Native woman doing handcraft
The Native girls and the
Mission school
Women had been neglected in the Mission.
Zulu boys had been baptized as early as 1884. In 1884 Zulu boys were
educated by the Sotho man called Benjamin Makhaba. The reason for
not admitting girls was because there were no females with skills who
could cope with that. In 1885 they faced with the problem of girls
who complained that they wanted to be educated. The Missionaries realized
that the issue was more serious and needed to be taken into consideration.
It was father Hyacinth who assisted the Polish girls to teach the Zulu
girls. Many German girls also volunteered to come to the Mission. In
August 1885 Germany girls left from London and came to Natal. Women in
1885 were accepted to be taught in Mariannhill.
The government was still powerful by 1885 because
she " insisted that Africans should be trained to work while
education be kept on elementary level". 9
The government had some control over the mission. The shift to
educate women took another angle, women were encouraged to be interested
in handcraft. Another problem was that of 'Lobola' i.e bride's
wealth. missionaries were against that practice they saw it as bad.
They did not see it as a means of making the relationship between the
girl's in -laws and the boy's in-laws, they saw it as rather the selling
of girls. They complained claiming that if they educate the girl who
was soon going to marry, what was the use of educating her.
Missionaries changed their aim and educate girls other activities
associated with household.
Overall on the educating of natives the
government became jealous and called it to a sudden stop.
"Government colonist begun to show some concern that the skilled artisans
from industry school run by mission might offer strong opposition to the
white artisans."10
Here I am to trace the new emerging roots of racial discrimination. I am
not saying that the government was racist , but if it was not why was it
for the interest of the minority i.e the whites.
"This page done by Hyacintha Magubane(961080662).
