Gonaqua

Gonaqua history belongs to the eastern Cape, especially the Fish, Bushmans and Sundays river country. The name covered communities shaped by sustained relationships between Khoe and Xhosa people, rather than a permanently isolated pastoral group. Dutch emissaries obtained large numbers of cattle and sheep from Gonaqua communities in 1702. By 1752, travelers encountered them between the Fish and Keiskamma rivers, within a landscape of intermarriage and differing relations with Xhosa chiefs.

During the early nineteenth century, some Gonaqua entered colonial farms or mission settlements, while others maintained connections across the frontier. In 1829 the British government established the Kat River Settlement for Khoe and Gonaqua inhabitants, intending it as a buffer against neighboring Xhosa polities. Andries Botha, previously resident at Theopolis mission, became an early settler and local official there. The frontier war of 1834–1835 damaged livelihoods and drew settlers into military service. These experiences show continuing communities negotiating displacement and colonial demands.