The Bondelswarts Rebellion of 1922, also known as the Bondelswarts Uprising, was a violent and controversial incident that took place in South Africa’s League of Nations Mandate of South West Africa, now known as Namibia. The unsuccessful uprising which ended in a massacre, was led by the Bondelswarts, a sub-group of the Nama or Khoikhoi people, who had a long tradition of resistance to colonial oppression, first under German rule and then under South African administration after World War I.
Before it came under South African control, present-day Namibia, then known as South West Africa, was a German colony from 1884 until the outbreak of World War I. German colonial rule was marked by extreme violence and racial subjugation, most notoriously the Herero and Nama genocide between 1904 and 1908. During that period, tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people were killed or driven into the desert by German forces in what is widely regarded as the first genocide of the 20th century.
In 1915, South African troops, fighting on behalf of the British Empire, invaded and took control of the territory from Germany. After the war, the League of Nations granted South Africa a mandate to govern South West Africa, giving it effective colonial control.
The British-controlled South African government took over the colonial administration and continued many oppressive policies of their German predecessors, including land dispossession, forced labor, unfair taxation, and economic restrictions on the indigenous population.
The Bondelswarts, who occupied the southern parts of the territory, were especially impacted by new economic policies and labour controls imposed by the South African regime.
One of the most resented policies was a dog tax introduced in 1917 and increased significantly in February 1921. The tax was a thinly veiled attempt to force the Bondelswarts natives into wage labour for white settlers.
Traditionally, the Bondelswarts had avoided working for white settlers by hunting animals in the forest using small packs of dogs, which also served to protect their livestock from jackals. The dog tax, like similar measures under the previous German regime, was designed to suppress this independence. In fact, under German rule, colonial officers had at times shot the Bondelswarts’ dogs when their hunting success decreased the labour pool available to white farmers. The South Africans continued this approach, using taxation instead.
White farmers in the south pressured the Administrator, Gysbert Reitz Hofmeyr, to increase the dog tax even further, hoping it would force the natives into wage labour. Alongside the dog tax, the administration also imposed other discriminatory policies and sought to arrest several Bondelswarts men. When the Bondelswarts refused to comply with the arrests or pay the tax, tensions escalated.
The Bondelswarts rejected these impositions and took up a defensive stance in May 1922, determined to protect their people and way of life. Although accounts differ, it’s estimated that between 500 and 600 natives assembled to stand against the South African colonial authorities.
Led by Abraham Morris, the military leader of the tribe, they retreated into the rugged mountains and adopted guerrilla warfare tactics, relying on knowledge of the terrain, small arms, and mobility. Their resistance was determined but lightly equipped, with only around 200 fighters possessing weapons.
In response, South African Administrator Gysbert Reitz Hofmeyr mobilized 400 heavily armed troops, and for the first time in the territory, deployed aircraft to bomb indigenous fighters. The attack was swift and devastating.
By the time it ended, at least 100 Bondelswarts were killed, including women and children. Another 468 were wounded or captured. The South African government’s use of airplanes to bomb the natives drew criticism from observers and human rights advocates. However, the League of Nations, which was responsible for overseeing the administration of South West Africa, failed to take meaningful action. This lack of accountability revealed the weaknesses of the mandate system and allowed South Africa to continue its oppressive policies without facing serious consequences.
The defeat of the Bondelswarts shattered what remained of united indigenous resistance in South West Africa. While small acts of rebellion continued in isolated areas, organized opposition largely disappeared for nearly two decades.
Emboldened by their success in putting down the uprising, South Africa enforced even stricter laws and reinforced systems of racial discrimination. They also intensified their control over land, labour, and movement, tightening their grip on the indigenous population and making resistance even harder to sustain.
South Africa continued to administer South West Africa even after the League of Nations was dissolved following World War II, ignoring United Nations demands to relinquish control. This led to a prolonged struggle for independence, spearheaded by the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), founded in 1960. SWAPO waged a liberation war against South African rule for decades.
After years of warfare, international pressure, and negotiations, Namibia finally gained independence on March 21, 1990. Today, the Bondelswarts Rebellion is remembered as one of the earliest expressions of anti-colonial resistance in the country’s long journey to freedom.
Sources:
https://commons.ru.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:2589?site_name=Rhodes+University
https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA0000013_37
https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/site/q/03lv03445/04lv03446/05lv03509.htm
