essay about moshoeshoe wisdom and diplomacy

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King Moshoeshoe I

Also known as Moshesh, Mosheshwe or Mshweshwe. His name was allegedly changed from Lepoqo after a successful raid in which he had sheared the beards of his victims – the word ‘Moshoeshoe’ represented the sound of the shearing.

In 1820 Moshoeshoe succeeded his father, Mokhacane, as the chief of the Bamokoteli. His first settlement was at Butha Buthe, but he later built his stronghold at Thaba Bosiu (Mountain of the Night). He united various groups of refugees during the Shaka wars, a period known as the ‘mfecane’ or difaqane (1813-1830), into the Basotho nation. From his capital at Thaba Bosiu , he warded off attacks from many enemies, including Shaka’s Zulus and Mzilikazi’s Ndebele .

In 1833 he encouraged missionaries from the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society to come to his kingdom, and so brought the Basotho in contact with Christianity. Moshoeshoe himself is said to have converted to the faith at the end of his life. From 1836 he came into contact with the Voortrekkers who settled in what is today known as the Free State, and then reached several territorial agreements with the British, who had taken over possession of the Free State territory in 1848. Border disputes nevertheless led to battles between the Basotho and British forces in 1851 and 1852, both of which were won by the Basotho.

In 1854 the Orange Free State (OFS) became an independent Boer republic. As with the British, border conflict broke out soon afterwards. After a Basotho defeat in 1868, Moshoeshoe asked the British for protection. Basotholand became British territory, but Moshoeshoe still managed to preserve his kingdom and his people’s existence. After the British signed the Treaty of Aliwal North with the OFS, the border dispute was settled. Moshoeshoe died in 1870 and a year later Basotholand was integrated with the Cape Colony. However, in 1884, it became a separate British Protectorate.

In 1966, Basotholand gained its independence and was renamed Lesotho.

A great-great-grandson of Moshoeshoe, Archbishop Emmanuel Mbathoana (1904-1966), became the first Black bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Southern Africa. He was the archbishop of Basotholand from 1952. Another great-great-grandson, Moshoeshoe II, became the king of Lesotho after independence.

Potgieter, J. (ed)(1972). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Vol. VII, Pretoria: HSRC, pp. 544-5.|(1999). Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition, Keyword: Mosheshwe.9

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King Moshoeshoe: The living testimony of his life as the first Pan-African

  A Model of Pre-Colonial African Leadership  

By max du preez (research fellow, centre for leadership ethics in africa, university of fort hare).

Posted by African Thoughts

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The Survival of the Sotho Under Moshoeshoe Essay

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Introduction

• The 19th Century Sotho Kingdom

The Thaba Bosiu Experience

Cited works.

Trade was the major economic activity that brought groups of people together during the time the Basotho people arrived in their present homeland. In fact, by the beginning of 19 th century, white traders, the Voortrekkers inhabited what is now called the Basutoland. With this conglomeration of different groups of people, there emerged extreme pressure on the environment for resettlement.

Meanwhile, the Zulu state, led by Shaka was expanding and with it a series of violence across the entire southern Africa. The violence that was witnessed throughout this region threatened the extinction of many groups of people but not the organized Sotho society.

The survival of this group of people is attributed to the strong leadership of their king Moshoeshoe the Great that was necessitated by frequent cattle raids. The paper investigates the validity of the postulate that the Basotho people survived because of cattle raids, which made their leader to seek refuge in Thaba Bosiu.

The 19 th Century Sotho Kingdom

In the 19 th century, a violent explosion erupted annihilating the South African chiefdoms border today’s Lesotho. Those who did survive the annihilation either were dispersed or were incorporated into larger chiefdoms that were stronger and well reorganized.

The leaders of these new chiefdoms were capable of defending their subjects; and Moshoeshoe was one such leader. The political situation in the east of Drakensberg Mountains was characterized by increasing competition over trade links, arable land for cultivation, cattle raids, among other factors (Stokes 102).

Owing to the political and economic instability of the region courtesy of Shaka Zulu’s autocracy, food scarcity and famine struck the region thereby according dominant chiefdoms the opportunity to increase their wealth and power. Consequently, the leader who promised wealth and security obtained from agricultural and pastoral production as well as from trade commanded greater support and following.

Cattle raiding and agricultural production became the silver bullet to the peoples’ problems, a policy that was pursued religiously by leaders. It is little wonder then, that conflicts resulting from food shortage interrupted food production hindered economic growth, and starvation punctuated the disruptions caused by migrating chiefdoms that sought a place to settle (Eldredge 2).

From 1822 throughout the century, raids were common phenomena in this region of southern Africa. For example, destitute immigrants crossed the Drakensberg Mountains from the east and executed their raids on the population around Highveld and upper Caledon River Valley to get crops and cattle (Eldredge 2).

These raids conjured up survival instincts of the young Sotho leader, Moshoeshoe l to forge alliances with their neighbors, the Sesotho group, and move to the mountains for protection. He, therefore, sent his scouts to find a good place in the mountains that could act as a fortress against their would-be raiders notwithstanding the risk that he was exposing them to. A large flat-topped mountain was located south of the territory.

In 1824, Moshoeshoe led his subjects in a three-day trek to occupy this new residence with natural bulwarks against the raiders. However, the weather was terribly cold and some people died as a result; and according to oral tradition, desperation led to their bodies being eaten up by the starving groups.

Nevertheless, the move proved to be an act of ingenuity of the Moshoeshoe l, thus earning him credit for having saved his people from extermination in the hands of marauding neighbors. This mountain fortress was called Thaba Bosiu, which literally translates to the “mountain of the night”. It was almost an invulnerable site for the Basotho people could now protect themselves, their cattle, and crops (McKenna 93).

Moshoeshoe l is hailed as a leader of remarkable political and diplomatic ace who expanded his hegemony by incorporating many chiefdoms into his own lineage. As a shrewd leader, he acknowledged the crucial role played by such skills as farming, hunting, adventuring, among others that his neighboring community in the south had mastered.

As a result, he welcomed missionaries to inform him about the events of the rest of the world and to import these skills into his chiefdom. Actually, that is how the Boer trekkers trickled into his kingdom to later wreck havoc.

After a protracted period of war occasioned by chronic hunger and frequent famine, the Basotho grew weary of being marooned in the Thaba Bosiu and wanted to resettle on their ancestral lands to expand agricultural production.

Eventually, they managed to resettle in these lands and built up their stores of food, which in turn expanded their economy so rapidly that they supplied their African and European neighbors with surplus food.

During this time, the Boers who resided in the Cape Colony were increasingly becoming frustrated with the British rule that had imposed strict policies on land tenure, prohibited slavery, and restricted continued expansion eastwards. Consequently, in the early 1830s this discontent caused the Great Boer Trek where about fifteen thousand Boers together with their households migrated across the Orange River.

Many of them settled “along the southwestern fringes of lands which had belonged to the forefathers of the Basotho” (Eldredge 3). The earliest settlers in this region did acknowledge the authority of Moshoeshoe over this territory and therefore, sought his permission to settle.

The events that shaped the survival mechanisms of the Basotho people such as economics and politics are best explained from the perspective of the pursuit of security. These dynamics of the 19 th century can only be interpreted within the context of security structures rather than blatant physical survival.

The reason being, security denotes recognition that extracting resources for purposes of satisfying peoples’ material needs was governed by social structure that puts a limit to the abilities of people to exploit others. Moreover, the pursuit of security expedites the explanation of the motivations underlying the acceptability of the authority of Moshoeshoe by subordinate groups (S.A.H.S. 113).

Such groups had a strong belief that physical survival presupposed the achievement of security in the political front, which guaranteed their protection and access to productive resources therewith.

Not surprisingly then, that individuals as well as groups that were weary of the regional politics sought clientship under Moshoeshoe, the Basotho leader, but not other chiefs in the region owing to their despotic bent and lamentable lack of generosity.

The Basotho was a dominant group in the southern African region in the 19 th century and unlike any other group of its caliber, it was shaped by the pursuit of holistic security.

With violent struggles reverberating across the region, beginning among Africans in the 1820s before Europeans followed suit, it will be a great misrepresentation of fact to reduce the motivation of this group to a craving for exploiting subordinate groups in their society.

Many chiefs within the neighborhood copied the leadership style of Moshoeshoe and endeavored to achieve security by attracting outsiders and consolidating their authorities over a greater population of subjects.

The key to this strategy was to accumulate vast resources and reallocating it to people in a way that would win their support. Briefly, dominant as well as subordinate groups strived to achieve a degree of security by midwifing clientship relations (Eldredge 4).

It can be said with confidence that the survival of the Basotho people in the 19 th century was occasioned by the political and economic instability in the southern African region. The repercussions of this hapless situation bred a habit of cattle raiding by groups that were considered dominant.

In order to spare his group from this disastrous attack, Moshoeshoe mooted a security plan to whisk his people in a mountain fortress called Thaba Bosiu with virtually impenetrable frontiers. While safely marooned in their new residence, Basotho could cultivate their crops and keep their cattle undisturbed.

Moshoeshoe was also endowed with excellent diplomatic skills besides good leadership and this enabled him to have clientship relations with many individuals and groups that were incorporated in his society.

Eldredge, Elizabeth A. A South African Kingdom: The pursuit of security in nineteenth-century Lesotho. New York; NY: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

McKenna, Amy. The History of Southern Africa. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2011.

S.A.H.S. (South African Historical Society). South African historical journal, Issue 30. Cape Town, South African Historical Society, 1994.

Stokes, Jamie. Encyclopedia of the People of Africa and the Middle East, Volume 1. New York, NY: InfoBase Publishing, 2009.

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IvyPanda. (2019, April 30). The Survival of the Sotho Under Moshoeshoe. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-survival-of-the-sotho-under-moshoeshoe-essay/

"The Survival of the Sotho Under Moshoeshoe." IvyPanda , 30 Apr. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/the-survival-of-the-sotho-under-moshoeshoe-essay/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'The Survival of the Sotho Under Moshoeshoe'. 30 April.

IvyPanda . 2019. "The Survival of the Sotho Under Moshoeshoe." April 30, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-survival-of-the-sotho-under-moshoeshoe-essay/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Survival of the Sotho Under Moshoeshoe." April 30, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-survival-of-the-sotho-under-moshoeshoe-essay/.

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Legend of Africa: King Moshoeshoe I, wise & brave warrior who founded Lesotho

• The African History
• January 2, 2022
• History , Kingdom , Personality Profile

Moshoeshoe I, the founder and king of the Basotho Kingdom (current-day LESOTHO), was known for his military superiority and diplomatic capabilities. He was a key figure in defending Lesotho against European colonization and helping the country’s independence.

Moshoeshoe was the son of a Koena chief, and his original name was Lepoqo.

Moshoeshoe earned a reputation as a leader as a young adult by conducting daring cattle raids.

Despite this, he was impatient and irritable, and often killed followers for minor infractions. A local wise man told him that being just and humane would make him a more successful leader.

This piece of advice convinced Moshoeshoe that peace, not violence, would earn him more loyal supporters. By the early 1830s, he had successfully united many minor clans to form the Basotho kingdom.

Moshoeshoe observed the complicated relations between African and European populations throughout this time and learnt to deal with them positively.

Moshoeshoe acquired the respect of other African leaders and colonial officials by demonstrating that he was a powerful and knowledgeable leader, which would prove to be crucial in his efforts to keep the Basotho people independent.

Attempts by European invaders to conquer the Basotho people and steal their land posed the greatest threat to Moshoeshoe during his reign.

Initially, Britain supported the settlers. Lesotho was invaded by a British force in 1852, but Moshoeshoe defeated them. Over the next 15 years, the settlers attempted but failed to defeat Moshoeshoe and his followers.

Moshoeshoe gained the respect of colonial officials and won the support of the British administration through his diplomatic skills.

He helped protect the Basotho from European rule by making an alliance with Britain and winning its protection. As a result, the people of Lesotho regard Moshoeshoe as the country’s father.

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The Exemplary Ethical Leadership of King Moshoeshoe of Basotho of Lesotho in the Nineteenth Century Southern Africa

There is no gainsaying in that nation-building requires bold, visionary, and above all, exemplary ethical leadership. King Moshoeshoe 1 of the Basotho of Lesotho standing as an exemplar of ethical leadership is abundantly supported both by his monumental achievements and by the ethical qualities of his organizational creative leadership. The purpose of this exemplar profile is to display his underappreciated record of individual moral responsibility for social science disciplines i.e. political management, political science, political philosophy, public administration, business administration, leadership studies, organizational theory etc. There is so much these disciplines can learn about the nature of ethical leadership and its relationship to public organizational effectiveness from Moshoeshoe‟s leadership philosophy, managerial style, organizational behavior and decisions in their quest for building harmonious and just societies worldwide.

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This is a study of the origins and history of the ANC, SACP, BCP and PAC with emphasis on the 2013 admission that Nelson Mandela had been a member of the clandestine South African Communist Party [SACP] since the 1950's, which explains how the SACP was able to take over the ANC but bring no benefit to the liberation struggle. Mandela's decision, motivated to thwart the rise of lower class activists, split the ANC into two parties, dragged South Africa into the Cold War, probably delaying freedom by 20 years, and brought chaos to Lesotho. [Maps, photos and charts to follow]

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The apartheid regime's attempt at 'ethnic division' practiced through its Bantustan policy caused conflicts in South Africa. A squatter area called Kromdraai became the center of such a conflict between 'Basotho' and 'Batswana'. This paper studies why and how those ex-Kromdraai residents started to claim that they were 'Basotho'. Firstly, it will discuss the political and economic situation in which the conflict occurred. Secondly, it will argue how politicians of Qwaqwa, a Bantustan for 'Basotho', attempted to mobilize people in forming their identity, and why Kromdraai residents got involved in its politics as 'Basotho'. Thirdly, using oral testimonies, it will reveal the meaning of identifying oneself as 'Basotho' for Kromdraai residents. Finally, it will conclude that Kromdraai residents interpreted the word Basotho as being inclusive, not to be 'ethnically' exclusive as 'Batswana', but at the same time to secure help from Sotho Bantustan, Qwaqwa.

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The day in memory and honour of King Moshoeshoe I -March 11th

Posted on March 30, 2012 With the view and perception that culture makes an indispensable part of people's lives and is an important source of the nation's vitality and creativity and constitutes a key factor uniting the nations while making it distinctive from other nations, once again in history, Basotho held national celebrations and commemoration of their founder, King Moshoeshoe I on the 11th of March. Annually he is historicized and remembered in multifaceted ways and this year the commemoration was characterized by styles that are part of the country's contemporary cultural landscapes. This day is aimed at rebuilding and uniting Basotho not only in Lesotho but Basotho as a nation all over the globe. 11th March marks the day on which Moshoeshoe died and this used to be celebrated on the 12th which was wrongly believed to be his birth date. Born in about 1786 in Menkhoaneng, he was raised and known as Lepoqo, the name serving as an archive documenting the domestic dispute of the time when Moshoeshoe was born. This was during the time when what was in the name mattered in the Sesotho culture as they (names) where significant tools through which major national calamities could be documented and safeguarded as lessons for future generations. The celebrations in honour of Moshoeshoe transcended borders as Basotho in some parts of South Africa were also part and parcel of the beat as among others Thaba-Bosiu Mokhorong oa Khotla horse racing competition was organized in honour of the big name in Botshabelo, in the Free State. Further, to cement the idea that Moshoeshoe and his legacy have invaded hearts of many Basotho beyond the Lesotho borders, he was tributed and remembered with great enthusiasm as Basotho in Qwa-Qwa in the Free State were no exception in rekindling memory of this icon. In Matatiele too, Basotho could not be left out during Moshoeshoe's celebrations where they commemorated with performances. Among important significances of the day was an urge to Basotho to promote and preserve their identity and an advice for the promotion of Sesotho language owing to the fact that language serves as a strong engine in defining the society. So this makes it crystal clear that it is our obligation to protect valuable heritage of our ancestors and carry forward the ancient civilization. In Lesotho, on this Public holiday, other than in other parts of the country where celebrations took platform, under the theme of 'peace', major symbolic celebrations by the government dignitaries were held at Thaba-Bosiu (the national monument) and later at the Lesotho Evangelical Church at Thaba-Bosiu which houses among other national treasures the stool that Moshoeshoe, himself used when he was at this church. At the national monument, the Prime Minister and His Majesty King laid a wreath at the grave of King Moshoeshoe I. Other functions of the day included the traditional performances showcasing Lesotho's cultural diversity. These events seek to insert identity into the country's landscape. To further cement the weight at which Moshoeshoe and his legacy still scoop the landscape among Basotho is through the pictorial symbolism and representation that he continues to win hearts of many as evident in the local brands. Who is King Moshoeshoe I by the way? He is son of Mokhachane and was born in Menkhoaneng in around 1786 known as Lepoqo, the name which meant to mark the social calamity of conflict that has erupted in his community at the time he was born. He was later known as Moshoeshoe, named after the victory verse lyrics he composed after raiding 500 cattle of Moeletsi, the nearby chief as he was imitating the scarping sound of the razor, 'shoe-shoe-shoe' to portray his victory. At the age of nineteen in 1805, he was initiated into manhood and he was thus named Letlama and Tlaputle. During the Lifaqane wars, Moshoeshoe and his people embarked on the great trek from Menkhoaneng to Thaba-Bosiu in 1824 and it taxed them nine days. Thaba-Bosiu (translated mountain at night), according to the local popular belief was that this high mountain plateau elevated during night and took the shape of a high fortress and that's is why it provided a great defense during the various wars including the third war against Free State in 1868. Claims made are that Moshoeshoe chose this place because he regarded it as the stronger natural fortress and also owing to the fact that it was on the left bank of the Caledon River and as a result less open to invaders from Natal. It is then in this light that Thaba-bosiu is imbued with great significance in the history of Basotho. It is, among others, referred to as a Sion of Basotho and celebrations like these of Moshoeshoe at this spot give Basotho opportunity to renew vows with their great hero. This is a landscape that serves as a symbol of nation building and has a historical significance in the history of Basotho as the mountain is strongly associated with the formation of the Basotho nation. It is on this plateau where Moshoeshoe showcased his military prowess and diplomatic skills as he repelled his enemies and attracted other nations as his people and other chieftainships as his partners. This space owing to the intangible cultural wealth it is pregnant with was declared a national monument in 1967. The grave of Moshoeshoe I on top of the mountain also contribute to the site's sacracy, hence why multitudes of Basotho flood to the site during major national catastrophes. Having laid out the weight of significance the site has in the national history and nation-building, laying wrath on the grave of Chief Moshoeshoe by the National Leaders was to rekindle social and cultural ties with the space. This ancestral spot has both a symbolic value and historical significance at it contributed in the Basotho nation-building, hence why the National department of Culture is putting efforts to ensure the area is awarded the status it deserves as it has all the fabric to get global recognition. It serves as a memorial and constant reminder of who Basotho are and where they were 'manufactured and imagined' as a nation. It is a commemorative site and thus the birthplace of Lesotho. It is in this light that it is considered sacred and a 'faraway' land of many miracles and prophecy. Grave of King Moshoeshoe I -Courtesy of National Department of Culture Most significantly, memory initiatives are platforms in which human beings come to make sense in their identity and their relationship with one another. So conscious of this, and to ensure the memory of this hero does not fade away, the National Department of Culture in partnership with the Lesotho History Teacher's Association organized a special lecture for high school students at the Lesotho National Library where Moshoeshoe, his legacy and ideology were unpacked in order to keep his memory among young people vibrant. This was an effort to preserve Lesotho's cultural history and identity as Basotho. A special lecture on Moshoeshoe, his ideologies, legacy and discourse were unpacked in order to reinforce and supplement the school history curriculum. The lecture suggested various angles of interpretation. It also contributes immensely towards the process of memorialisation and a deeper understanding of Basotho nation-building. The day's events on the 11th of March also coincided with the three-day annual heritage route taken in the footsteps of this hero from his home place to where he founded the nation called Basotho, the Menkoaneng to Thaba-Bosiu heritage route, which was in its sixth edition this year. The event attracts tourists from all over Africa and other parts of the globe. It seeks to retrace the path the founder of the Basotho has taken as he sought best refuge for his people. This is the hardcore heritage route in the trace of where Basotho come from. Annually Moshoeshoe is commemorated for his power and wisdom and this is celebrated with traditional attire with so much pride as March is very significant in the history of Lesotho and Basotho as it excavates the memory of Moshoeshoe and his legacy. He is described by some as remarkable character of a man who practiced diplomacy in an unforgettable worldwide statesman. This is the man who gathered and gave refuge to different ethnic groups during the Lifaqane wars and out of these 'various' communities he 'brewed' the Basotho. It is in this light that the public holiday, Moshoeshoe's day, is one of the important landmarks of Lesotho to celebrate the triumph of Moshoeshoe's diplomacy. What made and still continue to make him outstanding was his strong belief that gaining wisdom and power as a leader, one has to first acquire qualities of clarity of mind, goodness of heart and service to one's fellow-man. This is what made him a great king with reputation for nobility and fairness. Lesotho's rich musical wealth is one of the pathways through which the memory of Moshoeshoe has been kept alive over the years. This then poses a question to our leaders with regard to making efforts to ensure their names get archived and documented and become educational memories to instill their ideologies in the coming generations. What positive traces do they leave behind in order to be commemorated by generations to come? What sketches do they leave to be celebrated through music, memory, and heritage or otherwise? What legacies do they leave archived locally and regionally for coming generations, or has this caliber been destroyed by the ideology of democracy? Who will be like Moshoeshoe who has even transcended the borders as he still scoops platform in foreign cultural landscapes like the Museum Africa in Johannesburg? These commemorations stamp the idea that culture is a productive power that not only shapes human concepts and impacts their behavior, but also contributes in no small measure to the betterment of their material as well as spiritual world. Sebinane Lekoekoe is a Senior Archivist at the Lesotho National Archives. He writes in his personal capacity.

8 Facts about King Moshoeshoe I: The Razor of Southern Africa

Introduction: King Moshoeshoe I , founder of Lesotho, reigned from 1822 to his death in 1870, during a period of immense tumult in southern Africa. He waged one of the most effective resistance efforts to colonialism (from the Dutch Boer settlers and British Empire) over many decades, as well as to Shaka’s military consolidation of what became Zulu Kingdom in the 1820s.

His name was originally a nickname derived from a poem he wrote as a youth, a braggadocio-filled anthem to farm animal theft that could put most hip-hop moguls to shame. From the poorly sourced Wikipedia version of the story:

During his youth, he was very brave and once organised a cattle raid against Ramonaheng and captured several herds. As was the tradition, he composed a poem praising himself where, amongst the words he used to refer to himself, said he was “like a razor which has shaved all Ramonaheng’s beards”, referring to his successful raid. In Sesotho language, a razor makes a “shoe…shoe…” sound, and after that he was affectionately called Moshoeshoe: “the shaver”.

  He also wore an appropriately supreme tophat and cape, like the badass king he was.

King Moshoeshoe I with his ministers of state (Bensusan Museum, Johannesburg – Wikimedia )

Additional claims to fame include:

• He founded his own all-new clan at age 34. Presumably on the strength of his charisma, diplomatic flair, and cattle-rustling skills. This clan established a settlement in a location that could withstand Zulu assaults. His original clan eventually grew to be Lesotho and environs.
• He never lost a major battle!
• He ruled for 48 years against a colonial onslaught. Many native rulers in Africa were unable to maintain such a strong level of sovereignty and control in their domains during the period.
• He united the various Sotho people into a Basotho nation through a combination of battle followed by compassionate diplomacy (rather than subjugation through conquest).
• He was very willing to mess with the Boers as they tried to invade. He would give them fair conditions for maintaining peaceful coexistence and then beat them back when they rebelled. Eventually, of course, they took over much of the outlying territories of his realm (as they did in many places). But he never lost control of his home kingdom.
• He beat the British military and then threw them a bone so they could make peace with dignity.
• He manipulated various Europeans to get defensive weapons and surprisingly valid foreign policy advice to fight off the settlers. He also used them to help preserve local culture in written form for future generations.
• He successfully negotiated an intervention by Queen Victoria to preserve Lesotho against all attempts at settler seizure, via protectorate status...

While this did eventually make Lesotho into a colony, it remained separate and intact from British South Africa and Apartheid South Africa both during and after its colonial phase. The monarchy still survives to this day (now in constitutional form) and the Sotho culture endures. Compared to how many of the surrounding areas fared, the decision to pitch a deal to Queen Victoria makes King Moshoeshoe I look pretty insightful.

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The Sotho kingdom (1824–69)

Basutoland (1871–1966).

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• Central Intelligence Agency - The World Factbook - Lesotho
• GlobalSecurity.org - Lesotho - Introduction
• UCLA - African Studies Center - Lesotho
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• BBC News - Lesotho country profile
• Lesotho - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
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The violent upheavals of the early 19th century among the chiefdoms of Southern Africa intensified in Lesotho in the 1820s. During this turbulent period, known as the Difaqane (also spelled Lifaqane; Sotho: “crushing”), the members of many chiefdoms were annihilated , dispersed, or incorporated into stronger, reorganized, and larger chiefdoms positioned in strategically advantageous areas. ( See Mfecane .)

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The leaders who headed the new chiefdoms had the ability to offer greater protection; one of these was Moshoeshoe I of the Moketeli, a minor lineage of the Kwena (Bakwena). In 1824 he occupied Thaba Bosiu (“Mountain at Night”), the defensive centre from which he incorporated many other individuals, lineages, and chiefdoms into what became the kingdom of the Sotho (subsequently also called Basutoland). Moshoeshoe was a man of remarkable political and diplomatic skill. By cooperating with other chiefdoms and extending the influence of his own lineage, he was able to create a Sotho identity and unity, both of which were used to repel the external forces that threatened their autonomy and independence. Moshoeshoe also acknowledged the importance of acquiring the skills of farmers, settlers, hunters, and adventurers, who increasingly moved across his borders from the south. He therefore welcomed the missionaries from the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society as a source of information about the rest of the world when they arrived at Thaba Bosiu in 1833. He placed them in strategically important parts of the kingdom, where they gave the Sotho their first experience with Christianity, literacy, and commodity production for long-distance trading.

Large numbers of Boer trekkers from the Cape Colony began to settle on the western margins of the kingdom in 1834 and to challenge the right of the Sotho to their land. The next 30 years were characterized by conflict and outbursts of warfare between the Sotho and the Boers. Ultimately, the Sotho lost most of their territory west of the Caledon River , from which the Boers formed the Orange Free State . The British , to whom Moshoeshoe appealed for intervention, were unable to resolve the dispute over where the boundary should be drawn.

Devastating wars in the late 1860s prompted Moshoeshoe to again appeal to the British for assistance, as he feared the dispersal and possible extinction of his people. Sir Philip Wodehouse, governor and high commissioner of the Cape Colony, concerned with the region’s stability and British interests in Southern Africa, annexed the kingdom to the British crown in 1868.

Basutoland remained a British protectorate until Moshoeshoe’s death in 1870 (he was buried on Thaba Bosiu). The next year the colony was annexed to the Cape Colony without the consent of Basutoland. The former independent African mountain kingdom lost much of its most productive land to the Boers and its political autonomy to the British. Nonetheless, the Sotho still retained some of their land and their social and cultural independence.

Attempts by the Cape Colony administration to disarm the Sotho led to the Gun War (1880–81). The Cape Colony relinquished Basutoland to British rule in 1884, when it became one of three British High Commission Territories in Southern Africa; Swaziland and Bechuanaland (now Botswana ) were the other two.

At the end of the 19th century, mineral discoveries were made; their enormous potential laid the foundation for the creation of the Union of South Africa (1910). In order to acquire cheap labour and to end competition from independent African agricultural producers, landowners and miners encouraged the adoption of policies that deprived the indigenous population of its social and political rights and most of its land. Sotho farmers took advantage of the markets for foodstuffs in the growing South African mining centres, however. They utilized new farming techniques to produce substantial surpluses of grain, which they sold on the South African markets. Sotho workers also traveled to the mines to sell their labour for cash and firearms.

Lesotho’s history in the 20th century was dominated by an increasing dependence on labour migration to South Africa, which was made necessary by taxation, population growth behind a closed border, the depletion of the soil, and the need for resources to supplement agricultural production. Sotho workers became an important element of the South African mining industry, and Basutoland became the classic example of the Southern African labour reserve, its people dependent on work in South Africa for their survival.

The British set up a system of dual rule and left considerable power in the hands of the paramount chiefs—Letsie (1870–91), Lerotholi (1891–1905), Letsie II (1905–13), Griffith (1913–39), Seeiso (1939–40), and the regent ’Mantsebo (1940–60)—all of whom were descendants of Moshoeshoe I. Under these leaders, authority was delegated through ranked regional chiefs drawn from the royal lineage and the most important chiefdoms. A system of customary law was adopted, with the land held in trust by the paramount chief for the people, while crucial aspects of local government were also left to the chiefs. The colonial government was headed by a resident commissioner and advised by the Basutoland National Council, which was led by the paramount chief and dominated by his nominated members.

The British administration was concerned primarily with balancing Basutoland’s budget, which it facilitated by ensuring that a substantial proportion of the population worked for wages in South Africa. The local chiefs could do little to halt the increasing social and economic deprivation within Basutoland. Education was left to the missionary societies, and there was little development of economic infrastructure or social services. Between 1929 and 1933 the Great Depression coincided with a massive drought, driving so many people into South Africa that the population in Basutoland hardly increased for a decade.

Opposition to the colonial system grew, but no organizations were able to topple the colonial administration and its traditionalist allies. The Sotho were unified, however, in their opposition to Basutoland’s incorporation into South Africa and their fear that the British might cede the territory to South Africa without consulting them.

In the early 1930s the British attempted to reduce the number of chiefs, but after World War II (during which more than 20,000 Sotho served for the British in North Africa , Europe, and the Middle East) the development of nationalist parties pressing for independence outweighed the need for reform. Three major political parties emerged at this time: the Basutoland Congress Party (BCP; at independence the Basotho Congress Party ) in 1952, under Ntsu Mokhehle; the more conservative Basutoland National Party (BNP; at independence the Basotho National Party ) in 1958, under Chief Leabua Jonathan, which was supported by the South African government and was associated with chiefly power and the Roman Catholic Church; and the Marema-Tlou Freedom Party (1963), which was identified with the defense of the powers of the country’s principal chiefs.

The Basutoland Council, in existence since 1903, obtained the right to control the internal affairs of the territory in 1955. The region became self-governing in 1965, and general elections held in that year for a new legislative assembly were dominated by the BNP. On October 4, 1966, when Basutoland received its independence from Britain , it was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho and headed by paramount chief Moshoeshoe II (named for the nation’s founder) as king and Chief Jonathan as prime minister . Executive power was given to the prime minister in 1967.

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• > Kingdoms and Chiefdoms of Southeastern Africa
• > The Caledon River Valley and the BaSotho of Moshoeshoe, 1821–33

Book contents

• Frontmatter
• List of Illustrations
• 1 History and Oral Traditions in Southeastern Africa
• 2 Oral Traditions in the Reconstruction of Southern African History
• 3 Shipwreck Survivor Accounts from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
• 4 Founding Families and Chiefdoms East of the Drakensberg
• 5 Maputo Bay Peoples and Chiefdoms before 1740
• 6 Maputo Bay, 1740–1820
• 7 Eastern Chiefdoms of Southern Africa, 1740–1815
• 8 Zulu Conquests and the Consolidation of Power, 1815–21
• 9 Military Campaigns, Migrations, and Political Reconfiguration
• 10 Ancestors, Descent Lines, and Chiefdoms West of the Drakensberg before 1820
• 11 The Caledon River Valley and the BaSotho of Moshoeshoe, 1821–33
• 12 The Expansion of the European Presence at Maputo Bay, 1821–33
• 13 Southern African Kingdoms on the Eve of Colonization
• Appendix A Ama Swazi King Lists
• Appendix B Chronology of Conflicts, Migrations, and Political Reconfiguration East of the Drakensberg in the Era of Shaka
• Appendix C Interviewees from the James Stuart Collection of Oral Traditions
• Bibliography

11 - The Caledon River Valley and the BaSotho of Moshoeshoe, 1821–33

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2018

The first two decades of the nineteenth century had brought multiyear droughts and food scarcity more than once across the region of southeastern Africa. As the ecological stress of drought reemerged in the 1820s, entire populations were faced with food scarcity caused by crop failures and the loss of cattle to poor pasturage. Responses to scarcity and looming famine included raiding for livestock and migration and resettlement at better-watered sites with better cattle posts. The consequent dislocations disrupted not only food production but also social networks and systems of political patronage and authority. Some chiefdoms increased their wealth and authority over others, and some were dispersed and scattered and lost their autonomy and identity as they were incorporated into the stronger chiefdoms.

Moshoeshoe's BaMokoteli and the Rise in Violence before 1822

In the 1810s the BaMokoteli branch of the BaMonaheng were a small chiefdom, living in the northern region of modern Lesotho under a small chief, Mokhachane, putatively subject to the overrule of the related Ba Sekake. Mokhachane's senior son, Moshoeshoe, came of age at the turn of the century, underwent initiation rites in about 1803, and sometime afterward took his age-mates to build their own village at Menkhoaneng. While he was still very young, Moshoeshoe was joined by a man of MaZizi origins named Ntseke, who was from the same descent line as the BaPhuthi chief Mokuoane (father of Moorosi), and Ntseke's son Makoanyane became Moshoeshoe's companion as a youth and later his famous military commander, known to have saved Moshoeshoe's life on at least one occasion before the migration to Thaba Bosiu. After visiting the sage Mohlomi (who died in 1814), according to Moshoeshoe's son Tlali Moshoeshoe,

Moshoeshoe returned. It was at that time that many wars arose. As for all these peoples whose names I have already mentioned, now two who lived in one place would fight with three who lived together. Then all these little nations—although I am unable to mention everybody, for I too have only a limited knowledge—simply scattered throughout the whole land, for everywhere there was fighting, and throughout this time all that one held in one's hands was war. It was only if the herds returned home in the evening that people knew that there was no war.

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• The Caledon River Valley and the BaSotho of Moshoeshoe, 1821–33
• Elizabeth A. Eldredge
• Book: Kingdoms and Chiefdoms of Southeastern Africa
• Online publication: 14 March 2018

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• DOI: 10.5296/JPAG.V5I3.8129
• Corpus ID: 55882160

The Exemplary Ethical Leadership of King Moshoeshoe of Basotho of Lesotho in the Nineteenth Century Southern Africa

• Published 8 August 2015
• Journal of Public Administration and Governance

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