Eastern Cape, SIPHAQENI district, Mfundisweni Wesleyan Mission cemetery

Cemetery information:- Mfundisweni Wesleyan Mission was established in eastern Pondoland by Rev. Thomas Jenkins in 1862. Jenkins first established Palmerton Mission in 1842 near to Faku’s Great Place after Faku of the amaPondo moved east of the Mzimvubu River. Faku, who reigned from circa 1820 until his death in 1867, had a very close relationship with Jenkins (1808-1868) who played a key role in counselling and assisting Faku in regard to warding off encroaching boer and British alike. At Faku’s insistence the Wesleyans exempted Jenkins from the usual rotation of missionaries between stations. “For more than thirty years Jenkins served a useful purpose as Faku’s amanuensis in dealing with British authorities. In his evangelistic work Jenkins refrained from open attacks upon the chief’s heathen ways and confined his preaching to the immediate vicinity of Palmerton. ... The Methodist District Chairman complained in 1866 that only a handful of Palmerton’s residents were of Mpondo origin ...” (Norman Etherington, 1978, Preachers, peasants and politics in south east Africa, 1835-1880: African Christian communities in Natal, Pondoland and Zululand, Royal Historical Society, London, page 72) Surrounding area still in use as a cemetery. (Information supplied by Mike Kenyon)

Album incomplete.

Photographs by Mike Kenyon, Robert Speirs (sent in by Peter Moll)

eGGSA captions by: James Anderson, Cecile Schlebusch.

 The GGSA Cemetery DVD only has information on the cemetery location. Cemetery ID: 6843 Google Earth Cemetery Initiative Information:- GPSID: 8217

GPS: -30 54.108, 29 32.103