Eastern Cape Separatist League

The smaller Eastern Province was dominated by the 1820 Settlers who overall advocated a more expansionist policy against the neighbouring independent Xhosa states, increased imperial control over the Cape Colony, and a more closed, restrictive version of the Cape Qualified Franchise, to prevent the anticipated political mobilisation of the – as yet largely voteless – Xhosa majority of the Eastern Province.

Several “eastern” leaders such as Jacobus Sauer, Charles "Xolilizwe" Stretch and Andries Stockenstrom sided with the “liberal” west; while there were MPs such as Philip Stigant and John Thomas Eustace who formed a powerful conservative minority in the west) The resentment which inspired Eastern Province separatism originated as early as 1823, in the 1820 settlers’ demands for a greater military presence on the frontier.

[1] The Separatist movement in parliament gradually formed as a loose and informal alliance of settler representatives, who advocated for a separate colony for the Eastern Province.

The settler representatives felt that a separate colony, with its own parliament, would allow them to pursue their policies of a higher franchise qualification, expansion eastwards, and a greater Imperial military presence.

A more moderate faction was based in Port Elizabeth and its surrounding towns, where the English commercial elite was more concerned with infrastructure and the opening up of markets, than with the simple annexation of territory.

The separatists also faced opposition from the growing “responsible government” movement, which was based in the west and advocated greater independence for a united Cape.

The league had a rare moment of unity in 1857 when Robert Godlonton led all eastern members of the Legislative Council in resigning in protest.

The Eastern Province MPs, who constituted a large segment of the aforesaid businessmen, formally institutionalised the movement as the "Separatist League" later in 1860.

Here, their settler supporters were present in force, and Robert Godlonton's powerful influence on the press helped the League to dominate that year's parliament.

In order to curry support for the confederation plan, government agents were dispatched to the Cape; Froude arrived from London and mobilised the remaining separatists who were still politically active.

The opinion of the majority of southern Africans on the matter is difficult to gauge, and the political moves towards separation mostly took place within the stifled and regulated environment of the Cape Parliament.

At a rally in the eastern town of Uitenhage on 21 September 1875, John X. Merriman, the representative of the Cape government, complained of “imperial agitation” and accused the separatists of advocating economic systems that constituted slavery in disguise.

After he was pelted with buns and other food stuffs by Jock Paterson and his supporters, the event descended into fist-fights between pro and anti-separatist partisans.

[7][8][Note 2] The political descendants of the Separatist League eventually influenced the forming of the pro-imperialist ideologies of John Gordon Sprigg and Cecil Rhodes, and later the “Progressive Party” of Leander Starr Jameson.