History
The region encompassing modern KwaNojoli was inhabited by Khoisan hunter-gatherers for millennia before the arrival of Bantu-speaking peoples, including the Xhosa people, around the 15th century. The area's fertile valleys and proximity to the Great Fish River made it a vital corridor for migration and trade. Xhosa oral histories, documented in works such as J.H. Soga's "The South-Eastern Bantu" (1930), describe the land as part of the broader AmaXhosa territory, with clans like the Ngqika utilizing the Boschberg slopes for grazing and spiritual practices. European explorers, including Swedish botanist Anders Sparrman in the late 1770s, noted the region's abundant wildlife, diverse flora, and established indigenous communities in their journals, highlighting a landscape teeming with antelope, birds, and endemic plants.
The Boschberg area, encountered by Dutch explorers as early as 1711 and named for its dense bush vegetation (Afrikaans: "Boschberg", meaning "bush mountain"), served as a natural boundary and resource hub for local Xhosa groups. Conflicts over land use foreshadowed later colonial tensions, as Trekboer farmers began encroaching from the west in the mid-18th century.
Central to the area's pre-colonial identity is the figure of Nojoli, a Xhosa woman whose story is preserved through oral traditions and has been documented in missionary journals and local histories. According to accounts from 19th-century missionary George Browne's journals—recorded during his travels with Xhosa intellectual Tiyo Soga — Nojoli (often translated as "the place of Nojoli") refers to a woman who resided in the Boschberg region, possibly in the 18th century. Oral histories collected by researchers, including those in the Jakes Gerwel Foundation's 2024 publication "Our Voices are Left with our Bodies: The Early Black History of KwaNojoli", portray Nojoli as a resilient figure associated with the AmaQhayi or related Xhosa clans, embodying the spiritual and communal ties to the land.
European settlement in the Somerset East district began in earnest during the late 18th century amid the Cape Colony's eastward expansion. The first recorded settler was Willem Prinsloo, a Trekboer who established a farm under the Boschberg around 1774. By the mid-1770s, at least 20 Dutch-speaking families had joined him, petitioning Cape authorities for a district outpost and church—requests that contributed to the founding of nearby Graaff-Reinet in 1786. Prinsloo's farm, spanning much of the modern townsite, was subdivided for settlers like Jakobus Cornelius Otto, whose Bestershoek homestead marked early agricultural ventures in wheat, livestock, and tobacco.
The early 19th century brought intensified British influence following the Cape's second occupation in 1806. Lord Charles Somerset, Governor of the Cape Colony from 1824 to 1826, envisioned frontier settlements to secure the border against Xhosa incursions and support military logistics. In 1815, Somerset established an experimental farm at Boschberg—selected by American botanist Dr Joseph Mackrill from sites including the Gamtoos and Swartkops Valleys—to breed superior livestock, cultivate export crops like tobacco, and supply troops with grain and fodder. Subsidized infrastructure, including soldiers' barracks and a water mill, was constructed, transforming the site into a semi-military outpost.
The farm was established in 1815, for the purpose of improving stockbreeding in the Cape Colony and providing produce for the soldiers at the Frontier. It was named "Somerset Farm". Under manager Robert Hart from 1817, the farm prospered as a refreshment station, procuring local produce for distribution. However, the project faltered due to administrative shifts. In January 1825, the Sub-Drostdy of Cradock was dissolved, and a new Drostdy (magistrate's district) named Somerset was proclaimed, stretching from the Orange River north to the Zuurberg south, and from the Sundays River west to the Koonap east. William Mackay was appointed the first magistrate on 31 January 1825 and John Bailie became the first resident magistrate, formalizing the town's layout along the Little Fish River. The "East" suffix was added around 1855 to distinguish it from Somerset West in the Western Cape.
This era was marred by the Slachter's Nek Rebellion of 1815–1816, a pivotal frontier uprising. Led by Hendrik Prinsloo (a relative of Willem), dispossessed Boers protested land seizures and stock thefts amid Xhosa-British skirmishes. Five rebels were executed by hanging from a beam (now displayed in the local museum) after a botched gallows collapse—symbolizing colonial overreach and fueling Afrikaner grievances. The event, occurring in the district, strained relations between settlers, authorities, and indigenous groups.
The mid-19th century saw Somerset East emerge as a bustling frontier hub, fueled by the wool boom and the arrival of 1820 Settlers. Positioned on routes to the interior, it became a vital stopover for wagons bound for Graaff-Reinet and beyond. Industries flourished: wool trading dominated, supplemented by tanning, wagon-making, brickworks, and milling. Farms like Glen Avon, established by Robert Hart (dubbed the "Father of the 1820 Settlers"), introduced advanced irrigation and hosted one of South Africa's highest private waterfalls.
The town expanded with civic institutions. The Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) congregation, the Eastern Cape's fourth oldest, was formalized in the 1830s, while the Old Wesleyan Chapel (1821), Anglican Church (1836) and British Officers' Mess (now the Walter Battiss Art Museum) reflected dual Anglo-Dutch influences. The first government school in the town was opened in 1842, and many of the early teachers and trustees were 1820 descendants. A municipality was established in 1884, overseeing growth amid the Anglo-Boer tensions.
The Frontier Wars (1779–1879), particularly the Sixth (1834–1836) and Eighth (1850–1853), directly impacted the district. Xhosa resistance to land dispossession led to raids and reprisals, with Somerset East serving as a British supply depot. Post-war, the area stabilized, but at the cost of Xhosa displacement, exacerbating racial divides.
During the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902), the town was occupied by British forces under Lord Roberts, forcibly removing inhabitants to two camps, resulting in significant civilian suffering. Local researchers and the Somerset East Museum’s war memorial records put the fatality figure between 1300 and 1500. Post-war reconstruction spurred agricultural modernization, with merino sheep farming solidifying economic primacy.
The early 20th century brought infrastructural advances. The railway reached Somerset East in 1877, linking it to Port Elizabeth and enhancing wool exports. The town served as a conservative electoral constituency in the Union of South Africa (1910–1981), consistently returning Afrikaans-speaking National Party members, reflecting its rural, white-dominated polity.
Under apartheid (1948–1994), Somerset East epitomized segregated rural life. The Group Areas Act enforced racial zoning, confining Black and Coloured residents to townships like Rayton. Agricultural labor, dominated by Xhosa migrants, faced exploitative conditions, while forced removals from nearby farms echoed broader dispossessions. The 1960s saw minor resistance, including strikes by farmworkers, but the district remained a National Party stronghold.
Culturally, the town nurtured talents like artist Walter Battiss (1906–1982), born locally, whose modernist works drew on Xhosa motifs and rock art. Institutions like the Somerset East Museum (housed in the old parsonage) preserved frontier artifacts, including Slagtersnek relics, fostering a narrative centered on white settler heritage.
In March 2023, the town was officially renamed KwaNojoli, honoring Xhosa etymology tied to Chief Yese of the AmaQhayi clan and the area's pre-colonial significance, particularly the legacy of Nojoli. The change, approved by the South African Geographical Names Council, sparked debate: proponents viewed it as restorative justice, while critics decried erasure of colonial history. Community dialogues, facilitated by groups like the Jakes Gerwel Foundation, highlighted racial tensions but fostered cohesion. Abel Boyce Piki's advocacy was instrumental, with his efforts culminating in the name's revival just before his passing in 2024.
Today, KwaNojoli's population of around 20,000 blends agricultural roots with eco-tourism. Challenges include rural depopulation and inequality, but its preserved architecture—oak-lined streets, Victorian homes—and cultural sites position it as a gateway to Eastern Cape heritage.
