The arrival of Christian missionaries brought about slight improvements following criticism of the treatment of the Khoikhoi. These workers had to carry ‘permission documents’ from their employers allowing them to leave the farms they worked on. The Khoikhoi had lost their land to the colonisers in the late 1700’s and were forced to work for European landowners to survive.The colonial government turned a blind eye to the widespread mistreatment of Khoikhoi workers. Local farmers began employing more local Khoikhoi people when they ran short of labour at the Cape. The settlers and government turned to the indigenous Khoikhoi people to fill the labour gap. They could still sell slaves within the colony, but were prohibited from importing new slaves. Until that time Dutch farmers employed by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) supplied fresh food to passing ships using slave labour to stock up the refreshment station. Farmers at the Cape ran short of labour during the first British occupation of the southern tip of Africa in 1795, with its subsequent abolition of slavery in 1808. However, slaves at the Cape had been forced to carry Passes since 1709. The first time Pass documents were used to restrict the movement of non-European South Africans was in the early 1800’s. This made it easier for their owners and the local authorities to control their movements. Slaves at the Cape were forced to carry passes.
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