Kamastone is a village in the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality under the Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
It is located about 33 km south-west of Komani (formerly known as Queenstown).
Kamastone is situated near the villages of Bulhoek, Ntabelanga, and Zangqokwe.
Kamastone is an arid area with an average annual rainfall of about 400 mm. The dominant vegetation type is the false thornveld of the Eastern Cape.
The village has an estimated population of about 1,500. Each household has an estimated arable land holding of about 2.5 ha. Agriculture is an integral part of Kamastone village, with livestock farming being the most dominant agricultural activity in the area.
Cattle farmers in the village have a farmers’ union which is led by a chairman (chairman of the farmers’ union in Kamastone).
History
The Cape government established the settlement of Kamastone in the Queenstown area in 1854.
In 1874, the government received complaints from Black residents that squatters had taken up residency, and it was decided that people who were living there had to be given titles of ownership to prove that they legitimately owned the land they were living on.
The area was divided into 8 sub-locations, of which Bulhoek was one. Although the land was still the property of the British Crown, it was surveyed into usable lots, building lots, and a commonly owned area for the use of the people.
The Bulhoek area was commonly owned and, according to the Native Locations Act of 1884, was not to be used for building or squatting and was not allowed to be damaged. Enoch Mgijima, who was the leader of 500 followers, known as the ‘Israelites’, was one of the title holders in Bulhoek.
