King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Botha Sigcau (died 1 December 1978) was a King in Eastern

Pondoland Pondoland or Mpondoland (Xhosa: ''EmaMpondweni''), is a natural region on the South African shores of the Indian Ocean. It is located in the coastal belt of the Eastern Cape province. Its territory is the former Mpondo Kingdom of the Mpondo peopl ...

Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ban ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

(1939–1976) and later the figurehead

President of Transkei This article lists the leaders of the TBVC states, the four Bantustans which were declared nominally independent by the government of the Republic of South Africa during the period of apartheid, which lasted from 1948 to 1994. Their independen ...

from 1976 to 1978. A graduate of

University of Fort Hare The University of Fort Hare is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was a key institution of higher education for Africans from 1916 to 1959 when it offered a Western-style academic education to students from across sub ...

, Sigcau was an early supporter of the Bantu Authorities in Transkei and was rewarded by the South African government when he was appointed chairman of the Transkei Territorial Authority, the parliament before independence.

Political career

Botha Sigcau was a graduate of

. In 1939, the government gave Botha Sigcau the chieftaincy over his half-brother, Nelson Sigcau, who the

Mpondo The Mpondo People or simply AmaMpondo, is one of the kingdoms in what is now the Eastern Cape.Mpondo people

felt was their rightful heir.Mbeki, G. “The Peasants Revolt” Online. Accessed 12 November.
/ref> Botha Sigcau was favoured by the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

government because they could pay him a large salary in exchange for control of the Transkei. When the

was formed in 1976, Botha Sigcau was appointed the first President of

in Eastern

Kaiser Matanzima King Kaiser Daliwonga Mathanzima, misspelled Matanzima (15 June 1915 – 15 June 2003), was the long-term leader of Transkei. In 1950, when South Africa was offered to establish the Bantu Authorities Act, Matanzima convinced the Bunga to accep ...

was his elected deputy. The area was granted self-governance under the apartheid regime. The area was known as the Republic of Transkei and it was a

Bantustan A Bantustan (also known as Bantu homeland, black homeland, black state or simply homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party administration of South Africa set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa (now N ...

, an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity. Botha Sigcau was instrumental in writing the constitution of the

. There was popular opposition to Botha Sigcau's chieftaincy because he lacked legitimacy according to Pondo custom. Opposition also arose because Sigcau openly supported the Bantu Authorities and the National Party. There was also widespread corruption in the government appointed tribal courts of Eastern Pondoland, which Botha Sigcau ruled over. In 1958, all the Pondoland districts were invited to send representatives to a large gathering called by the Minister of Bantu Administration and Development Michel Daniel Christiaan de Wet Nel, and Botha Sigcau. In this meeting, both Nel and Sigcau promised to grant Pondo chiefs seats in local government as councillors but, in practice, Sigcau selected councillors from his own friends and supporters. Dissent over Botha Sigcau’s leadership as president and chief came to its height during the 1960s Mpondo Revolt. A popular movement of resistance arose among the people, and although meetings were illegal, they were held just the same and attended by thousands of people, who came on foot and on horseback to chosen spots on the mountains and ridges. The demands of the people were: the withdrawal of the Bantu Authorities and Bantu Education Acts; representation in the Republic’s parliament; relief from the increased taxes and passes which hampered free movement; and the removal of Paramount Chief Botha Sigcau. The Pondos discovered that news of their meetings was reaching the magistrate. Drastic action was taken against these informers; huts were burnt down, and many of them were forced to flee from the area. On June 6, a massacre occurred when people met to discuss their complaints. Two aircraft and a helicopter dropped tear-gas and smoke bombs on the crowd, and police vehicles approached from two directions. Although it was a peaceful gathering, 11 people died and 23 were arrested after the meeting on a charge of ‘fighting’, and of these 19 were convicted and sentenced. It is reported that Sigcau fired the first shot from the helicopter On 1 December 1978, Botha Sigcau died of a heart attack in

Umtata Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzi ...

Family

King Botha Manzolwandle Sigcau's daughter, Princess Stella Sigcau, was the senior member of amaMpondo Royal family, was the leader of the

Transkei National Independence Party The Transkei National Independence Party (TNIP) was a political party in the nominally independent South African homeland of Transkei. It was founded by the Matanzima brothers, Kaiser and George. The party advocated cooperation with the South Afr ...

, the first female

Prime Minister of Transkei This article lists the leaders of the TBVC states, the four Bantustans which were declared nominally independent by the government of the Republic of South Africa during the period of apartheid, which lasted from 1948 to 1994. Their independenc ...

in 1987, appointed in different portfolios after 1994 national elections as a Minister of Public Enterprise from 1994 to 1999, Minister of Public Works from 1999 to 2006 . King Mpondombini Thandizulu Sigcau was the eldest son of King Botha Manzolwandle Jongilizwe Sigcau who succeeded him as a King of amaMpondo in 1978. King Botha Manzolwandle's youngest son was

Nkosi Ntsikayezwe Sigcau Nkosi Ntsikayezwe Twenty-man Sigcau (1947–1996) was a traditional leader of Lwandlolubomvu Traditional Council. He was the youngest son of King Botha Sigcau and brother to Princess Stella Sigcau, and his elder brother King Mpondombini Sigcau. ...

who was a traditional leader of Lwandlolubomvu Traditional Council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sigcau, Botha Year of birth missing 1978 deaths People from the Eastern Cape Xhosa people Presidents of Transkei Prime Ministers of Transkei Transkei National Independence Party politicians University of Fort Hare alumni