Henry Taberer

Henry Melville Taberer (7 October 1870 – 5 June 1932) was a South African cricketer who played in one Test in 1902.^[1] He was the son of the Revd C. Taberer and was born at Keiskammahoek, Cape Province.

Taberer attended St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown from January 1883 to June 1892. He played in St. Andrew's cricket XI and rugby XV. At Keble College, Oxford he attained a B.A. (Hon) in Theology.^[2] Henry was the brother of Bill Taberer, international rugby player.

Taberer played cricket in England for Oxford University but failed to win a blue, and he also appeared for Essex in 1892 and 1893, before the county achieved first-class status. He appeared for Oxford against Cambridge in both athletics (long jump) and rugby union.^[3]

Taberer had an intermittent cricket career in South Africa, appearing for Natal, Transvaal and Rhodesia. On his one Test appearance he captained the side, but he scored only two runs and took just one wicket, that of Victor Trumper. The match was his last first-class cricket appearance. He was later prominent in South African cricket administration.

Taberer was born on a mission station and was a fluent speaker of the languages used by the local population: he claimed to speak them more fluently than he did English.^[3] He was able to use this talent effectively when he became manager of the South African government's Native Labour Bureau and adviser to the Native Recruiting Corporation for the Chamber of Mines at a time of increasing industrial unrest.^[3]

Taberer was the Secretary for Zululand in 1894, an acting magistrate in Eshowe, Zululand in 1895. From April 1896 to 1900 he was Controller of Cattle in Southern Rhodesia from April 1896 to 1900; He was also the Chief Native Commissioner in Mashonaland in 1895. He was a captain in the Umtali Volunteer regiment and served through the Mashonaland rebellion (1896-97), he was twice mentioned in despatches.^[2] He died at Colesberg, Cape Province in 1932.

References