Obvious in South Africa’s history is the transition of the rural African population from their pre-colonial existence as pastoralist-cultivators to their contemporary status of sub-subsistence rural dwellers, unable to support themselves by agriculture, and dependent for survival upon wages earned in ‘white industrial regions or on ‘white farms. This paper makes some suggestions about the history of African agriculture in South Africa, and particularly about the response by African peasants to economic changes in the late 19th century, arguing i.a. that there was a substantially more positive response by African agriculturists to market opportunities than has usually been indicated. In explaining the subsequent failure of this response it is suggested that the crucial post-mineral period was one in which non-market forces predominated. So it is tenable to speak of the creation of an African peasantry in S.A. during the 19th century. Notes.
