Zara van der Caab – tried and dishonoured after her suicide

Zara was a 24-year-old Khoikhoi woman who committed suicide. The VOC condemned her dead body to violent and unusual punishment, proof of their determination to punish any act of defiance, even one of self-destruction.

Zara was found dead by strangulation[i] in the home of the freed slave Ansela van Bengal on 18 December 1671. 

VOC officials described her as a “Hottentoo girl…. who had since her early childhood been respectably educated here by civilised burghers, carefully taught the Dutch language, and trained in burgher manners”.

A hastily convened court heard evidence from the VOC coroner of her death by suicide:

“The council having examined two persons namely Francois Champelaar, servant of Joris Jans, and Angela of Bengal, wife of Arnoldus Willems, who state that the said Hottentot was found hanging in her own gown band, fastened in the thatch overhead; and that on their first coming, they observed some motion in the veins of the neck, which induced said Champelaar to cut down the body in hopes that life was not extinct; but that, on the body falling to the ground, it was found that Satan had already taken possession of her brutal soul”.

Zara’s rejection of her “civilised” education and “burgher manners”, by the strongest form of protest available to her, outraged VOC officials. They ordered her corpse to be dragged by a donkey to the gallows and there “as a loathing of such abomination, placed with the head in a fork, and hanged between Heaven and earth.”

Zara’s body was ordered to be left for a month as a public spectacle. This was to warn local people and slaves of the consequences of action unsanctioned by the VOC; and of the dreadful punishments in store for those who destroyed property.

Zara’s corpse was taken down in an act of Khoikhoi resistance less than a month later. The Company Journal notes that “careful enquiry failed to discover the author”. Nevertheless, the VOC found scapegoats: “During the afternoon the mounted guard brought in five wanton Hottentoos tied to one another with ropes and charged.”

The following day Zara’s body was once more impaled on the fork “in order to carry out the sentence”.

Zara van der Caab – Verhoor en onteer na haar selfmoord

Zara was ‘n 24 jarige Khoikhoi vrou wat selfmoord gepleeg het. Die VOC het haar lyk verdoem tot gewelddadige en ongewone straf, bewyse van hulle vasberadenheid om enige vorm van oortreding, selfs een van selfvernietiging, te straf.

Zara is dood gevind deur middle van verwurging in die huis van die vrygelate slaaf Ansela van Bengal op die 18de Desember 1671.

VOC offisiere het haar beskryf as ‘n “Hottentoo meisie….. Wat vanaf haar vroeë kinderjare daar opgevoed is deur beskaafde burgers, het die Hollandse taal aangeleer en opgelei met burgerlike waardes.”

‘n Oorhaastige hofverhoor het getuienis aangehoor van die lyksskouer van haar selfmoord:

“Die raad, na die ondersoek van twee persone genaamd, Francois Champelaar, bediende van Joris Jans, en Angela van Bengal, vrou van Arnoldus Willems, wat beweer dat die sogenaamde Hottentot gevind is waar sy aan haar eie japonband gehang het, vas aan die ooorhoofse grasdak, en by hulle aankoms het hulle waargeneem dat daar beweging in die nekare was wat hulle gedwing het om haar los te sny ,se Champelaar, met die hoop dat daar nog lewe in die liggaam is; maar toe die liggaam op die grond val, is daar gevind dat Satan alreeds besit geneem het van haar gewelddadige siel.”

Zara se verwerping van haar “beskaafde” opvoeding en “burgerlike waardes” deur die sterkste vorm van protes beskikbaar aan haar, het die VOC beamptes woedend gemaak. Hulle het beveel dat haar lyk deur ‘n donkie gesleep word na die galg, en daar “as ‘n veragting van die verfoeilike, is die kop geplaas op ‘n vurk sodat dit kan hang tussen Hemel en aarde”

Daar is ‘n bevel uitgereik dat Zara se oorskot ‘n maand lank as ‘n publieke spektakel uitgestal sal word. Die rede hiervoor is om die plaaslike bevolking en slawe te waarsku teen die gevolge van onaanvaarabare optredes teen besluite van die VOC en van die verskriklike strawwe wat uitgedeel kan word teen die vernietiging van eiendom.

Zara se lyk is minder as ‘n maand later verwyder na ‘n protesaksie deur die Khoikhoi. Die Kompanjie Joernaal neem kennis dat “na noukeurige ondersoek die skrywer nie geidentifiseer kon word nie.” Nieteenstaande het die VOC sondebokke gevind:

“ Gedurende die namiddag het die berede wagte vyf verdagte Hottentoos ingebring, aanmekaar vasgebind met toue en aangekla.”

Die volgende dag was Zara se liggaam weer deurboor met ‘n vurk “ met die doel om die vonnis uit te voer.”

Zara van der Caab – wasiwa ematyaleni, wafunyanwa enetyala lokuzibulala, wahlanjalazwa ekuhleni

UZara wayeyintombozanyana yomKhoi ukuzintswinya kwakhe. Yakugatya iVOC oko kuzixhoma kwakhe, iqalekisa kwamzimba wakhe uZara isithi: ufanelwe sisigwebo esithe kratya ngobungqwabalala, nto leyo ebonisa phandle inzondelelo eyayikho yokulifaka imikhala elotshobo lika Zara, kudodotyaliswa eluntwini ingcingane yokuzikhupha kuloombandezelo ngokuzibulala.

UZara wafunyanwa ezixhomile endlwini yalowo owayesakuba likhoboka uAnsela van Bengali, oko kufunyaniswa ngeye 18 December ngonyaka we 1671.

Abaphathi beVOC bathi xa beyizoba lentwazana uZara “yintwazana ye Hottentoot… intwazana eyayiqeqeshwe kwasebuncinaneni ziingcungcu ezifum’ ipokoto zamaDatshi, (ekuquka kuzo: iingxubevange eziqhuqhekileyo zamaDatshi nabesakuba ngamakhoboka), apho yacokiswa imfundiso yelwimi lwesiDatshi, neendlela zawo yokuziphatha”

Inkundla ehlanganiswe ngesiquphe yaabaziswa iindlebe kubungqina bomcikidi wezisusa zesiquphe (esingabala ukufa, neempembelo ezibothisa ubutyebi besiThsaba), mcikidi lowo ozakuhlab’ amahlongwane phezulu kwesisehlo sokuzibulala kuka Zara:

“Isigqeba sihlole saphonononga isibini esingu Francois Champelaar, isicaka sika Joris Jans, noAngela wase Bengali, umfazi kaArnoldus Willems, abathi: iHottentot le yafunyanwa ilenga ngentsontela yeengubo zayo zokulala, iqanyangelwe eluphahleni phezulu, kwaye, ukwalama kwabo loontlekele okokuqala kwakubonakala ukubetha kwemithambo entanyeni kaZara, nto leyo eyakhokelela u Champelaa asike kwezintsontela, kutsho kugxidike umzimba ugxidikele phantsi, ekwenza oko uChampelaar uqhutywa lithemba lokuba kusekho bomi angabuhlangula apho, suke wokugxidika umzimba kaZara kwafumaniseka ukuba uSathane sele eyinkonye ekhwapheni lakhe loondladiya yomphefumlo“.

Ukubhebhetha imfundo ne“mpucuko”, ukubhebhetha imikhwa yeengcungcu ezifum’ ipokotho zamaDatshi, ngeyonanto eyayinobuzaza esezandleni zikaZara, lolo qhankqalazo lokuzibulala olwavus’ umnyele kanobomi kubaphathi be VOC. Bagunyazisa ukuba esosidumbu sakhe uZara sirhuqwe lidonki ukuya kutsho kulogoqanyawo ungumthi wehlazo, apho “intiyo yelosikizi, izibonakaliswa ngokunqanyulwa kwentloko kaZara, ithiwe ngcu kumazinyo efolokhwe kaSathana, ilenge, ingekho mzinjeni, phakathi kwezulu nomhlaba”

Ngangesithuba senyanga, umzimba kaZara kwagunyaziswa ukuba ushiywe apho ulihlazo libalele okwelanga lihlab’ umhlaba. Oku kwakusenzelwa ukufaka ulwamvila loloyiko nentlonipho, ngokwenjenjalo kukhuthazwa namanye amakhoboka ukuba ingathi qatha nokuthi qatha ingcingane yokuzenzela unothanda ngobomi baloomakhoboka; kusenziwa umzekelo kananjalo ngesohlwayo sokonakalisa ubutyebi (obungamakhoboka buqu, ‘property’ ngelasemzini).

Ngoqhankqalazo oluyimbumba yamanyama yamaKhoi laachithwa elohlazo elingumzimba kaZara ekuhleni kwintsuku nje ezingaphantsi kwesithuba senyanga. Ushicilelo olukwincwadi zenkampani (Company Journals) lutsho okokuba “upecululo olunomonde ngababhali luthi abaziwa ababhali balenyewe”. Kodwa iVOC ishenxise ukukrokrelwa kwayo ekubhalweni kwalenkquleqhu ngelithi: “emva kwemini yoloqhankqalazo lwembumba [yamaKhoi] kwabonwa iiHottentots ezazivath’ inja ziziqamangele ngentsontela, omnye komnye, zihlabikwelo lemfazwe.”

Ngosuku olulandelayo umzimba kaZara wabuyiselwa ukuba ulenge kwezofolokhwe zikaSathana “oko kusenzelwa ukuba kuqukunjelwe esosohlwayo somthetho”.

[i] C2397, p20-21: Autopsy report on Zara, 18 December 1671