Ansela who became Engela – turned herself from a slave into a slave owner
Ansela was a woman of remarkable determination. She arrived in Cape Town as a slave and, against all odds, remade herself as Engela Basson, a wealthy and influential freeburgher.
Ansela arrived in Cape Town from Bengal in 1657 with the returning VOC fleet and was sold to Jan van Riebeeck, the VOC commander. Nine years later in 1666 she was freed by her new owner, Abraham Gabemma, the deputy commander. The speed and terms of her manumission were exceptional. She gained her freedom in spite of her heelslag status (born the child of two slaves). Her three children were freed with her. And she was given a land grant in Table Valley, almost unthinkable for a freed slave woman.
In 1668 Ansela was baptised (as “Angila”) followed very soon by the baptism of her infant son, Pieter. The following year she married Arnoldus Willemz Basson (nicknamed “Jagt”), presumably the father of Pieter. Once more, Ansela overturned the rules: permission to marry a European man was legal only for halfslag women (those with one free European parent). Moreover, Basson accepted her children as his own, making all four of her Eurasian children legitimate.
By 1685 the couple had achieved respectability as property owners and the parents of a large family. The names Arnoldus Willemse and Ansela van Bengale plus eight children – the largest family in the Cape Town fort district – appear on the muster roll, the yearly VOC population register.[i]
By the time Willem Basson died in 1698, the family was wealthy. Ansela, his wife of nearly 30 years, signed the inventory of Basson’s goods with a cross. Her property included two farms in the Drakenstein valley, the lease of a large plot of farm and timber land in Table Valley; a house on Heeren Straat in Cape Town; 73 cattle; 260 sheep; and 4 slaves. [ii]
As matriarch of the prominent Basson family, Angela shook off the scandals of her clan: her own early profession as a liquor seller; the suicide of the young Khoikoi woman Zara on her property; the execution of her eldest son for the kidnap and murder of a slave boy; the imprisonment of her son-in-law for theft; and the banishment to Robben Island of her grandson for immoral acts.
Ansela lived with her sons and their families during her long widowhood, and continued to accrue property and influence. When she died in 1720, she had remade herself as the venerated “Moeder Jagt”. She left her children a fortune in land, slaves, jewels, fine furniture and oil paintings, including the only verified portrait of Jan van Riebeeck.
Ansela wat Engela geword het – het haarself van ‘n slaaf na ‘n slawe-eienaar verander
Ansela was ‘n vrou van merkwaardige vasberadenheid. Sy het as ‘n slaaf in Kaapstad arriveer en haarself, teen alle verwagtinge, hermaak as Engela Basson, ‘n welgestelde en invloedryke vryburger.
Ansela het in 1657 met die terugkerende VOC-vloot in Kaapstad uit Bengal arriveer en is aan Jan van Riebeeck, die VOC bevelvoerder,, verkoop. Nege jaar later, in 1666, is sy bevry deur haar nuwe eienaar, Abraham Gabemma, die adjunk-bevelvoerder. Die spoed en terme van haar vrylating van slawerny was buitengewoon. Sy het haar vryheid verkry ten spyte van haar heelslag status (gebore as die kind van twee slawe). Haar drie kinders is saam met haar bevry. Sy het ‘n grondtoelaag in Tafeldal gekry, amper ondenkbaar vir ‘n bevryde slavin.
Ansela is in 1668 gedoop (as “Angila”), vinnig gevolg deur die doop van haar baba- seun, Pieter. Die volgende jaar het het sy met Arnoldus Willemz Basson (bynaam “Jagt”) getrou, wat vermoedelik die vader van Pieter is. Weereens het Ansela die reëls omgekeer: toestemming om met ‘n Europese man te trou was slegs gegee aan halfslag vroue (dié met een vrye Europese ouer). Daarbenewens het Basson haar kinders as sy eie aanvaar, en het dus al vier van haar Eurasiese kinders wettig aangeneem.
Teen 1685 het die egpaar respek as eiendom-besitters en die ouers van ‘n groot familie behaal. Die name Arnoldus Willemse en Ansela van Bengsale plus agt kinders – die grootste gesin in die Kaapse fortdistrik – verskyn op die monsterrol, die jaarlikse VOC-bevolkingsregister.
Teen die tyd wat Willem Basson in 1698 oorlede is, was die familie ryk. Ansela, sy vrou van byna 30 jaar, het die voorraad van Basson se goedere met ‘n kruis geteken. Haar eiendom het twee plase in die Drakensteinvallei ingesluit, die huur van ‘n groot plot plaas en ‘n houtgrond in Tafeldal; ‘n huis op Heerenstraat in Kaapstad; 73 beeste; 260 skape; en 4 slawe.
As matriarg van die prominente Basson- familie, het Ansela die skandale van haar stam afgeskud: haar eie vroeë beroep as drankverkoper; die selfmood van die jong Khoikoi vrou, Zara, op haar eiendom; die teregstelling van haar oudste seun vir die ontvoering en moord van ‘n slawe seun; die gevangenisstraf van haar skoonseun vir diefstal; en die verbanning na Robbeneiland van haar kleinseun vir onsedelike dade.
Ansela het tydens haar lang weduweeskap saam met haar seuns en hul gesinne gewoon, en het steeds eiendom en invloed voortgebring. Toe sy in 1720 sterf, het sy haarself as die verenig “Moeder Jagt” herskep. Sy het aan haar kinders ‘n fortuin na gelaat in land, slawe, juwele, fun meubels en kunswerke, insluitend die enigste bevestigde portret van Jan Van Riebeeck.
UAnsela owaguqul’ ibhatyi wangu Engela – wamila butsha, washiy’ indawo ebukhobokeni, watsho wangumnikazi wamakhoboka naye.
uAnsela lo wayesakuba yintwazana enomonde ogqith’ ukuqonda. Wafika eKapa elikhoboka, kobobunzima wazimilisa butsha, negama lakhe latshintsha langu Engela Basson, isinhanha seengcungcu ezinefuthe.
UAnsela ufika eKapa ngomnyaka ka 1657, ephuma eBengali. Yimikhombe ephuma eBengali emtyekeze kweloKapa, apho athengwe yinkomanda ye VOC u Jan van Riebeek. Kwisithuba seminyaka elithoba, ngomnyaka we 1666, isekela-nkomanda lika Jan van Riebeek, u Abraham Gabemma, wambuyisela Ubuntu bakhe uAnsela kolo thimbo lobukhoboka. Ishwangusha lokuzalwa ngabazali abangamakhoboka bobabini, heelslag ngamanye amazwi, zange lubengumqobo endleleni eya enkululekweni ka Ansela. Nenzala yakhe engabantwana abathathu yalixhamla elichamu lenkululeko yakhe. UAnsela lo yintwazana ekwenzeka imihlola kuyo, izinto ezingathethekiyo emakhobokeni, ungabala kuzo: ukuthiwa jize kwakhe ngomhlaba e Table Valley (ngelasemzini).
UAnsela waaphehlelelwa ngo 1668, wanikwa igama elingu Angila, noPieter, usana lwakhe, waphehlelelwa kananjalo. Ngomyaka olandelayo, uAnsela wazimanya ngeqhina lomtshato no Arnoldus Willlemz Basson (owayekwa bizwa “Jagt” ngoxha bakhe). Elosoka likaAnsela lalithathwa njengoyise ka Pieter.
Uphinde wajik’ izinto uAnsela: njengenzalelwane yamakhoboka odwa uAnsela wayengenamvume yakuphehlelelwa, lungelo lamhlaba, nokuzimanya nomlungu; imithetho yelolixa yayigunyazisa abantu ababebizwa nge halfslag (abo banomzali noba mnye oyimbewu yase Europe) kuphela elocham lalixhamlwa nguAnsela. UBasson wamamnkela nabantwana bakhe abathathu Ansela; iimveku ezine ngo Pieter. Esosine esiyingxubevange yaseNtsona naseMphuma satsho sanelungelo elisemthethweni lokubanga ubuzwe.
Ngomnyaka we 1685 esisibini sasisesihlonitshwa njengoMastande bakanokutsho, bekwangabo nabazali bosapho oluvisayo ngenani labantwana. Amagama Arnoldus Willemse no Ansela van Bengale nabantwana abasibhozo – apho mfazi ebezale wophula uluthi ukwedlula kwinginqi yonke yenqaba ye Kapa – abonakala kuluhlu lwamagama obomi, ingqungquthela ibigcinwa minyaka le kwincwadi zobomi ze VOCi.
Lakulal’ umbeth’ itshoba ku Willem Basson, ngomnyaka 1698, usapho lwakhe lwalusele luzizinhanha ngobutyebi. UAnsela, umfazi ka Basson weminyaka engama 30, weyesenza uphawu lukangcxabalaza xa etyikitya egunyazisa uqoqosho lwa loo mphahla ka Basson iselungcinweni. Ubutyebi owabushiyelwa ngu Basson uAnsela babuquka: iifama ezimbini eDrakenstein valley, amagunya eziza ezinkulu zomhlaba (lease) Umhlaba oyifama, nomhlaba olihlathi elalikhiqiza ngemithi namaplanga e Table Valley (ngelasemzini); umzi oseKapa kwisitalato esibizwa Heeren, iinkomo ezili 73; iigusha ezingama 260; namakhoboka amaneii.
Ngengentsumpa ephetheyo kolosapho luqaqambileyo kubemi belo, wayeziva enyembelekile uAngela ukuba azihlambe kwinyala lomnombe (wamakhoboka) aphuma kuwo: azihlambe kukuzibalula kwakhe ngokuthengisa utywala; inyala lokuzixhoma kentwazana ye Khoi uZara, izixhomela kwakhe; ukugwetywa konyana wakhe omdala intambo ethyolwa ngokuthatha inkwenkwana yekhoboka ngetshova nangokuyibulala; ukuvalelwa komkhozi wakhe owayethyolwa ngobusela; nangokugxothwa komzukulwana wakhe emphakathini, eyokuvalelwa esiqithini kuba ethyolwa ngokwabelana ngesondo neentlanga ezigaqabaniyo nolwakhe uhlanga ngokwesimthethweni (immoral act) salomihla.
UAnsela uhleli noonyana bakhe neentsapho zabo kubomi bakhe obude bokuba ngumhlolokazi, uqhubekekile esongeza kubutyebi ebenabo. Uthe wakulandulela eli phakade uAnsela, wabe sezenzele igama elihloniphekileyo “Moeder Jagt” ngelasemzini. Abantwana bakhe wabashiyela ilifa lomhlaba, amakhoboka, izacholo zexabiso, ifenishala, imizobo ye oli, kuquka nomzobo ka Jan van Riebeek, ekukuphela kwawo onesiqinisekiso sobuso bale nkomanda.
