Susanna “Een Oor” van Bengalen – brutally sentenced and drowned

The tragic story of the life and death of Susanna van Bengalen is delivered in the official language of VOC witness testimony, autopsy, criminal trial and sentence.

Susanna arrived in the Cape as a female convict in 1658. She had been a slave in Batavia and no record survives of the crime she committed that caused the VOC to cut off her ear and banish her to the Cape. Her mutilation – and name “Een Oor” – was intended to taint as her as a hardened criminal for life.

Susanna lived in the Slave Lodge and was made to work in the Company’s Garden. She had a son, Andries, in 1666 and a daughter, Elsje, born three years later. Both children were baptised which means each must have had a European father because only halfslag children were permitted to be baptised.

When Elsje was about six months old Susanna was convicted of her murder. The VOC fiscal reported that “Susanna of Bengal, lying stiff and stinking of small-pox in the slave house had not hesitated to strangle her infant”. Four other slaves testified that they had wrenched the child from Susanna as she tried, in the dark, to strangle her with rags tied around her neck. The little girl died eight days later.

Susanna, infested with smallpox, was arrested, tortured and confessed. Her “confession”, made under torture from the thumbscrew, was that she had returned, sick with fever, from a day’s work in the Gardens. She could produce no milk of her own to feed her child. She could not stop the child screaming and none of the other women was prepared to suckle the child or to help her. Being sick, she could no longer bear her predicament and resolved to end it.

The court ordered that “this godforsaken murderous pig” should be put on trial. Susanna was convicted and sentenced to death. The court’s judgement concluded that Susanna had totally lost her natural instincts for love as a mother.  Instead, she had become “murderous, defiled and bestial”. The fiscal asked that as punishment her breasts be cut out with hot irons and her body burned to ashes. The court tempered this and sentenced Susanna instead to be tied into a bag and tossed into the sea “where the body could reside there forever as one with the fish.”[i]

On 13 December 1669 Susanna’s sentence was read out aloud in the square in front of the Fort. Susanna was then escorted to the roadstead. Before the assembled slaves of the Company she was sewn into a bag with rocks and dumped alive into Table Bay.

Susanna “Een Oor” van Bengalen – brutaal veroordeel en verdrink

Die tragiese storie van die lewe en dood van Susanna van Bengalen is gelewer in die amptelike taal van VOC getuienis, lykskouing, kriminele verhoor en uitspraak.

Susanna het in 1658 as ‘n vroulike gevangene in die Kaap arriveer. Sy was ‘n slaaf in Batavia en daar is geen rekord van die misdaad wat sy gepleeg het wat veroorsaak het dat die VOC haar oor afgesny en sy verban is na die Kaap nie. Haar verminking- en naam ‘Een Oor” – is bedoel om haar as ‘n geharde krimineel te merk vir die res van haar lewe.

Susanna het in die Slawe Losie gebly en moes in die Kompanjiestuin werk. Sy het ‘n seun gehad, Andries, in 1666 en ‘n dogter Elsje, wat drie jaar later gebore is. Albei kinders is gedoop, wat beteken dat albei ‘n Europese pa moes gehad het, want slegs halfslag kinders is toegelaat om gedoop te word.

Toe Elsje omtrent ses maande oud was, is Susanna skuldig bevind aan moord. Die VOC fiskaal het raporteer dat “Susanna van Bengal, wat styf en stinkend in die slawehuis lê a.g.v. waterpokkies, sonder aarseling haar klein kind verwurg het. Vier ander slawe het getuig dat hulle die kind van Susanna af probeer trek het, soos sy, in die donker , probeer het om haar met vodde om haar nek te verwurg. Die klein dogtertjie is agt dae later oorlede.

Susanna, besmet met waterpokkies, is gearresteer, gemartel en sy het skuld erken. Haar “skulderkenning”, gemaak toe sy gemartel is deur ‘n duimskroef te gebruik, was dat sy terug gekom het, siek van die koors, na ‘n dag se werk by die Tuine. Sy kon geen melk produseer vir haar eie kind om haar te voed nie. Sy kon nie kind kry om op te hou skree nie en nie en niemand van die ander vroue was bereid om haar te help nie. Omdat sy siek was kon sy nie meer die omstandighede verduur nie en het gekies om ‘n einde daaraan te maak.

Die hof het beveel dat “hierdie goddelose moorddadige vark” verhoor moet word. Susanna is verhoor en tot dood veroordeel. Die hof se bevinding was dat Susanna haar natuurlike instink en liefde as moeder verloor het. In plaas daarvan het sy moordadig, besmet en dierlik geword. Die fiskaal het gevra dat, as haar straf, haar borste met warm ysters uitgesny moet word, en haar liggaam tot as verbrand moet word. Die hof het die vonnis versag en beveel dat sy in ‘n sak gebind word en in die see gegooi word “waar die liggaam daar ewig as een van die visse kan woon.”

Op 13 Desember 1669 is Susanna se vonnis hardop uitgelees in die vierkant voor die Fort. Susanna is vergesel na die ankerplek. Voor die slawe van die Kompanjie is sy toegewerk in sak met klippe en lewend by Tafeldal ingegooi.

Susanna “ndlebenye” wase Bengaleni – owawiselwa isihelegu sesigwebo esimanyumnyezi, ukurhaxiselwa de afe.

Ubuzaza beshwangusha lobomi nokufa kuka Susanna wase Bengaleni buphalazwa ngamangqina akungqina oko ngolwimi olusesikweni lwe VOC, ekuquka kobobungqina uhlinzo lwesidumbu sikaSussana, ukubasematyaleni ngobunxamnye nomthetho omisiweyo, nesigwebo esawiswa kwelotyala.

Wafika uSusanna eKapa elidindala lomfazana ngowe 1658. Wayesakuba likhoboka e Batavia, kwaye akukho apho kuphawulwa khona kwimbali eshicelelweyo ukuba kanye-kanye wenza ntoni enxamnye nomthetho, nto leyo eyacunukisa iVOC itsho imbenge indlebe imdudulele elubhacweni lwetshova eKapa. Ukubingwa kwakhe okwamphulukanisa nendlebe – negama “Ndlebenye” awathiwa jize ngalo – konke kwakusenziwa kukhatshwa ziinjongo zoku mbek’ ibala, futhi kunkonywe ngamagunya ukuba uRosa lo abonakale njengeyona ndlobongela yomntu.

USusanna wayehlala kwinkomponi yamakhoboka (Slave Lodge) esebenzela iCompany Garden ngelasemzini. Wayenonyana ozelwe ngowe 1666, uAndries, nemtombi, uElsje, eyayindala ngeminyaka emithathu kuAndries. Bobabibi abontwana baphehlelelwa, into ethetha ukuthi babenoyise ongumlungu okanye ooyise baseNtsona (Europe), ngoba yayiyinkqubo yeloxesha ukuba xa umntwana wekhobokazana enoyise womlungu kuvumeleke aphehlelelwe.

Xa emalunga neenyanga ezintandathu uElsje, uSusanna watyholwa wafunyaniswa enetyala lokubulala olo usana lwakhe. Ingxelo ngomnotho jikelele eyenziwa yiVOC ithi “uSussana wase Bengale, elele tywa, eqine nkqi, enuka phu, phantsi kweempembelelo zobhubhane wesifo ismall-pox ngelasemzini, kumzi wamakhoboka, zange athingaze ukulikhama umoya life fi elosana”. Amakhoboka amane anikezela ngobungqina esithi, azama ukulixhwila elosana kunina, nina ndini owayekhe walinga, ebumnyameni, ezama ukulikhama umoya olosana ngamadlavu awayewaqamangele kulo entanyeni. Lwasutywa kukufa olosan kwintsuku ezisibhozo emva koko.

Wakuba ethyefwe ngulobhubhane wesifo (smallpox), uSussana wabanjwa, wahlutshezwa, nto leyo eyakhokelela ekuvumeni ityala. Ubungqina awabenza phantsi kweempembelelo zokunxwalwa nokuhlutshezwa, ehlutshezwa ngomshini oxinezelela ugube amathambo eminwe neenzwane, babusithi: wabuya emva kwemini yokusebenza nzima eGadini. Wabuya apho sele engesantlontli amabele, engakwazi nokwanyisa usana lwakhe. Wasitsho esimantshiyane kwathi nxwe umntwana, engumling’ ongaphezi ngengxolo. Oogxa bakhe bamakhoboka ababenokumnceda ngomntwana babengekho kwimo yokuncancisa usana lwakhe. Kuba uSussana wayesele onganyelwe sisifo nokukugula, umvambo emagxeni wawumphembelela ukuba akhethe ukusonga kwa elokhukho lobomi, obakhe nobosana lwakhe.

Inkundla yagunyazisa ukuba “eliqaqasholo lentswela-thixo, uhagwana obenza ebadla abantwana bakhe”, makasiwe ematyaleni. Apho wafunyaniswa enetyala, wagwetywa isigwebo sentambo. Yaphetha inkundla ngokuthi, uSussana ufelwe yinimba, nto leyo emphuce uthando lukamama ngosana lwakhe. Ityatyadule yathi, endaweni yokuba ngumntu uguquke “wanoburhalarhume besilwanyana esihlutsheziweyo”. Igunya loburhulumente eliphethe umnotho elalimmangalela labongoza inkundla ukuba isohlwayo sika Sussana ibe kukubengwa amabele ngentsimbi eshushu, umzimba wakhe utshiswe ubeluthuthu. Yangenelela inkundla isithi, isigwebo asifaneleyo uSussana kukuba aqanyangelwe afakwe engxoweni, loomzimba ojulwe elwandle “apho umzimba wokwakha umnquba ubemaphuth’ ahlathinye nentlanzi (fishi) kololwandle”.

Ngomnyaka wama 1669, ngomhla we 13 kuOctober, kwibala elixandileyo, phambi kwenqaba eKapa, kwafundwa khona esisigwebo. Chu ngcembe naye ke ukumkhaphela kulondlela ibisinge ekufeni. Kuthwe ngqwadalala nangamanye amakhoboka, umzimba kaSussana wathungelwa kwingxowa eyayineembokodo, dyumphu ephila eTable Bay ngolwasemzini, phela phela ngabomi ku Sussana.

[i] CJ780, pp 333-336: Court of Justice sentence against Susanna van Bengalen, 11 December 1669