John Charles Molteno
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Sir John Charles Molteno (5 June 1814 – 1 September 1886) was a soldier, businessman, champion of responsible government and the first Prime Minister of the
Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with t ...
.


Early life

Born in London into a large Anglo-Italian family, Molteno emigrated to the Cape in 1831 at the age of 17, where he found work as an assistant to the public librarian in
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
. At the age of 23 he founded his first company, ''Molteno & Co.'', a trading company that exported wine, wool and aloes to
Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...
and the
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, and opened branches around the Cape. In 1841, he undertook Southern Africa's first experimental export of fruit, loading a ship with a range of fruits (necessarily dried, as no refrigeration existed yet) and sending it to Australia to test foreign markets. The experiment ended in disaster when his ship was wrecked in a storm – pushing Molteno close to bankruptcy. Disposing of the remains of his mercantile businesses, he immediately bought some land in the arid Beaufort area and successfully introduced Saxon Merino sheep, building up the vast Nelspoort Estate. Among his many other business ventures, he founded the region's first bank, ''Alport & Co.'' – in
Beaufort West Beaufort West (Afrikaans: ''Beaufort-Wes''; Xhosa: ''eBhofolo'') is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and is known as the "Capital of the Karoo". It forms part of the Beau ...
. He also returned briefly to Cape Town to marry a young woman named Maria, whom he had originally met soon after arriving in South Africa. She was the coloured daughter of a merchant colleague, and he brought her back to his estate, with a view to starting a family. Tragedy struck a few years later when his wife died in childbirth (along with their only child). Soon afterwards the bereaved Molteno left his estate and joined a
Boer Commando The Boer Commandos or "Kommandos" were volunteer military units of guerilla militia organized by the Boer people of South Africa. From this came the term "commando" into the English language during the Second Boer War of 1899-1902 as per Costica ...
that was heading for the frontier mountains to fight in the 1846 Amatola War.


Political career


The fight for Responsible Government

The Cape economy was in a recession in the early 1860s when Molteno moved back to Cape Town, remarried and bought Claremont house (At the time an estate of orchards and vineyards, not the busy suburb that it is today). Molteno had been elected to the Cape Colony's first parliament in 1854, representing Beaufort, the first municipality in southern Africa. However, in spite of the elected parliament, executive power remained firmly in the hands of a British Governor, appointed by London, meaning that the country was run primarily according to Britain's interests, rather than southern Africa's. Molteno's experiences fighting in the frontier wars had given him a contempt for what he saw as the incompetence and injustice of British imperial rule in Southern Africa, as well as a lifelong belief in the need for efficient and locally-accountable democracy. From his first entry into parliament, he therefore began a long political battle to make the Cape's
Executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...
democratically accountable (or "responsible" as it was known), and thus to give the country a degree of independence from Britain. Over the years his Responsible Government movement grew, and eventually dominated parliament and Cape politics. In the 1860s the autocratic British Governor
Edmond Wodehouse Edmond Robert Wodehouse (3 June 1835 – 14 December 1914) was an English Liberal and Liberal Unionist politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1906. Biography Wodehouse was the only child of Sir Philip Edmond Wodehouse, Gov ...
made repeated attempts to dismantle the few elected bodies the Cape had, and assume direct control over the colony. Molteno led the fight against these measures, using his electoral control to cut off the Governor's budget and effectively starve his administration into compliance. After nearly a decade of struggle, the defeated Governor was recalled in 1870, amid great local celebration. Finally in 1872, with the consent of the new Governor
Sir Henry Barkly Sir Henry Barkly (24 February 1815 – 20 October 1898) was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences. Early life and education Born on 24 February 1815 at Highbury, Middlesex (now London), he was the eldest son of ...
, Molteno saw the decisive bill through parliament and brought the Cape Colony's government under local control for the first time. After first offering the post to
Saul Solomon Saul Solomon (25 May 1817 – 16 October 1892) was an influential liberal politician of the Cape Colony, a British colony in what is now South Africa. Solomon was an important member of the movement for responsible government and an opponent ...
and William Porter, Molteno agreed to become the Cape Colony's first Prime Minister.


The Molteno Ministry

He was appointed Prime Minister in 1872, and in turn appointed the young John X. Merriman as his commissioner of public works (Merriman himself was later to become the 8th Prime Minister of the Cape and in that capacity continued many of Molteno's policies). Molteno began his ministry by re-organising the state finances. One of his government's first acts was to abolish the controversial
house tax A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...
(Act 11 of 1872). He used the new revenues from the diamond and
ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There ...
feather industries to pay off the Cape's accumulated debts and to invest heavily in infrastructure, including a telegraph system and an ambitious railway building programme. He also oversaw a revival in the agricultural sector, and began the construction of a vast irrigation system across the country. The economy recovered, as new ports and shipping services helped the surge in exports, resulting in reasonable budget surpluses by the end of his tenure. He led the (now prosperous) Cape colony in the Ninth Frontier War when it broke out in 1877, and he strongly resisted regional factionalism – going to great lengths to heal the rifts between the
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and
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halves of the Cape and blocking attempts by his political opponents to racially segregate the armed forces. His government also founded the
University of the Cape of Good Hope The University of the Cape of Good Hope, renamed the University of South Africa in 1916, was created when the Molteno government passed Act 16 of 1873 in the Cape of Good Hope Parliament. Modelled on the University of London, it offered examinati ...
, now one of the world's mega-universities with over 200,000 students, and Victoria College (later to become
Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...
). In 1874 he established a system of government grants to build libraries in towns and villages across the country. Later known as the "
Molteno Regulations The Molteno Regulations (1874) were a system of government grants to establish free, open-to-all, public libraries, in the Cape Colony, South Africa. Content Their promulgation in the nineteenth century (Government notice 442, 1874) was intend ...
", they were an immense success and were later adopted by neighbouring countries. The Molteno Ministry was characterised by its stout opposition to imperial interference in Cape affairs, for example, quashing a bid to forcefully incorporate
Griqualand West Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km2 that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province. It was inhabited by the Griqua people – a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans-speaking nation of mixed-race origin, wh ...
and opposing Frere's later deployment of imperial troops against the
Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...
. Importantly, the system of responsible government as instituted under Molteno retained the traditional Cape system of non-racial franchise – whereby all races could vote, quite unlike the situation in the rest of Southern Africa.


Confederation and War

A change of government in London led to a pro-imperialist lobby headed by Secretary of State,
Lord Carnarvon Earl of Carnarvon is a title that has been created three times in British history. The current holder is George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon. The town and county in Wales to which the title refers are historically spelled ''Caernarfon,'' havi ...
, determined to bring all of southern Africa into the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
by enforcing a confederation onto the region. This "new and impatient imperialism" was resisted by the states of southern Africa, including the Cape colony government, and relations between the Molteno government and the British Colonial Office deteriorated. Molteno himself argued that ''"the proposals for confederation should emanate from the communities to be affected, and not be pressed upon them from outside."'' – and that the whole scheme was particularly badly timed. The different states of southern Africa were still simmering after the last bout of British imperial expansion, and he stressed that the forced imposition of a lop-sided confederation would cause immense instability. Molteno's government also transmitted to London its concern that any federation with the illiberal Boer republics would endanger the rights and franchise of the Cape's Black citizens; if there was to be any form of union, the Cape's
non-racialism Non-racialism, aracialism or antiracialism is a South African ideology rejecting racism and racialism while affirming liberal democratic ideals. History Non-racialism became the official state policy of South Africa after April 1994, and it is en ...
would need to be imposed on the Boer republics, and could not be compromised. However, the Colonial Office went ahead and dismissed governor
Henry Barkly Sir Henry Barkly (24 February 1815 – 20 October 1898) was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences. Early life and education Born on 24 February 1815 at Highbury, Middlesex (now London), he was the eldest son of ...
and appointed Henry Bartle Frere who on 3 February 1878 dissolved the Cape government. Frere was a formidable administrator of the British Empire but had scant experience of southern Africa and the confederation scheme soon fell apart, leaving a trail of wars across the region as predicted, including long-running conflicts with the
Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...
, Pedi and
Basotho The Sotho () people, also known as the Basuto or Basotho (), are a Bantu nation native to southern Africa. They split into different ethnic groups over time, due to regional conflicts and colonialism, which resulted in the modern Basotho, who ...
nations. After the disastrous British invasion of Zululand and rising discontent in the
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
(that later exploded as the
First Boer War The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...
), Frere was recalled to London to face charges of misconduct in 1880.


Later political career and legacy

Molteno was repeatedly asked to form a government again, however (by now in his late sixties) he declined and chose to retire from public life to spend time with his family. He directed the appointment of
Thomas Charles Scanlen Sir Thomas Charles Scanlen (9 July 1834 – 15 December 1912) was a politician and administrator of the Cape Colony. He was briefly Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, from 1881 to 1884, during an especially turbulent period in the Cape's histor ...
instead, and his last office was a brief stint advising the Scanlen Ministry as Colonial Secretary before he retired completely. His legacy was in the system of responsible government and parliamentary accountability that he established. Molteno did not refer to himself as a
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
, preferring to see himself simply as a pragmatist. However, as an early proponent of multi-racial democracy, he was very influential on the later Cape Liberal tradition. He was knighted by
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
in 1882. (It was not an honour that he greatly valued however, and he had already refused three previous knighthoods earlier in his career.)


Later life and family

In person, Molteno was described as straight-talking and good-natured, with an easy laugh and a mischievous smile; politically outspoken and vigilant. His strongest political opponents on the other hand, accused him of being fierce, stubborn, and too much influenced by
Saul Solomon Saul Solomon (25 May 1817 – 16 October 1892) was an influential liberal politician of the Cape Colony, a British colony in what is now South Africa. Solomon was an important member of the movement for responsible government and an opponent ...
(a
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
MP whom Molteno held in high regard). In Lord De Villiers's biography he is summed up as ''"a fighter, who did not mind hard knocks, as long as he could return them."'' Molteno was unusually tall and powerfully built. In Southern Africa he acquired the nickname the "Lion of Beaufort", though his British opponents reputedly referred to him in private as the "Beaufort Boer". The nicknames were both reportedly due to his deep booming voice, his height, and the large beard he grew in later life. The Dictionary of National Biography adds ''"Sir John Molteno was a man of commanding presence and great physical strength. In private life, he was of most simple and unostentatious habits."'' Molteno was married three times and had a total of nineteen children, founding a large and influential South African family. His immediate descendants included politicians and members of parliament, shipping magnates and exporters, military leaders, suffragists and anti-Apartheid activists. Although born and raised a Catholic, Molteno was tight-lipped on the subject of his religious beliefs, unusual for a man known to be frank and direct. According to his son and biographer, he disliked denominations and was a
freethinker Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other metho ...
. The "Lion of Beaufort" died on 1 September 1886 and was interred at St Saviour's in Claremont, Cape Town. The town of Molteno, in the Stormberg Mountains of South Africa, is named after him.Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa vol7 p497


See also

*
John Charles Molteno Jr. John Charles Molteno Jr. (4 March 1860 – 23 March 1924) M.L.A., was a South African exporter and Member of Parliament. He was a prominent anti-imperialist of the Cape Colony, and a denouncer of British policies which led to the Boer War, cha ...
*
History of Cape Colony from 1870 to 1899 The year 1870 in the history of the Cape Colony marks the dawn of a new era in South Africa, and it can be said that the development of modern South Africa began on that date. Despite political complications that arose from time to time, progres ...
* Parliament of South Africa *
Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...
* Henry Bartle Frere * Donald Barkly Molteno *
Elizabeth Maria Molteno Elizabeth Maria Molteno (24 September 1852 – 25 August 1927), was an early South African British activist for civil and women's rights in South Africa. Early life Elizabeth was born into an influential Cape family of Italian origin. She was ...
* Percy Alport Molteno *
Sir James Tennant Molteno Sir James Molteno (5 January 1865 – 16 September 1936), was an influential barrister and parliamentarian of South Africa. Rising to prominence as an unconventional anti-imperialist, he was briefly opposition leader, before becoming parliame ...
*
Thomas Charles Scanlen Sir Thomas Charles Scanlen (9 July 1834 – 15 December 1912) was a politician and administrator of the Cape Colony. He was briefly Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, from 1881 to 1884, during an especially turbulent period in the Cape's histor ...
*
John Gordon Sprigg Sir John Gordon Sprigg, (27 April 1830 – 4 February 1913) was an English-born colonial administrator, politician and four-time prime minister of the Cape Colony. Early life Sprigg was born in Ipswich, England, into a strongly Puritan fami ...
* Molteno (disambiguation)


Notes and references

* * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* *


External links


Beaufort West Municipality
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Molteno, John C 1814 births 1886 deaths Cape Colony people Cape Colony politicians Prime Ministers of the Cape Colony 19th century in Africa South African people of Italian descent Members of the House of Assembly of the Cape Colony South African businesspeople English people of Italian descent English emigrants to South Africa 19th-century South African people
John Charles William John Charles (27 December 1931 – 21 February 2004) was a Welsh footballer who played as a centre-forward or as a centre-back. Best known for his first stint at Leeds United and Juventus, he was rated by many as the greatest all-ro ...