Joseph Williams and pioneer missionary frustration

Abstract

The year 2016 is notable for several significant anniversaries. One which could well be overlooked is that it is 200 years since the arrival of the first missionary to have been resident among the Xhosa. Although he had a short ministry, dying just two years later, Joseph Williams had a remarkable impact. The article briefly recounts his story and suggests that a cause of his early demise was frustration at his being caught up in the politics of the day, but also that his death could well have proved to have been beneficial to the progress of the gospel in the Eastern Cape.