WH Read was appointed magistrate with Jojo, chief of the Xesibi tribe in August 1878 at Endambeni, later Mount Ayliff (General Directory of Cape of Good Hope, 1880, page 434). A court of the Resident Magistrate was established for the district of Mount Ayliff in October 1886 (Government Gazette no 6791 dated 26 October 1886, Proclamation no 174 dated 25 October 1886). For practical reasons the documents pertaining to the period prior to the establishment of a magistrate’s court for the district of Mount Ayliff are kept with this archives.

The Magistrate was also appointed as Native Commissioner as from 1 October 1928 (Government Gazette no 1734 dated 26 October 1928, Government Notice no 1865 dated 26 October 1928).