Testimony of the Rev. Samuel Jacobus Brander, the Rev. Joshua Mphothleng Mphela, and Stephen Nguato of the Ethiopian Catholic Church in Zion, before the South African Native Affairs Commission October 4, 1904
[Extracts] (Published in Minutes of Evidence, South African Native Affairs Commission, 1903-1905)

40.782. Chairman.] Who do you represent? --Brander: I represent the Ethiopian Catholic Church in Zion.

40.783. What is that? - It is an organisation, which we have commenced lately since we resigned from the A.M.E. Church.

40.784. Where is it situated? -- In Pretoria.

40.785. Is this the first centre of it? - Yes.

40.786. Are you the head of it? - Yes.

40.787. What were you belonging to before? - To the A.M.E. Church.

40.788. And before that? - We belonged to the Church of England before we joined the A.M.E. Church.

40.789. Why did you leave that Church and start one of your own? -- When we found that we could not get ahead, Makone and myself came together to raise the Church of Ethiopia, and later on we joined the A.M.E. Church of America, because we found at that time that it would go better if we joined the American Church, as they had education and other things better than we had. We considered that it would be better for us to join them, so that they could help us, being coloured people themselves.

40.790. What nation are you? -- My father is Mokhatla of this country, but I was born in the Cape Colony.

40.791. And Mphela? - He is of the Bapedi, Transvaal.

40.792. And the other man? - That is Nguato, from British Bechuanaland.

40.793. What are your aims and objects in this new Church of yours? -- Our aims and objects are to teach our people the Gospel, and later on, when we are strong enough to erect schools as industrial colleges, to educate our people in the Transvaal.

40.794. Have you many people who follow you? -- I have got a lot of branches; I have got over 600 people who are following me; that is, since May.

40.795. Were you ordained in the English Church? -- I was ordained as deacon in the English Church.

40.796. Did they withdraw that office from you? -- No.

40.797. In coming here today, I suppose there is something particular that you wish to say? -- There is something that I would like to say. That is about education and our schools. We are very weak, and we have not got the money, and our people are still in darkness, and we want aid from the Government to help us with the schools. That is our great disappointment, which we wish to speak about. I made an application last year while I was in the A.M.E. Church for a grant in aid for the Ethiopian school, which was refused to me by one who said that the Ethiopian Church was not recognised as yet by the present Government. So we have to wait until such a time comes, when we can bring up all our complaints and what we want from the Government. That is all we can say: we want the Government to help us.

40.798. Were those 600 children, or people of whom you spoke, not afforded the opportunity to get education under other missions before you gathered them to yourself? -- They were all in the A.M.E. Church with me; those people have all followed me from that Church.

40.799. Have you done much damage to the Ethiopian Church in taking them with you? -- I cannot tell; I have not heard of any.

40.800. Is that the only thing you wished to say? -- That is the only thing I wished to say.

40.801. Mr. Sloley.] What is the object of your people in desiring this education? -- It is because our people cannot come up to a proper standard, or come up to the white people, and do what they want; and education is the only thing we find that will bring us up to a standard like that.

40.802. Can you explain it more fully; do you mean it will improve their chances of getting wages and property, or what? -- The first thing is that they would be allowed to buy farms outside for themselves, and to erect schools on them, whereon they could be taught industrial work. I think that would help them a great deal. That is the only thing that can make our people not lay in the kraals; and, while they lay there, there is nothing to make them work. The Chiefs sit with them there, and only make Kafir beer, and now and again send their people out to work to get money for the taxes. When they can be taught how to work in the industrial schools, and are brought up to a higher standard, that will be a good thing. Then, with regard to the wages, the wages are only for the town Natives. For those who are living in the locations the wages are very small. And we have a lot of taxes to pay, after which we find our people cannot afford to pay for schools, or anything. That is an application that has been made already by the people here to the Municipality, and I do not think that I can bring up anything of that.

40.803. Where were you yourself educated? -- I was educated in the Colony, in the mission schools, and then, later on, I was with Archdeacon Gaul, who is now Bishop of Mashonaland.

40.804. You were educated at Zonne-bloem? -- No, at Lovedale.

40.805. Mr. Krogh.] Why did you leave the English Church? -- We came together in a meeting that we called, and said, "Let us go and teach our own people by ourselves." That was all.

40.806. How far do you want to educate your people? -- We think, if the Government will help us, we would bring them up to matriculation, if we can.

40.807. The object, I take it, would be to bring them on an equality with the white man? -- Not at present, but for the future.

40.808. Mr. De la Harpe.] Have you many churches in the Transvaal belonging to your persuasion? -- I have them on a paper, but I cannot tell them out of my head.

40.809. You do not know how many members you have belonging to your Church? -- I have over 560, from here to Basutoland and British Bechuanaland.

40.810. Over 500 members? - Yes, those who have joined me since I started the organisation; it is only five months since I opened the Church here.

40.811. Is that only men, or men and women put together? -- That is men and women.

40.812. Are they increasing very fast? -- They are increasing.

40.813. How long is it since you actually commenced, since you were the head of the Church? -- Since May this year.

40.814. Captain Dickson.] What was your object in leaving the A.M.E. Church and starting a Church of your own? --We left on account of the promises they gave us when we joined them not being kept. They promised that they would give us a school from
America
at their own expense, with teachers and all, and this they did not do. It is now six years since we were united with them, and all those promises they failed to keep. We had to support our schools and everything here ourselves, and at the same time collect our yearly income, and also take collections for Easter Day, contingent moneys, and all that money had to be forwarded to America. When we asked for help when we were in debt, or anything, they refused to help us. I did that three times, when the Church was in danger of debt; three times I sent an application to
America
for them to help us, and they said they could not help us, at the same time saying we had to forward all our moneys to them. So I said it was no good for us, they would not help us from
America
, and it would be better for me to stay in Africa and help my people. That is my reason.

40.815. During the six years you were a minister of the American Church, did you receive any grants from
America
at all? -- Not one.

40.816. Was there any political teaching in the Church during the six years you were a member of it? -- Not to my knowledge.

40.817. Have you in the Church that you have just lately started no white supervision whatever? -- No.

40.818. What is your object in starting a Church independent of the white man and of white control; seeing that your first attempt at that was a failure, what is the reason that you made a second attempt? -- We have not seen that we have become a failure as yet.

40.819. Did you not say you made a mistake by joining the A.M.E. Church? -- In joining the American Church we thought that, as they were our own colour, they would help us up, but we found they helped us down, and they took all the best positions without telling us a word, sending men from America, and putting them into those positions, and taking us away, without giving us any notice.

40.850. What was the original object of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in coming out from
America
? -- We called them out here.

40.851. You called them out? - We called them out. Makone, who was with me, was a man who had a young lady from here. She went to
America
with a choir and when she was there she met the church and sent a letter to him. After she had sent the letter to him he brought that letter to the meeting, and the meeting found it good to ask those people if we could unite with them, and if they could give us help, and the answer came, "Yes, with the greatest pleasure."

40.852. Your motto and the motto of the A.M.E. Church is "Africa for the Africans"? -- Yes, "Africa for all nations."

40.853. Like the motto for the Afrikander was "Africa for the Afrikanders"? -- Yes.

40.854. And you are working on those lines; that is to say "Africa for the Africans"? -- Yes, on the lines "Africa for the Africans," besides the others. I will give you a little explanation of what I mean. We were united to the Americans because we thought they would help us, but they cheated us. They told us, "Look here; we will show you and teach you and bring you equal in education with the whites, so they will recognise you through the education which we will give you." And they did not give it to us.

40.855. Do you think it would be a good thing for you Native races to run side by side with the white races in everything, just like the two rails of a railway line? -- Not at present, but in the future I think so.

40.856. When? -- In years to come; it may be after 50 years.

40.857. Do you not think it will be better for you to keep always separate like the two rails on a railway line, so that you will not come into conflict, and perhaps into ill feeling with one another, and so get into trouble with each other in some way?-- No; I think when we are educated we can be united and we can be one with the white all over, and I think we will have peace later on.

40.858. You think at the same time you should all have the same right to the franchise, the same political rights and the same social rights? -- Yes, when our people are educated to such a standard.

40.859. And you would also like in time by constitutional methods, that is by lawful measures, to get yourselves into the control and management of public affairs in the Government as you have done in the church? -- Yes, I should think so.

40.860. Mr. Thompson.] And where would you end; would you like the races to amalgamate? -- Yes.

40.861. Would you like the white man to marry the Native woman? -- I should think so.

40.862. And the Native man to marry the white woman? -- I should think so.

40.863. Mr. Stanford. ] Did you quite understand that question about getting ultimate political control into your hands; do you mean that you want to govern the white people of this country? -- No, it is not so. While we live together?

40.864. That is what you said? -- While we live together it would not be for us to govern the white people, but to be with them. We are under the whites, and I do not think we would ever come up to a standard like them to govern the white people.

40.865. You recognise that the white man must always govern in this country? -- I recognise it in that way.

40.866. What is it then you desire: religious freedom? -- Yes, religious freedom.

40.867. Do you in your church preach loyalty to the Government and obedience to the white man? -- Yes.

40.868. Captain Dickson.] Do you not look forward to the day when you will be capable of governing yourselves, both whites and blacks? -- No, I do not think so; when I look into that I do not think so at all. I think we can be pleased if we are educated so far that the Government can recognise us so that we can become members of Municipalities or anything like that. I think that would do for us. The white people would be with us and have supervision over us, and when we are in the meetings we could advise for our people and speak for them. I think that would do for us.

40.869. Chairman.] That is all you wish to say? -- Yes.

Source:

Karis, T & Carter G. M. (1972). From Protest to Challenge: A Documentary History of African Politics in South Africa, 1882-1964, Volume 1: Protest and Hope, 1882-1934. Stanford University: Hanover Press.

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