The Observer (Cape newspaper)

The Observer of South African Affairs was a Port Elizabeth based newspaper of the Cape Colony, that was published from 6 July 1876.

The Observer, together with the Grahamstown Journal of Robert Godlonton, championed the reactionary 1820 Settler lobby in pushing for expansionist policies against the neighbouring Xhosa people.

The Observer ran a series of satirical cartoons, starting with its first edition on 6 July 1876.

After the 27 June 1878 edition, the resident cartoonist, Charles J Barber, moved to the rival Port Elizabeth publication, The Cape Hornet and was replaced by William Howard Schröder who had just moved from the Lantern newspaper of Cape Town.

The cartoons attacked both the neighbouring Xhosa people, and the liberal Cape government which was restricting the settlers' expansion into Xhosa land.