Nongqawuse (; c. 1841 – 1898) was a Xhosa prophet. Her prophecies resulted in a millenarian belief that culminated in the Xhosa cattle-killing and famine of 1856–1857, in what is now Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Early life
Nongqawuse was born in 1841 near the Gxarha River in independent Xhosaland but close to the border of the recently established colony of British Kaffraria in Eastern Cape South Africa. Mhlakaza did not believe her at first but when Nongqawuse described one of the men, Mhlakaza (himself a diviner) recognised the description as that of his dead brother and became convinced she was telling the truth. The population of British Kaffraria decreased from 105,000 to fewer than 27,000 due to the resulting famine. The chief of Bomvana gave Nongqawuse to Major Gawler and she stayed at his home for a period. One day, Mrs. Gawler decided to dress her, along with the Mpongo prophetess Nonkosi, and have their portrait taken by a photographer. This is the widely circulated image of Nongqawuse that most people are familiar with. After her release, she lived on a farm in the Alexandria district of the eastern Cape. She died in 1898.
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