The Cape of Good Hope Philanthropic Society

Established in 1828 by some influential business leaders looking to distance themselves from the institution of slavery—a shift fueled by England's early 19th-century religious revival—the Cape of Good Hope Philanthropic Society or The Cape of Good Hope Society for Aiding Deserving Slaves and Slave Children to Purchase their Freedom, aimed to fund the manumission of enslaved children, primarily young females born in the Cape Colony. Funding for these manumissions was largely drawn from government fines imposed on slaveholders who violated the British Amelioration Laws by failing to register slave ownership and life-cycle events.

From its inception, the Society faced fierce opposition from pro-slavery hardliners, which severely limited incoming donations. Freeing the female slaves would break the cycle of bondage. Those who were manumitted were placed into indentured servitude under contract to provide them with basic care and reading skills until full emancipation took effect in 1838. By 01 December 1834, when the Slavery Abolition Act was enforced, the Society had successfully secured freedom for approximately 127 enslaved children. It ceased to exist on 01 December 1834.

Source: Fiona Vernal (2011) Discourse Networks in South African Slave Society, African Historical Review, 43:2, 1-36, DOI: 10.1080/17532523.2011.634063

Vernal, Fiona. “No Such Thing as a Mulatto Slave': Legal Pluralism, Racial Descent and the Nuances of Slave Women's Sexual Vulnerability in the Legal Odyssey of Steyntje Van De Kaap, C.1815-1822.” Slavery & Abolition, 2008.

Slave records - South African National Archives

Archive copying by Lara Seaward