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Journal of Natal and Zulu History Vol. 29, 2011
Intelligence corps, and once again the creation of an Engineer corps was put off. 107
Yet, Bru-de-Wold was a driven man. He was convinced, partly from his own
experience in the turbulent south of Natal and partly by recent confidential reports from
various quarters, that a Native rising was imminent. He thought it would occur in late May or
June of 1906. He did his best to prepare for it. He reduced his staff by one officer, but did
away with the District Commandants and centralized functions at headquarters. He called the
corps commanders to headquarters and discussed reduction to a peacetime establishment in
terms of the budget, and got them to agree to a plan to expand in an emergency by drawing
on supernumeraries and special servicemen. He also set about organizing the Reserves,
attending several meetings and then turning the task over to Colonel Wales and the
magistrates. The Departmental corps, such as they, were made ready for the field. The
registration of transport was begun, and the government was persuaded to allow orders for
108
additional arms, ammunition and equipment.
109
The Zulu Rebellion
The Native Rebellion which Bru-de-Wold anticipated occurred as a result of violent
protests against the government’s imposition of a poll tax – an ill-conceived measure to
rescue the Colony from its debts. A clash between protesters and police occurred near
Richmond on February 8 th .
On February 9, 1906 the Governor proclaimed martial law in the Colony, and
authorized the Commandant to call out the Active Militia for service. Colonel Bru-de-Wold
at once ordered the Natal Carbineers, C Battery of the Natal Field Artillery, and detachments
107 CR 1906, pp. 1033, 1035, 1036.
108 CR 1906, pp.1033-1034. Archives of the Colonial Secretary’s Office (hereafter cited as CSO). 2599:
C147/1906, INTERIM REPORT By Commandant of Militia Natal on THE NATIVE REBELLION, 1906
(hereafter cited as IR), pp. 1-2. See also Stuart, Zulu Rebellion, p. 48.
109 The account here follows IR in its sequence of events, but is also based on other works which deal largely
with the military aspects of the rebellion, viz. Stuart, Zulu Rebellion; Walter Bosman, The Natal Rebellion of
1906 (London, Longmans, Green, 1907) and P.S. Thompson, An Historical Atlas of the Zulu Rebellion of 1906
(Pietermaritzburg, private, 2001). Also with IR in CSO 2599: C147/1906 are the reports of the independent
column commanders, notably McKenzie, Leuchars, Mackay, and Mansel, as well as Special Service (Irregular)
and Departmental officers. Stuart’s and Thompson’s narratives are based on these reports. The violence in
Natal and Zululand in 1906 has been variously described in the literature as a rebellion, insurrection, rising or
uprising, disturbance(s) and isidumo, and been called the Zulu Rebellion, the Natal Rebellion, the Natal Native
Rebellion, the Bhambatha Rebellion or Bhambatha’s Rebellion. I prefer the term Zulu Rebellion for its
comprehensiveness.