BATTLE OF GWADANA -- 26 SEPTEMBER 1877.

BATTLE OF GWADANA 26 SEPTEMBER 1877

THIS SIGN IS SEEN BETWEEN BUTTERWORTH AND IDUTYWA ON THE N2 HIGHWAY IN THE TRANSKEI

GWADANA IS THE NAME OF A HILL WHERE A BATTLE BETWEEN THE GAKELA amaXHOSA AND THE FRONTIER ARMED AND MOUNTED MOUNTED POLICE (FAMP) LED BY INSPECTOR GRIFFITHS TOOK PLACE. SIX POLICE TROOPERS WERE KILLED. 

BATTLE OF GWADANA

South Afrika -- Eastern Cape -- Transkei
About half way between Butterworth (Gcuwa) and Idutywa (Dutywa) on the N2 highway is a sign "Battle of Gwadana".

Gwadana is the name of a hill where a battle took place in September 1877.

At that time the area between Butterwoth and Idutywa running down to the coast was known as Galekaland. Lord Carnarvon was based in Cape Town and wanted to Consolidate the various territories as he had recently done in Canada.

Carnarvon employed Sir Henry Frere as High Commissioner of Southern Africa. Frere wanted to talk to the local AmaXhosa about a Union and subjugation to the state. In September 1877 Frere attempted to meet with the Chiefs of Gakelaland but failed. The people of Transkei; Gakelaland and Ciskei had experienced 8 wars and were reluctant to begin negotiations which may lead to more concessions and loss of sovereignty. In 1852 after the 8th war the amaXhosa killed thousands of cattle on instructions which was to lead to the downfall of the white settlers.

Battle of Gwadana
Now, September 1877, 25 years later, a Ninth war was about to erupt. On the 26th September 1877 Inspector Chalmers led a force of Mfengu (Mfenguland was an area in the Transkei; North West Butterworth) of and troopers from the Frontier Armed and Mounted Police (FAMP) against the AmaXhosa Gakela. The contact took place on the Gwadana hill between Butterworth and Idutywa. Chalmers was overwhelmed by a determined force of the Galeka. He retreated and 6 Police Troopers were killed.

Three days later on 29th September 1877; an army of Xhosa Gakelas were defeated by an organised force of Troopers and Mfengu at Ibeka near to Butterworth. A series of battles followed in Gakelaland and neighbouring Bovamaland (a strip of land East of the Bashee River and up to Mthatha).

BATTLE OF CENTANE
Early in 1878 the battles moved West of the Kei River. A camp at a hill called Centane near to the Kei River was placed under Captain Russell Upsher. Upsher built fortifications and the Battle of Centane began on 7th February 1877. The first wave of Xhosa Gakela were defeated early that morning through tactical luring of Gakela into an "ambush". Later a second attempt at the same tatic failed when Sandile's Ngqikas attacked. However this battle was soon over on the arrival of reinforcements from the direction of Ibeka. One of the largest Xhosa armies ever assembled had been beaten by Upsher's 600 armed troopers.

And so began the 9th Frontier war. This war was to last for a year and end with the defeat of Chief Sandile when he was fatally wounded in the Amatola mountains near to King Williams Town. However this last Frontier war was to be the first in a series of wars over the next 20 years that would virtually eliminate all black independence south of the Zambezi.