" i: NATIVES UF NATAL IN RELATION Td THE LAND. 2}^"/ 



Zululand. along the boundary river — the Tugela — original Natal 

 of which we are now speaking is free from malarial fever. 



We must now giA'e a few words to the topography of Zulu- 

 land. The sugar belt extends all along the coast as it does in 

 Natal. It is continuous from the Tugela to near the railway 

 terminus at Somkele. As we go northward the climate becomes 

 appreciably more tropical and more favourable to sugar-cane 

 cultivation. The great chain of the Drakensberg — so con- 

 spicuous a feature in Natal proper — lies away to the west df the 

 present Zululand boundary, and the high land of Zululand consists 

 mostly of limited areas lying between the deep river valleys. 

 There are no such large areas of high healthy ground as are 

 present south of the Tugela. For some distance north of the 

 present limit of sugar cultivation there is an area of very fertile 

 land most suitable for this culture, but beyond this again is the 

 sandy waste of Maputaland, of little economic value, and danger- 

 ously malarial. The river valleys of Zululand are similiar in 

 appearance and character to those of Natal, but inferior as the 

 homes of humankind in that they are subject to malaria. 



Such, in brief, are the natural features of Natal and Zulu- 

 land, the home oif 100,000 Europeans, 150,000 Asiatics, and 

 1,000,000 Bantu — of this large number of natives, only some 

 265,812 live in the native locations of Natal proper. These 

 locations in total extent cover 2,259,904 acres. They 

 are held in trust by Government for the exclusive use of the 

 native people. They are mostly situated in the central and 

 southern portion of the Colony ; there are none in the northern 

 divisions of Klip River and Newcastle. As a rule they occupy 

 the river valleys previously described, the greater area being 

 situated in the lower courses of these streams. One of the 

 largest, the Mpofane, is in the higher Thorn Valleys. A few, 

 such as the Impendhle, are situated in the high or grassy table- 

 lands. But on the wdiole the locations are in the most rugged 

 area and least fertile portion of Natal. The choicest and most 

 fertile parts of the Colony are in the possession and occupation 

 of Europeans. I may say that the term " location " is used 

 rather loosely in South Africa. In many parts it denotes a 

 portion of the outskirts of a tow'n set apart for exclusive native 

 occupation, but in Natal it is applied to areas of considerable size 

 right away in the country, with properly defined boundaries, in 

 which natives alone may live. The occupation is always com- 

 munal, the tribal system is upheld, and, except with the special 

 permission of the Government, no Europeans are allowed to 

 reside therein. 



Native life in these areas goes on much as it did in the days 

 of the fathers of the present population. For years there was 

 no white supervision. Now^ a few European supervisors have 

 been apjx)inted, wdio. however^ interfere very little with the life 

 of the people. The ravages of East Coast fever induced the 

 Government to take more interest in what was going on in these 



