The Cape Coloured Corps and the educational development of the coloured people of South Africa 1795-1977
Date
1983
Authors
Hoods, Willie Raymond
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Abstract
An early series of mixed unions between Europeans and slaves and European-Hottentots
resulted in the birth of the coloured people. The original hybrid groups have been perpetuated,
increased and further intermingled by endogamy and cross-breeding and by
additions from the original strains.
The Dutch were the first foreign power to make use of coloured men in their military
units when they established a settlement at the Cape in 1652. It was, however, the British
who organised the coloured and Hottentots into a proper military unit. The Cape Corps,
as the coloured military unit was to be known, served in most of the Republican governments
that were established since the Colonists left the Cape Colony in 1834.
Early attempts by the various missionary societies to educate the coloured people proved
very successful. The allocation of land at the Kat River Settlement in 1829 provided an
opportunity for coloured people, Hottentots and ex-slaves to build an economically
viable community.
It was during the two Great World Wars that the Cape Corps eventually made an impact
as a fighting force. Large numbers of coloured men enlisted to fight the Germans. As
most of them were illiterate the South African Defence Force had to devise certain
programmes to enable them to read and write. This was the beginning of the Army
Education System. Later provision was also made for ex-volunteers to improve their
educational standard through the Army Correspondence Scheme.
The Directorate of Demobilisation established at the end of World War 11, did outstanding
work in helping the returned soldier to adjust to civilian life. Ex-volunteers were
assisted financially and were encouraged and assisted to improve their education and
training.
An exposition or the political influence or the various Republican ruling groups and the
government of the Union of South Africa, reveals that the coloured people were subjected
to a number of discriminatory measures. The general rule was to use them in
times of crises to protect the status quo, but at the same time to deny them their basic
rights as citizens of South Africa.
The Nationalist Party came to power in 1948 with their policy of Apartheid and immediately
disbanded the Cape Corps. This decision was reversed in 1963 when the Cape
Corps was re-established as a result of political development amongst the blacks in South
Africa and the rest of Africa. Recruiting was not as successful as was anticipated. As a result
of the unemployment rate amongst the coloured youth and the lowering of the
educational qualifications from Standard VIII to VI, a fair number of coloured high school
drop-outs enlisted.
The South African Defence Force makes provision for coloured trainees to improve their
secondary education through the Association of Correspondence Colleges of South AFrica,
while technical education is available at the Peninsula College for Advanced Technical
Education in Bellville and university education through the University of South Africa
and the Military Academy at Saldanha.
Lastly a number of recommendations are given with the hope that if implemented, the
coloured community and therefore the South African society would benefit thereby
Description
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (in partial fulfilment of the requirements) for the degree Doctor of Philosophy,
30 November 1983