Ethnic Conflict

          In South Africa the Zulus and Xhosa tribes have had a rivalry spanning over centuries. The rivalry has costed many lives. However, the rivalry stems not from prehistoric times but from white colonialism during which both tribes were already facing difficulties internally. The Zulus and Xhosa conflict stem from apartheid predecessors who created unfair political and economic systems which exacerbated ethnic rivalries.  

          Zulu translated into English means “people of the sky”, and originally refers to the Zulu clan. In his article, “The Political Origins of Zulu Violence during the 1994 Democratic Transition of South Africa” Jungug Choi writes about the Zulus past and present. The Zulu Clan originated in 1670, and the Zulu nation originated in the 1780’s. However, the legality of the Zulu nation came into question with the surrounding of their blood history, making a sense of community difficult to establish. With the military defeat in 1879 by Shaka’s nephew, Cetshwayo, the sovereignty of the Zulu nation ended. Only being independent for 60 years, the Zulu Nation failed to obtain a sense of national identity. During the British invasion in 1879, the British identified a group as Zulu, but it was unclear if the Zulus identified themselves as a sperate ethnic group or if they were a part of the political entity of the Zulu kingdom. Today, Zulus sometimes refer to those who speak the Zulu language at home. There are three sub-divisions of Nguni-speaking people the Xhosas, Swazis, and the Zulu speaking people. Although the Xhosa and Zulu languages are different, they are mutually understandable. Choi goes on by saying that the Zulu area was colonized after other contemporary South African areas and became part of the modern economy with the British invasion. With such a short time of culture colonization by the West, Zulus were able to maintain much of its traditions and everyday activity. Zulu nationalism is centered around war, conquest, and the Zulus as fierce warriors. They take great pride in their past conquests of surrounding areas, where it is said they have victimized more than a million people. The nation allows political activist to employ violence to overcome obstacles but also legitimizes violent actions. Their violent nationalistic history in the past is a representation of how Zulu elites understand their political circumstances in the present (Choi 45). 

          Xhosa translated into English means “Red Blanket People” and is a generalization of different Proud clans, the Domvana, Thembu, and Xhosa. In their article, “Xhosa” Krugerpark talks about the people of the Xhosa tribe. Xhosa were one of the first early groups of the Nguni immigrants to migrate to South Africa. Later, a second group of Nguni-speakers those whose tribes were driven out of Zululand by the Zulu king, joined the original tribe. The early immigrants became the pillar of the Xhosa nation, they become the second largest groups of Black Africans in Africa and the only tribe that never were defeated or enslaves by another tribe. The Xhosa tribe have inhabited the area around the Eastern Cape since 1593. The senior chief did not have enough military power to create a larger centralized state. When the British came, they created a treaty-state system in hope of preventing military invention. Treaties of friendship tied Independent African states to Britain, although the treaty state-system was short lived and soon war broke out between White settlers and the Xhosa tribes. Even after the British were defeated, they still annexed the Keiskamma territory which would act as a catalyst for a civil war between the Gcaleka and the Xhosa chief and the Mfengu tribe. In 1880, the Xhosa resistance fell and was brought under colonial rule. They have been assimilated into Western culture while also maintaining their own traditions and culture. During the Apartheid years, the Xhosa were still trying to obtain independence which finally was achieved when the Government of National Unity was created under Nelson Mandela (Krugerpark 1).

          South Africa is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, without one dominant language. In his article, “Violence in South Africa—Clash Seen Rooted in Political Goals, Not Ancient Rivalry”, Scott Kraft outlines shared conflict between Zulus and Xhosas. The conflict between the Zulus and Xhosas do not stem from tribal nationalism but the white oppression that has exacerbated their political and economic differences. A historian at the University of Cape Town, Patrick Harris, states that “These are not prehistoric or preordained enmities… they are very much modern conflicts over wealth and overpower”. The direct ancestors of black South Africans today arrived over 2,000 years ago and comprised mainly of Nguni, Xhosa, and Swazi people. Modern day fighting has occurred between the Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party led by Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi the Zulu Chief and the African National Congress led by Nelson Mandela. Buthelezi is a direct descendant of Shaka. Due to the ANC’s guerrilla war against Pretoria, Buthelezi left the ANC during the 1970’s and formed Inkatha. Kraft continues and states that there are around 1.8 million Inkatha members and recently it has come to include all South Africans. Mandela is a Xhosa and many other ANC leaders are Xhosa, but it also has supporters who are Zulu. Previously the ANC was led by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Chief Albert Lutuli. ANC and Inkatha leaders deny that current troubles in the surrounding towns near Johannesburg is rooted in Xhosa-Zulu animosity. Zwelithini states that “We have never declared war on each other, not in the past and not even now…Our people are victims of the misguided political ambitions of some of our subjects”.  Political ambition has led to tension between the two. Inkatha claims that the ANC undermines them while the ANC claims that Zulu nationalism is causing anger because it fears losing political power. However, both blamed a white led government for exacerbating ethnic rivalries. 

With the opening if Africa’s gold mines come the first attempt at black unity. Africans’ population in mines and cities increased while village life decreased. This shift in living scared British colonialists. The British War Office warned the public that a collapse of black societies would be the greatest threat to white societies. During the 1960s and 1970s the Afrikaner government began to prop up black tribal leaders which created  “homelands” that were black self-governing. Many blacks were allowed to work in white cities, during which they lived in satellite townships. However, the law still recognized them as homeland residents, and thousands were arrested and forced to return. The homelands system created further ethnic rivalries by forcing Africans to live on remote lands (Kraft 1). 

          In his article, “Divided by the word” J.S. Arndt discusses the conditions of South Africa post-apartheid and identity politics. As the apartheid regime came to an end in the 1990’s, a civil war broke out in the town of Witwatersrand. 3,000 people were killed, and thousands injured. Although the violence had many causes many of the combatants believed it was a Zulu-Xhosa conflict. Between 1990 and 1994 violence continued but did not deter the transition process. After its creation, post-apartheid South Africa goal was to create a unified nation. The practical and symbolic initiatives were put into place with the aim to bridge the racial divide that colonial and apartheid predecessors created. A main problem of the initiatives is that they never addressed the language based ethnic divisions. This was a major problem because language based ethnic divisions accounted for political, legal, and linguistic trouble during the apartheid. Without critical engagement it is difficult to understand how language impacts power and identity politics post-apartheid (Arndt 1).

         The rivalry between the Zulus and Xhosa is a tense one that has continued through centuries. White colonialism and the apartheid created political and economic systems that mainly benefited them. Post-apartheid both tribes still struggled for independence. The Zulus and Xhosa tribes are quite similar when taking a closer look, but unfair systems took advantage of their differences and created unneeded conflict among the two tribes. 

Bibliography

Arndt, J. S. (n.d.). Divided by the word. Africa Is a Country. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://africasacountry.com/2022/07/divided-by-the-word 

Choi, Jungug. “The Political Origins of Zulu Violence during the 1994 Democratic Transition of  South Africa.” Journal of International and Area Studies, vol. 15, no. 2, 2008, pp. 41–54. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43107173. Accessed 12 Feb. 2023.

Kraft, S. (n.d.). The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19900907&slug=1091894 

Xhosa. Xhosa - Red Blanket People - Tribe, South Africa. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2023, from https://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_xhosa.html