Experiences Heritage Experiences History of Mgwali Mission
| History of Mgwali Mission |
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Mgwali village is situated 25 km east of the town of Stutterheim, it is one of the oldest settlements in the Eastern Cape. In June 1820, John Brownlee a Scottish missionary arrived in the Eastern Cape where he founded the Tyhume mission station at the confluence of the Mgwali and the Tyhume Rivers – the present-day Mgwali. Close to the Tyhume mission station lived Soga with his large family. His youngest son, Tiyo was taken to Scotland where he trained as a teacher. He came back to Mgwali but later returned to Scotland and was trained as a minister. He married a Scottish lady, Janet Burrside and returned in 1856. During the last frontier war of 1857, Chief Sandile donated a piece of land to the Scottish Missionary Society. Reverend Soga was very excited at arriving back in Mgwali as this had been to him the land of promise during his stay in Scotland. To the Xhosas, Mgwali was a land of milk and corn and in fact still is. He received a very warm respectful and highly enthusiastic welcome from his own countrymen. Once the Sogas had settled themselves, they proceeded to erect a small temporary place of worship. The materials which they used to build the first church were wattle and daub. By December 1859 the population of Mgwali was increasing and the church (which held about 280 persons) was overcrowded. Chief Mgolombane Sandile, the Chief of the Gaikas, was also sometimes present. In August of that same year, Sandile received a request from Prince Alfred and Sir George Grey, who were visiting the country, to visit them in Cape Town. Because other Chiefs had been detained at Robben Island, Chief Sandile refused to go unless Reverend Soga and Mr Charles Brownlee accompanied him. They returned at the beginning of October. While in Cape Town, Prince Alfred presented Reverend Soga with over a hundred pounds and one of the finest large Bibles he had ever seen. A most famous girls’ school was established in Mgwali in the late 19th century. Three Scottish lady teachers came out to run the school. Their rondavels where they lived and the old school, sadly in disrepair, can still be seen. |