ALMOST a century after her death a young woman from KwaZulu-Natal is finally getting the national recognition she deserves for preserving a vital part of South Africa’s history.
Dorothy Mabel Shamase, was born in a time when few women had the chance to go to school, yet she is the only person to have recorded - in writing - a first hand account of the Battle of Isandlwana.
Now almost 80 years later Shamase has been nominated for the Order of Ikhamanga, one of South Africa’s highest honours for her major contribution to the country’s historical record.
Terence Ball from Heritage Publishers which produced several volumes of Ancestral Voices said they had previously thought that Noel Mabale was the youngest contributor, but recently discovered that Shamase was only 15 years old when she penned the story of a Zulu warrior who had fought in the Battle of Isandlwana. The information was confirmed after her descendants reached out to him.
“Ms Shamase wrote down the words of uGogo kaPhefeni in this story. Gogo was born while Nkosi Mpande kaSenzangakhona reigned, meaning that she was about 89 years old - and she was telling the story to a 15-year-old. This is truly the reason why we believe the Ancestral Voices collection is a national treasure.”
Shamase had written the oral history of uGogo kaPhefeni, an elderly woman who had lived through the Battle of Isandlwana and the civil war that followed.
Ball said that while they are aware of the major contribution of all the Ancestral Voices authors in preserving the history, culture and languages of South Africa’s people, Shamase’s story was exceptional.
“We are deeply moved and amazed that someone so young and who had a tragically short life, had the foresight to record the only known first-hand account of the Battle of Isandlwana from the perspective of a Zulu warrior who fought there and of the civil war that followed. We will be approaching the Presidency to inform them about this extraordinary young woman and will nominate her for an Order of Ikhamanga.”
Just as remarkable is the story of how her family came to know about her article which appeared in Ancestral Voices.
The serendipitous discovery of Shamase’s work in 2024 and her link to the family who are originally from KwaZulu-Natal was made by a medical student in Gauteng. The woman purchased a copy of Ancestral Voices and her peers then wanted to know if she was related to Dorothy Shamase in the book because they shared a surname. She then turned to the family elders who confirmed that they were related.
Family spokesperson, advocate Mhleli Tshamase who is Shamase’s nephew, said their father who was the keeper of the family’s history had often spoken about his sister.
“Our dad recorded our family history before passing away in 2014. He had told us that aunty Dorothy had qualified as a teacher. We heard about her love for writing but we couldn't find anything in the family archives.”
Tshamase says following their discovery of Shamase’s work they had a huge family gathering in December. He then reached out to Ball.
“I indicated that we are the relatives of aunty Dorothy. He was quite excited to hear about that.”
Tshamase said Shamase had an unusual upbringing for that period in history.
“In the past, children never went beyond Standard one. So my grandfather was actually quite strict about education and insisted that all his children had to go to school. He had unfortunately witnessed a situation where his sister was abused in her marriage which he attributed to marrying early, being subservient to a man, forsaking your dreams and everything. He then vowed that his children were going to school so that they don't have to rely and depend on men.”
Shamase and her two sisters Ruth and Phyllis went to study at St Chad’s Teachers’ Training College in Ladysmith.
Tshamase said his father recalled that Shamase used to read and write letters on behalf of the family.
“She used to read and write letters for the family elders and she was also a very good storyteller, according to aunty Phyllis. She was also a Sunday School teacher in the Methodist Church.”
However Shamase never had children and died in 1945 at the age of 21.
“It’s tragic because she was actually about to get married, and then she fell sick. Within two days she passed away,” said Tshamase.
Ancestral Voices is a heritage project that brings to life the stories and histories of South Africans from nearly a century ago.
This collection of indigenous language manuscripts offers a unique glimpse into their cultural practices, traditions, and personal histories, and is recorded in their own words. Presented in bilingual volumes - each page featuring the original indigenous language alongside its English translation - the project preserves these invaluable accounts for future generations.
Between 2020 and 2022, 891 writings from 186 authors were transcribed, creating a vast archive of over 19 000 pages. These works, written by teachers, religious leaders, and community members, were originally handwritten in the 1930s to 1950s and have since been preserved and made accessible through Ancestral Voices.