John Charles Molteno Jr. was born on March 4, 1860, in Beaufort West, as the son of Sir John Charles Molteno, the Cape’s first Prime Minister. From a young age, he served as his father’s secretary, helping manage the family’s businesses and extensive Karoo farms. He and his brothers later established a successful export business, achieving Southern Africa’s first successful fruit export to Europe, and dominated the industry for many years.
In 1889, Molteno Jr. became a member of parliament. A staunch anti-imperialist, he denounced the British policies that led to the Boer War and was a strong advocate for civil rights for Black Africans. He believed in their inclusion in South Africa’s political landscape and was outspoken in support of Black political empowerment.
Molteno was also deeply concerned with the welfare of agricultural communities and was recognized as an expert in rural development. Initially, he was a friend and business associate of Cecil John Rhodes, but they had a public falling out due to Rhodes’ imperialist and discriminatory policies against Black Africans and his stance on the Boer Republics.
He supported John X. Merriman’s party, which advocated for extending equal political rights to Black Africans across southern Africa. However, he struggled to gain widespread support from the white population for Black suffrage.
