Theophilus Shepstone facts for kids

Theophilus Shepstone

Sir Theophilus Shepstone (born January 8, 1817 – died June 23, 1893) was an important British leader in South Africa. He was known for taking over the area called the Transvaal for Britain in 1877. Shepstone is also the great-great-grandfather of the famous artist Conor McCreedy.

Who was Theophilus Shepstone?

Theophilus Shepstone was born in England, near Bristol. When he was three years old, his father, William Theophilus, moved their family to the Cape Colony in South Africa. Young Theophilus went to school at the mission stations where his father worked. There, he became very good at speaking the local languages of South Africa. This skill helped him a lot in his future career.

In 1835, during the Xhosa Wars, he worked as an interpreter for the governor, Sir Benjamin d'Urban. After the war, he stayed on the border as a clerk for the local tribes.

Shepstone's Time in Natal

In 1838, Shepstone was part of a group sent from the Cape Colony to take control of Port Natal for Britain. This group was later called back. In 1839, Shepstone was made the British representative for the Fengu people and other tribes in Kaffraria.

He stayed there until Britain officially took control of Natal. In 1845, Shepstone became the agent for the native tribes. Later, in 1848, he became the captain-general of the local forces. By 1855, he was a judge for native legal cases. In 1856, when the Natal government changed, Shepstone became the secretary for native affairs. He also joined the executive and legislative councils. He held this important job until 1877.

For over 30 years, Shepstone was in charge of how Natal dealt with its native people. He was a strong leader and had clear ideas. He gained a lot of respect from the local people, who called him "father old man." The Zulus also gave him the nickname "Somtseu," which means a famous black hunter.

Shepstone believed in letting tribal customs continue as long as they were fair and humane. He did not try to force the local people to change their way of life too quickly. Because of his policies, the people of Natal kept many of their traditions for a long time. While he was in charge, there was only one major uprising, known as the Langalibalele revolt in 1873. This happened when the government asked people to register their guns.

Shepstone's good relationship with the Zulus was very useful to the Natal government. In 1861, he visited the Zulu Kingdom and helped Mpande officially recognize Cetshwayo as his successor. Twelve years later, Shepstone was there when Cetshwayo was made king. Cetshwayo promised Shepstone that he would live peacefully with his neighbors. Shepstone also traveled to London in 1874 and 1876 to discuss matters about the colonies.

Taking Over the Transvaal

While in London in 1876, Shepstone was given a special task by the Earl of Carnarvon, who was in charge of the colonies. Shepstone was asked to talk with the leaders of the Transvaal Colony about joining the South African states together. He was also given the power to take over the Transvaal for Britain if he thought it was necessary. This decision would then need to be approved by the British government.

Shepstone arrived in Pretoria in January 1877. On April 12, he announced that Britain was now in charge of the Transvaal. Shepstone only had 25 men from the Natal Mounted Police with him. However, there was no open fight against the takeover. At that time, the Transvaal was in a very chaotic state, almost like anarchy.

Shepstone wrote to the British government, saying that only taking over the state could save it. He also believed it was the only way to save all of South Africa from terrible problems. He felt that many smart people in the Transvaal were thankful to be freed from the small groups causing trouble.

Some people later said that Shepstone acted too soon. However, he had reasons to believe that if Britain did nothing, Germany might try to take control of the Transvaal instead.

Shepstone had planned for the Boers (Dutch settlers) in the Transvaal to have self-government. If this plan had been followed, the First Boer War in 1880–81 might not have happened. Shepstone stayed in Pretoria as the administrator of the Transvaal until January 1879.

After this, he was called back to England to give advice about South African affairs. He returned to Natal in May 1879 and retired from public service in 1880. However, in 1883, he was asked to help put Cetshwayo back as king in Zululand.

Shepstone was also involved in church matters in Natal. Before the Langalibalele "rebellion," he was good friends with Bishop Colenso. However, their friendship ended when Colenso started to believe that Shepstone was having a bad influence on Zulu affairs. Shepstone also did not agree with Natal becoming self-governing. He passed away in Pietermaritzburg on June 23, 1893.

Some historians, like Jeff Guy, suggest that Shepstone might have helped create a plan to invade the Zulu kingdom. This was possibly to get more workers for the Natal colony and to improve relations with the Transvaal government.

Shepstone's Family

In 1833, Shepstone married Maria Palmer in Cape Town. They had six sons and three daughters. One of his sons was killed during the Battle of Isandlwana.

Several of his other sons also held important positions:

• H. C. Shepstone (born 1840) was the secretary for native affairs in Natal from 1884 to 1893.
• Theophilus Shepstone was an adviser to the Swazi people from 1887 to 1891.
• A. J. Shepstone (born 1852) served in various expeditions involving native tribes. He was an assistant-commissioner in Zululand and served in the South African War (1899–1902). In 1909, he became secretary for native affairs in Natal.

Sir Theophilus's younger brother, John Wesley Shepstone (born 1827), also held many different jobs in Natal related to native affairs between 1846 and 1896.

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  Theophilus Shepstone