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Episode 95 – Sunset for Somerset and Maqoma eyes guns and horses in 1825
We’re going to join one of the biweekly market gatherings held at Fort Willshire in 1825 where amaXhosa, English settlers, trekboers and khoekhoe met…
3 years, 5 months ago
Episode 94 – White and black ants in Botswana and Eastern Cape secession
Port Natal and Delagoa Bay are far away from Cape Town and appeared even further in the early 1820s. The Cape Governor was inevitably more concerned …
3 years, 5 months ago
Episode 93 –Shaka survives an assassination attempt and Farewell gets Port Natal
Shaka met Henry Francis Fynn and Lieutenant Francis George Farewell in August 1824 and the traders were seeking his permission to live and work at Po…
3 years, 5 months ago
Episode 92 – The monsters from the sea and a Robben Island convict advises Shaka
As years go, 1824 was one for the history books. Not that the others weren’t, but 1824 is a one of those seminal 12 months in southern Africa history…
3 years, 5 months ago
Episode 91 – An early history of Port Natal and its treacherous sand bar
It’s the steamy coast of south east Africa 1824, Port Natal to be exact.
It’s now called eThekweni from the Zulu word for port itheku, although som…
3 years, 5 months ago
Episode 90 – Slaves, Somerset and the SA Commercial Advertiser
This is episode 90 and it is 1823. The small coastal harbour town of Port Elizabeth had been founded but it still had no proper jetties, no lighthous…
3 years, 6 months ago
Episode 89 – Shaka’s mojo and the debate about the Mfecane
This is episode 89 and it’s the first years of the 1820s and we are still in Zululand. By now Shaka began concentrating his power in the area around …
3 years, 6 months ago
Episode 88 – Somerset’s printing press paranoia and Shaka’s Inkatha power
This is episode 88 it’s the period of 1821/1822 heading into a decade of disaster, drought, despondence and disorder.
As we heard last episode, the …
3 years, 6 months ago
Episode 87 – San poison, the world in 1821 and an MP “hectic spectacle"
This is episode 87 and it’s time to talk a bit about the terrifying power of San poison and then a quick revisit to the frontier of 1822 which of cou…
3 years, 6 months ago
Episode 86– Somerset vs Donkin and dueling missions
This is episode 86 and we left off with things heating up along the Orange River after hearing about the arrival of the 1820 Settlers and back in Cap…
3 years, 7 months ago