated amount of clothing and food given to slaves
- Marriage between slaves was legalised
- Young children were not to be sold separately from their
mothers
- Slaves were allowed to buy their own freedom
- Basic education was given to most slaves
In 1826, the Guardian of the Slaves, who in 1830 became known as
the Protector of Slaves, ensured that these laws were obeyed by slave
owners. These new laws paved the way for slaves to demand more rights,
such as freedom of movement and ultimately, emancipation. In South
Africa, 1 December is celebrated as Emancipation Day.
Post Abolition
Most slaves were poverty-stricken and could not afford to buy land.
If they wanted to farm, they had to do so in remote areas.
Church-owned mission stations gave plots of land to slaves on
condition that they had to be Christian and obey mission rules. As a
result, many slaves moved into Cape Town looking for work, and wages
decreased due to the surplus of slaves. Life after emancipation for
slaves was not easy as most slaves remained landless, homeless and
disempowered. Skilled slaves found it somewhat easier to subsist by
using their skills as carpenters, builders, dressmakers, coopers and
blacksmiths.
2008 is the bicentenary of the first slave rebellion at the Cape. To
mark this occasion, the Iziko Education and Public Programmes
Department will be conducting programmes at the Iziko Slave Lodge
Museum throughout the year. Currently, we offer a “Creative Slavery
Workshop” aimed at Grade 9 and 10 learners. This lesson uses the tools
of performance, writing and creative interpretation to further
explore, understand and question the themes of slavery, resistance and
human rights issues. For Grade 10 and 11 learners, there is the
“Uprising – Paths to Freedom”, slavery walking trail, which includes
the Castle, Slave Lodge-, Bo-Kaap- and District Six- Museums.
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