4.6 The RMS and the Nama Leaders: May - July 1946
4.6.4 The Immediate Aftermath of the Schism in 1946
From available documents, the most significant events are the September meeting the RMS organized in Keetmanshoop and that Pastor Mayer compiled the information for, and the minutes of the meeting of the Commissioner of Native Affairs with Captain David Witbooi and the Council members and inhabitants of Gibeon in October 1946.
In the first document, Mayer says that Brother Eisenberg, (more than 70 years old) serves there together with the evangelist Zachaus Thomas. He also explains that there are "a Nama- Bergdama congregation, a Herero-ovambo congregation and a Coloured congregation (Bastards)". He then explains that Brother Neumeister was called to Keetmanshoop because Brother Eisenberg wanted to retire. He says that the Nama leaders objected to this "in a long
56 Documents on the AMEC in the holdings of the RMS archives, Wuppertal, Germany. Letter by Petrus Jod addressed to Prases Missionary Dr. Vedder. 1 July 1946.
letter". He replied to this letter and they did so in tum, giving reasons why they object. He then says:
It reported the illegal grazing of a Nama's horses, the dismissal of an unfaithful elder, the further discharging of another elder, who was ready to collect his salary but not ready to do the work he was told to do - all cases from Berseba. I instructed the Priises of the Nama Synod to investigate these cases. On two trips to Keetmanshoop Brother Rust did so. His investigation proved that the facts had been totally distorted by the accusing men, but is also showed that the leading men of the congregation were fiercely and persistently in opposition, that is those that are incurably dissatisfied, that must get their own way.
Brother Rust sent me this letter wishing for a board conference in Keetmanshoop. I immediately sent telegrams to all members of the board (i.e. the four Priises of synods) and also asked Brother Brockmann as Treasurer and Brother Spellmeyer as former Priises of the South synod to come to Keetmanshoop. Unfortunately I got a telegram Brother Pardey, who was ill), Brother Brockmann was also ill, Brother Spellmeyer first intended to come, but then he cancelled, and Brother Werner was on a visit to farms. So I could only expect Brother W. Diehl and Brother Rust. We did not constitute a quorum as board. So I invited all the brothers from Namaland to a synod conference. We were to meet at Keetmanshoop on Sunday Rogate (26.5). On Monday the first meeting with the signers of that letter and the Brothers W. Diehl, W.
Lind, Fr. Mayer, F. Eisenberg, W. Neumeister, W. Peter and F. Rust took place.
"Hauptevangelist" Petrus lod, to whom Missionary Spellmeyer had drawn our
attention, also came.
In this second paragraph he continued to refer to the letter of 13 May 1946 to Superintendent Rust and then reports what the sequence of events were on RMS side. He further observed:
It soon turned out that the representation of the case in the letter - that the signers hat tried hard to change the mind of the congregation - had been misleading. The writers had stirred up the congregation. (On Sunday Rogate I took the Herero service. There were many participants. In the afternoon Brother Rust took a service for the Nama and Coloureds. Only the Coloureds came. Those Namas and Bergdamas, however, who would have come, were cut off from going to church by posted demonstraters). We were curious to know which complaint would be voiced, to justify writing such a letter, like it was reported above. 57
On the issues involving himself, he says:
57 Documents on the AMEC in the holdings of the RMS archives, Wuppertal, Germany. Mayer's summary of the main events on the schism, from l3 May 1946 to Vedder's recommendations as to how to deal with members who broke away from the RMS, 31 May 1946. He made the summary for a "deputation" meeting in Keetmanshoop on 4 September 1946.
The issues then stated were really scanty. Brother Neumeister's transfer to Keetrnanshoop was not mentioned any more at all.
The following accusations were made against me: I had not seen to it that the evangelists got the gown - which had never been promised to them. I had not improved the school education. Their children were still not able to go on to Standard 6. They totally forgot that most parents take their children from school before Standard 4. In 1926 I had stated in a letter to him that it would not be wise to wake up sleeping dogs.
This I had indeed written. I had told him at that time that - if the higher Standards were introduced by government law - our teachers would get into a scrape because they would have to be dismissed and new teachers would get their posts. Soon enough they will demand higher qualifications from the schools. We, however, should be careful not to wake up sleeping dogs.
Further, I had not seen to it that the girls got a center to train them as nursing sisters. This is correct. Nevertheless, we don't even have a real hospital, except for the hospital in Rehoboth, which was opened last year. In another letter I had written:
"Wait for another century, and then many wishes of today will be fulfilled." He, however, did not want to wait for 100 years. 58
Mayer then turned to Petrus Jod.
Petrus Jod of Maltahohe, whom we had expected to oppose Zachaus Thomas' arguments and to help us, agreed to all of them. There were no additional complaints.
The declaration of leaving/resignation was repeated. The schism had happened. They were not impressed when we explained to them what the consequences would be. All buildings of the stations plus church and school belong to the Rhenish Mission Society. Their declaration of leaving/resignation meant that they would resign from their work and not get any salary any more. They just withdrew silently. Oh, if they had accused us to not to give them freedom enough to evangelize, but to do everything without them, or that the salaries were not enough, then we would have co-operated with them. But they did not want to co-operate. They wanted to stick to the decision they had taken. To justify it, they had searched in the old letters for points to use as a weapon. Zachaus had a whole bundle of such letters. 59
58 Documents on the AMEC in the holdings of the RMS archives, Wuppertal, GefII\any. Mayer's summary of the main events on the schism, from 13 May 1946 to Vedder's recommendations as to how to deal with members who broke away from the RMS, 31 May 1946. He made the summary for a "deputation" meeting in Keetrnanshoop on 4 September 1946.
59 Documents on the AMEC in the holdings of the RMS archives, Wuppertal, Germany. Mayer's summary of the main events on the schism, from 13 May 1946 to Vedder's recommendations as to how to deal with members who broke away from the RMS, 31 May 1946. He made the summary for a "deputation" meeting in Keetrnanshoop on 4 September 1946.
He then elaborates on Zacheus Thomas:
What were the reasons for such a course of action? A tree has many roots, not only one. This schism (Abfallbewegung) did not come out of a congregation but started with the evangelists, especially Zachaus. He drew the other two evangelists to his side and was in union with Petrus Jod of Maltahohe. Even the teachers of Keetmanshoop and the elders of the congregation came under his influence and leadership. The gown plays an important role. The letter of 1926, in which I explained to him, that the gown is only for those who had passed certain exams, and that a person who had not passed them, would be ridiculous in the gown, had been accepted at that time. He wrote me in answer to this letter, that I should not believe, that he really aimed for it, it was only the elder from Ltideritzbucht, who is not among the living any more. 60
He then make:s the following judgement:
The influence of communist propaganda is affecting the indigenous people. Either the indigenous man must be on the same level as the white man; or the white man, also the white missionary, must leave the country. They will not suffer the patronizing of the white men any more, not even the patronage of the church through the white missionaries. In Keetmanshoop they themselves noticed that there are many church fellowships among the whites. There are more than ten church buildings of several denominations in Keetmanshoop. In the South African Union there are more than 510 different denominations officially registered among the indigenous people. New names for few denominations are hard to find. The indigenous people manage all these. All this confuses our people. If then something happens that excites them, the ball is set rolling, like in Keetmanshoop with the transfer of Brother Neumeister. This however, is only an excuse, to cover the real reasons which they would not name.61 Mayer lists these reasons in brackets:
(Zachaus has a car and drives around a lot. This costs a lot of money. Petrus has a car, but he finds it too small. He wants to buy a big, new one. To do so money is needed.
It is already certain that Petrus withheld money, which belonged to the congregation.
Maybe this is the same with Zachaus). 62
60 Documents on the AMEC in the holdings of the RMS archives, Wuppertal, Germany. Mayer's summary of the main events on the schism, from 13 May 1946 to Vedder's recommendations as to how to deal with members who broke away from the RMS, 31 May 1946. He made the summary for a "deputation" meeting in Keetmanshoop on 4 September 1946.
61 Documents on the AMEC in the holdings of the RMS archives, Wuppertal, Germany. Mayer's summary of the main events on the schism, from 13 May 1946 to Vedder's recommendations as to how to deal with members who broke away from the RMS, 31 May 1946. He made the summary for a "deputation" meeting in Keetmanshoop on 4 September 1946.
62 Documents on the AMEC in the holdings of the RMS archives, Wuppertal, Germany. Mayer's summary of the main events on the schism, from 13 May 1946 to Vedder's recommendations as to how to deal with members who broke away from the RMS, 31 May 1946. He made the summary for a "deputation" meeting in Keetmanshoop on 4 September 1946.
He then turns to the issue of the AMEC:
On top of this the African Methodist Episcopal Church dedicated their first church in Liideritzbucht a short while ago, and it seems as if there are close connections to Keetmanshoop. A teacher's union is to be founded in Walvisbay in the holidays in our congregation of Gibeon a similar meeting is to take place. We must be prepared for a good deal. 63
The text closed with eight points Dr. Vedder stated in a letter of 31 May 1946 (see above), in tenns of which the different RMS congregations should deal with members who wanted to join the schism.
The other event took place in October 1946. According to the minutes of the meeting of the Commissioner of Native Affairs with Captain David Witbooi and the Council members and inhabitants of Gibeon in October, the meeting addresses six issues.
These six issues are: livestock, grazing money, the further supplying of water, the feeding of children and older people, the appointment of a welfare official, and the problem caused by the closing of the industrial school. Then follows two letters and statements by Captain David Witbooi, Johannes Jakob and Diedrik Keister, with a response from the Commissioner. These are as follows.
David Witbooi
Handig brief "A" in en se: Ons kollekteer vir doodskiste en kos vir ou-mense, net soveel soos mense kan gee. Almal het gegee. As iemand sterf betaal ons vir die kis.
Die onderwysers en andere het afgeskei van die Predikant, d.w.s. van die Rynse Sending.
Ek het klipkaffers gevra of hul nog my bevele sal uitvoer. Hulle het geantwoord:
"Ons het maar altyd jou bevele eers geweier maar dann weer uitgevoer". Hulle was ontwykend. Ek sal maar later weer selfkom na Mariental om oor die saak te praat.
Johannes Jakob: verklaar.
63 Documents on the AMEC in the holdings of the RMS archives, Wuppertal, Gennany. Mayer's summary of the main events on the schism, from 13 May 1946 to Vedder's recommendations as to how to deal with members who broke away from the RMS, 31 May 1946. He made the summary for a "deputation" meeting in Keetmanshoop on 4 September 1946.
Die antwoord van David Witbooi vir my en Diedrik Keister was:
"Dit was almal se vergadering, onderwyser Markus Witbooi is die leier van die hele afere, leier van geld kollektering en van vergaderings". Hy het afgeskei van die Rynse Sending asook David Witbooi. Ons klipkaffers bly by die Rynse Sending. Ons was dus sonder leier (d.w.s. Markus Witbooi) en het vergadering bele om te hoor wat die moeilikheid is.
Fritz Lambert en David Kamakura het gese: "Moenie vir Markus vra nie, hoor eers by kaptein David. Hy het nie 'n leier aangewys nie, so moet ons 'n leier vir ons kry."
David het gese: "Diedrik Keister sal antwoord gee."
Ons wou antwoord van Markus he. Markus het gese: "Ek praat die waarheid, hy het afgeskei van die Rynse Sending en hy is te bang om terug te kom."
Ek het kaptein David gese ek werk saam met hom en dis nie nodig om met hom te praat nie maar vandat hy afgeskei het het hy nog nie met ons gepraat nie en gese waarom nie. Daarop het hy gese as ?? beveel ?? dit sal utvoer. Ek het geantwoord:
"Wat reg is het ons altyd gedoen ons sal nie sy bevele weier nie, al die moeilkheid is oor die afskei van die Kerk".
Diedrik Keister: Verklaar
Handig brief B in en se: "Ek was nie by die vergadering nie. Daama het ek brief "A"
geskryf. Afskeiers moet hul eie kollekte maak en ons salons syne maak, ons sal gelei word deur witman en staan waar ons is."
Naturelle Kommissaris: Antwoord
Aangesien kollektes namens Kerk gemaak word, kan elke kerk genootskap sy eie kollekte insamel en kontroleer. Elkeen van die inwoners is vry om sy eie geloof te volg of by watter Kerk hy verkies aan te sluit en in hierdie opsg mag geen dwang deur die hoofman of enige Raadslid uitgeoefen word op enige nwoner rue. Wat aangeleenhede van die reserwe betref moet die Hoofman en Raadslede gehoorsaam word.
Vergadering sluit.
Naturelle Kommissaris64
The significance of these interactions is that they mainly reflect the impact of the schism on the Nama people, the divisions it brought about, and how the issue of collected money by the church is to be treated. This is well summarized by the Commissioner, and also explained to the magistrate of Mariental in his accompanying letter as follows:
64 Box SW AA 1I92/ AI58/98. Minutes of the Annual Meeting between the Native Commissioner and the Nama leadership, at Krantzplatz, Gibeon. 4 October 1946.
Suidwes-Afrka - South West African Kantoor van die Magistraat
19/1011946
Hoof naturelle Kommissaris WINDHOEK
Krantzplaats Naturelle Reserwe Jaar vergadering:
Mariental
Ek het die eer hierby deur te stuur, vir u inligting, afskrif van die notule van hierdie bovermelde vergadering.
Die verklarings van David Witbooi (Hoofman), Johannes Jakob en Diedrik Keister het ek letterlik afgeskryf, soos aan my oorgetolk.
Die moeilikheid het sy ontstaan in die afstigting van 'n aantal inwoners vanaf die Rynse Sending kerk na die AME Kerk wat hier, soos ek verstaan, op die been gebring is deur 'n sekere naturel, Dr. Gow.
Magistraat65