Isaiah Bud-M’belle, originally from Burgersdorp in the eastern Cape, was the best known African court interpreter of his day: first of all for the Griqualand West High Court in Kimberley (1894 to 1916), and then in a more wide-ranging role as clerk and interpreter at the head office of the Native Affairs Department in Pretoria (1919-1930). In between, he had a spell as General Secretary of the South African Native National Congress (forerunner of today’s ANC) at a particularly difficult time.
Bud-M’belle has not attracted the attention of other prominent black South Africans of his generation. When not ignored, he has tended to be regarded as overly conservative and accommodating of the white power structures of his day. Yet his life and career are worthy of further attention, not least because of the range of his individual achievements. He was the first black South African to pass the Cape Civil Service entry examination in 1893. As a keen sportsman he was involved in setting up leagues for African and Coloured teams in both cricket and rugby, persuading the De Beers Company in Kimberley to donate trophies for both. A passionate advocate of education for his people, he sought to raise funds for an African college of further education, and was on the committee that worked for the establishment of the South African Native College (later Fort Hare University) in 1916. He provided a role model for a generation of mission-educated Africans. Moreover, his life challenges any simple narrative of oppression and resistance in late nineteenth and early twentieth century South African history and, considering his subsequent reputation, raises interesting questions about the workings of historical memory.