Today in Kimberley's History
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Elizabeth Plaatje dies - 1942
Sol Plaatje and Isaiah Bud-M'Belle stayed in the Malay Camp, sharing a house in this multiracial and vibrant suburb of Kimberley that was demolished during the apartheid era. It was here that Plaatje met his wife-to-be, Elizabeth (Lilith) Nomthetho M’Belle, the younger sister of Isaiah in 1897. Elizabeth (born in 1877) was a few months younger than Plaatje, and had been educated at the Lesseyton Girls School, receiving an education better than he, according to Plaatje.
They had met when she was visiting her brother Isaiah in Kimberley, she being a teacher at a mission school in Steynsburg at the time.
They soon started courting and despite the objections of many – Plaatje was Motswana and Elizabeth was Mfengu – they were married on 25 January 1898 by civil licence. The marriage ceremony that followed was officiated by the Reverend Davidson Msikinya, the Congregational minister who took over after Reverend Gwayi Tyamzashe’s death in 1896.
Plaatje himself wrote of the “problem” of their courtship and marriage:
“My people resented the idea of my marrying a girl who spoke a language which had clicks in it; while her people likewise abominated the idea of giving their daughter in marriage to a fellow who spoke a language so imperfect as to be without and clicks.” He called their courtship “rocky” because of both families disapproval.
Being able to communicate in seven languages Plaatje was employed that same year – 1898 – in Mafeking (now Mahikeng) as the court interpreter and clerk for Charles Bell, the resident magistrate (Civil Commissioner) in that far-flung border town some 400 kilometres from Kimberley.
In November 1898, a month after moving to Mafeking, their first child was born – Frederick York St Leger Plaatje (Sainty) being named after a well-known journalist and the proprietor of the Diamond Fields Advertiser in Kimberley. By 1910 another five children were born, Richard, Olive (after Olive Schreiner), Violet, Johannes Gutenberg (after the famous pioneer printer), and Halley, after the comet that passed by in 1910.
Elizabeth and the one year old Sainty had left Mafeking in August on a visit to Kimberley and her parents' home in Burghersdorp, and had not returned when the Anglo-Boer War and subsequent siege of Mafeking commenced. This, although making Plaatje's life extremely lonely in the extreme, was probably a blessing in disguise as the life in the besieged town became quite intolerable as it wore on with constant death from lack of food as well as from Boer shells and bullets.
Plaatje did a tremendous amount of travelling to Britain, Europe and North America over the next thirteen or so years after 1910, but their marriage remained a loving one.
When Plaatje finally arrived back to stay in Kimberley during December 1923, he found that his wife and family were living at 32 Angel Street, the home of Isaiah Bud-Mbelle. During his absence times had been tough and Elizabeth had sold their Shannon Street house just to survive. His printing press too, had been sold and whatever chances he now had of re-launching Tsala ea Batho had been extinguished. Likewise his Brotherhood movement had suffered financially and he no longer had control of the association. He was at this time extremely bitter towards the African National Congress as they had failed to support not just himself while overseas on both his trips, but also his family in Kimberley despite some personal promises, and all the while he was campaigning for blacks under the African National Congress auspices. (The SANNC had been re-named the ANC in 1923).
In June of 1932 Plaatje went on his last trip – to Johannesburg to arrange the publishing of more of his works. Staying with a family relative in Pimville, Moroa Smouse, he again caught influenza which then developed into double pneumonia and Elizabeth was urgently called from Kimberley to be with him.
She arrived on a cold winter's morning just in time to see him – he died later that afternoon of 19 June 1932 aged 55 years.
Affectionately known as “Ma Sainty”, Elizabeth stayed at 32 Angel Street Kimberley after Sol’s death, and it was at that house that she died two days after Christmas in 1942, having outlived him by ten years. She was buried next to her husband in the West End cemetery.
(Text courtesy ion the FaceBook page Kimberley Calls... and Recalls)
Sol Plaatje and Isaiah Bud-M'Belle stayed in the Malay Camp, sharing a house in this multiracial and vibrant suburb of Kimberley that was demolished during the apartheid era. It was here that Plaatje met his wife-to-be, Elizabeth (Lilith) Nomthetho M’Belle, the younger sister of Isaiah in 1897. Elizabeth (born in 1877) was a few months younger than Plaatje, and had been educated at the Lesseyton Girls School, receiving an education better than he, according to Plaatje.
They had met when she was visiting her brother Isaiah in Kimberley, she being a teacher at a mission school in Steynsburg at the time.
They soon started courting and despite the objections of many – Plaatje was Motswana and Elizabeth was Mfengu – they were married on 25 January 1898 by civil licence. The marriage ceremony that followed was officiated by the Reverend Davidson Msikinya, the Congregational minister who took over after Reverend Gwayi Tyamzashe’s death in 1896.
Plaatje himself wrote of the “problem” of their courtship and marriage:
“My people resented the idea of my marrying a girl who spoke a language which had clicks in it; while her people likewise abominated the idea of giving their daughter in marriage to a fellow who spoke a language so imperfect as to be without and clicks.” He called their courtship “rocky” because of both families disapproval.
Being able to communicate in seven languages Plaatje was employed that same year – 1898 – in Mafeking (now Mahikeng) as the court interpreter and clerk for Charles Bell, the resident magistrate (Civil Commissioner) in that far-flung border town some 400 kilometres from Kimberley.
In November 1898, a month after moving to Mafeking, their first child was born – Frederick York St Leger Plaatje (Sainty) being named after a well-known journalist and the proprietor of the Diamond Fields Advertiser in Kimberley. By 1910 another five children were born, Richard, Olive (after Olive Schreiner), Violet, Johannes Gutenberg (after the famous pioneer printer), and Halley, after the comet that passed by in 1910.
Elizabeth and the one year old Sainty had left Mafeking in August on a visit to Kimberley and her parents' home in Burghersdorp, and had not returned when the Anglo-Boer War and subsequent siege of Mafeking commenced. This, although making Plaatje's life extremely lonely in the extreme, was probably a blessing in disguise as the life in the besieged town became quite intolerable as it wore on with constant death from lack of food as well as from Boer shells and bullets.
Plaatje did a tremendous amount of travelling to Britain, Europe and North America over the next thirteen or so years after 1910, but their marriage remained a loving one.
When Plaatje finally arrived back to stay in Kimberley during December 1923, he found that his wife and family were living at 32 Angel Street, the home of Isaiah Bud-Mbelle. During his absence times had been tough and Elizabeth had sold their Shannon Street house just to survive. His printing press too, had been sold and whatever chances he now had of re-launching Tsala ea Batho had been extinguished. Likewise his Brotherhood movement had suffered financially and he no longer had control of the association. He was at this time extremely bitter towards the African National Congress as they had failed to support not just himself while overseas on both his trips, but also his family in Kimberley despite some personal promises, and all the while he was campaigning for blacks under the African National Congress auspices. (The SANNC had been re-named the ANC in 1923).
In June of 1932 Plaatje went on his last trip – to Johannesburg to arrange the publishing of more of his works. Staying with a family relative in Pimville, Moroa Smouse, he again caught influenza which then developed into double pneumonia and Elizabeth was urgently called from Kimberley to be with him.
She arrived on a cold winter's morning just in time to see him – he died later that afternoon of 19 June 1932 aged 55 years.
Affectionately known as “Ma Sainty”, Elizabeth stayed at 32 Angel Street Kimberley after Sol’s death, and it was at that house that she died two days after Christmas in 1942, having outlived him by ten years. She was buried next to her husband in the West End cemetery.
(Text courtesy ion the FaceBook page Kimberley Calls... and Recalls)
Elizabeth Plaajte, Richard Plaatje at his father's grave, Isaiah Mbelle with his wife and daughters. (Photo Public Domain)
73 days since beginning of the Siege of Kimberley, 1899
Extract from "The Diary of a Doctor's Wife – During the Siege of Kimberley October 1899 to February 1900" by Winifred Heberden.
Gun-fire heard again, but at a very great distance. Jack is not well, but he is busy arranging for the removal of the Mounted Camp to a site beyond the Sanatorium, the present position being no longer healthy.
We shall miss the troops riding daily past our hotel, particularly Reggie, who enjoys all military parades. Major McGregor was extremely amused the other day to see Reggie standing stiffly to attention on the pavement outside our hotel as he rode by with his Troops - so suddenly gave the Command: 'Eyes - Right!' - a compliment that delighted Reggie, even if he was not old enough to fully appreciate the honour implied.
Typhoid daily on the increase
Extract from "The Diary of a Doctor's Wife – During the Siege of Kimberley October 1899 to February 1900" by Winifred Heberden.
Gun-fire heard again, but at a very great distance. Jack is not well, but he is busy arranging for the removal of the Mounted Camp to a site beyond the Sanatorium, the present position being no longer healthy.
We shall miss the troops riding daily past our hotel, particularly Reggie, who enjoys all military parades. Major McGregor was extremely amused the other day to see Reggie standing stiffly to attention on the pavement outside our hotel as he rode by with his Troops - so suddenly gave the Command: 'Eyes - Right!' - a compliment that delighted Reggie, even if he was not old enough to fully appreciate the honour implied.
Typhoid daily on the increase