Back to: o level History of south Africa
Effects Of The Basutu War Of Guns
- Effects Of The Basutu War Of Guns . The Africans won the war and the cape colony lost the war
- Many cape troops were killed that is why they requested for a peace treaty in April 1881
- The basuto were to retain registered and licensed guns
- The British failed to enforce the Africans to hand in the guns
- It led the basuto land to receive British protectorate in 1884
- It increased African nationalism to fight for more wars
- It made the cape government to request for British invasion in Basuto land
- Many agricultural plantations were put don/ destroyed during fighting
- Famine grew up
- The British suffered great humiliation
- It led Lesotho to be left out in the federation of south Africa
- The basutu were isolated in less mineralized palce and as a result many people started seeking for jobs in other parts
- It led the British intervention in cape affairs because the cape had run bankrupt during fighting s
The Swazi Nation (Present Day Swaziland)
- The swazi were Bantu speaking people found in north of Natal province
- They formed the nation during and because of Mfecane
- The Ngwane belonged to Nkosi Dlamini clan of the Nguni speaking people
- Sobhuza founded the Swaziland
- He led his group of people northwards in the present day swaziland
- He moved because Zwide had defeated him
- During his movement he crossed river Pongola and annexed Nguni and Sotho
- Later more eight clans joined him when they were running away from Shaka’s indunas/ policy
- He welcomed them and gave them food and land
- He assimilated them into his people and ensured that his old chiefs supervised them
- He treated all soldiers fairly
- He organized all men into age regiments
- Such organization enabled him to conquer all disorganized clans and people of Zwide and Shaka
- The mountaneous areas were he settled gave him safety against his enemies
- At the beginning of the 19th century he avoided wars with his neigbours
- He created friendship which neighbours like Shaka through giving him cows
- To strengthen ties which his neighbours he married Zwide’s daughter
- By the end of the 19th century swazi had grown bigger and stronger
Political, social and economic organisation of the Swazi nation.
- It was a centralized nation under leaders like Sobhuza I, Mswati etc
- Leaders were despotic over their people
- The nation was divided into a number of Chieftainships [provinces]
- The chief kept peace with three neighbors especially which Zwide and Shake
- They gave their neighbors gifts in form of cows and guns to maintain proper leaderships
- The leadership of Swazi was hereditary eg after the death of Sobhuza his son Mswati took over power
- All chiefs were answerable to the top most leaders eg. the king
- The nation had two councils that were to assist the king in administration ie the council of elders and the larger assembly
- The council of elders discussed national matters • While the council of larger assembly was made up of all adult men and was to check on king’s arrogance and chiefs
- The society was also under age regiments for easy protection of Swazi
- The queen mother was also given position and highly respected
- She had influenced over the king and the kingdom
- The king had a palace in each of the towns in the kingdom
- The kingdom recruited young men for loyal regiments but it was not permanent
- It could just be called in ease of a trouble
- The king married from different sections of the kingdom to ensure alliance
- Young people catered for king’s cow in days of peace
- The king pleased commoners by appointing them as commanders of age regiments
- The swazi practiced rituals [initiation ceremonies]
- They also believed so much in africanreligion foreexample mwari as their God approachied through their ancestors
- The swazi were farmers who grew crops like pumpkins, yams, cassava, and beans
- They were pastoralists that are why Dingane raided them so much
- In hours of peace , they practiced trade with their neigbours especially whites
- They practiced iron smelting which they copied from Sotho and made equipments like hoes, knives etc
- The king people progress controlled all economic activities
- They raided their friends for example Soshangani for activities
- Polygamous marriages were practiced.
The career and achievements of sobhuza i (1814– 1840).
- Sobhuza is regarded as the founder of Swazi nation
- He belonged to the royal Ngwane ethinic group
- He migrated and settled in the present day Swaziland because of Zwide’s policies
- More clans joined him and he accepted them
- Like Mosheshe he established Swazi nation as a defensive state on the mountains of Swaziland
- He accepted refugees and gave them land, caves, food among others
- He accepted loose political control in his nation were different groups were allowed to own their chiefs
- He lived in peace with other powerful neighbors eg he married Zwide’s daughter in order to have a relationship
- He gave out young princesses to shake in order to maintain peace since they were gifts for him
- Shaka murdered them when they became pregnant to avoid succession wars
- Sobhuza maintained a period of peace and prosperity because didn’t even revenge tosuch bad acts above
- Sobhuza received more attacks from Dingane compared to those received from Shaka
- Sobhuza had maintained peace until the battle of Blood River when he fought Dingane and the later was forced out of Swaziland and killed by Ngwane in 1839
- Sobhuza I also in 1840 died and in the same year his son Mswati took over the leadership.
Qn Explain the career and achievements of Mswati I between 1840-1868.
- Mswatti was a son of Shobhuza he ruled swazi nation for 28 years and his period was of a blessing and don’t
- Mswati had foreign policies that are more aggressive
- The Swazi received more strength and dev’t during his reign than his father
- He had successful aggressive foreign policy
- He had gained control over his neighbor either through collaboration or military adventures
- He controlled the Boers and collaborated with them through giving them land that belonged to the Basuto people
- He called the Boers to give him assistance against the strongest neighbors and travelers
- Between 1840-1850 different clans in Swaziland developed into small kingdoms with clear national elements and accepted them
- He copied unique policies and ideas from the Sotho and Zulu
- In 1862 he drew boundaries to separate Swazi kingdom and Shagane kingdom of Moazambique
- He went ahead with his father’s programs of national building based on diplomacy
- By 1868 the Swazi nation had grown bigger requested and recognized as the strong defensive state of southern African Bantu However in the same year he died
- Wars of succession were fought where the Boers were even involved
- They ended when Mbandzenio was the leader after being supported by the Boers
- He controlled the Swazi nation from 1868 until he died
- Now the Swazi queen regent seriously requested for British protection and became under Europeans control
Swaziland relationship with Europeans (relationship between Mswatti and Europeans)
- Mswatti was one of the influential leaders of Swaziland
- He is known as one of the people who gave the kingdom a name [to be known so much]
- He succeeded his father in 1840 and ruled until 1868
- He was a son of Sobhuza and Zwide’s daughter
- He transferred Swazi state into a powerful one through introducing political and administrative reforms
- It was during such reform that he got contacts with Europeans e.g. Boers and British
- The Boers were interested in taking the fertile Swaziland that they received from Mswati
- Mswati gave the Boers land and even appointed a white chief for them
- However much he did that the Boers refused to be assimilated by Mswati and failed to recognize his presence
- Mbandzeni signed the mining right trading right and the internal affair of Swaziland to the Boers
- Mswati convinced his people to allow the Boers to graze their animals in the country
- In 1864 the Swazi and the Boers allied or combined and defeated Poko who were disturbing them
- The population of the Boers increased due to birth rate that worried Mswati and his people
- Because of increased population, the Boers attacked the Swazi in order to get more land
- Shepstone led the committee to solve the Swazi Boer problem but the Boer became more stubborn
- The boer demanded the taking of Swaziland to Transvaal that the British refused
- By 1868 mswat had died and had managed to maintain a peaceful environment with the Boers
- The boers remained very much interested in annexing Swaziland because it could provide a sea route to Indian ocean
- Finally the Boers annexed Swazi because they supported Mbandezeni in successions wars that he won
- When Mbandzeni died in 1889 the queen regents requested for London protection
- In 1892, the British started taking influence in Swazi affairs and finally in 1902 they declared protectorate.
Why Did The British Annex Swaziland (1895-1906)
- Swaziland was first annexed by Transvaal in 1894
- In 1899-1902 a war was fought between the boers and the british which mad the british to take over Swaziland because:-
- The increased number of boers in Swaziland was threatening the british interests
- The annexing of Swaziland and increasingly becoming stubborn [boers] made the british to take over swaziland
- The british feared the boers expansions policy in Swaziland
- It was just a fortune to the british because of the committee set up to handle white and other provisional government
- The boer farmers had began encroaching the high yield pasture after the death of Mswati
- The british were just asked by the Swazi because so they laer feared boer attack
- The arresting of Mbanzeni by the boers attracted british occupation of Swaziland
- The long negotiation involved into between Swaziland and the british made them to annex her
- The outbreak of the Anglo boer was in 1899-1902 formulated the final rule of the boers in Swaziland hence being taken up by the british
- The death of Mbandseni who had given boers influence in Swaziland made their rule to decline
- The role of queen regents who requested London protection.
Chief Khama Iii Of Botswana
- Little is known about the history of Bostwana
- It is known to have been a place of swand people
- Others say the three sons of Masilo ie Kwena, Ngwato and Ngwaketse named places in Botswana according to their names
- Masilo was a greatly king of Sotho in the mid 17th century
- The 3 brothers were giving names according to the main tribes that settled in Bechuanaland [Botswana ]
- The first tribe was Bangwaketse and settled in Kanye of modern Botswana
- Bamangwato settled around Shosongo also in modern Botswana
- Bakwena they settled around the neighborhood of Molepolole
Career and achievement of khama iii.
How did chief khama respond to the european in bechuanaland?
- Khama III was a leader of Bamagwato in Botswana
- He dominated the politics of Botswana in the 2nd half of 19th century after coming to power in 1875
- He grew up in a normal environment and being brought up in a true Africa setting and norms
- He was a son of the chief and respected his father so much
- Later he was taken to attend Lutherana mission school in Bamagwato
- This provided insight to him and recognizes the growing white interests in the areas
- In his early 20s he was baptized in the Christian faith
- Here, he learnt western values like religion, culture which created confusion to both missionaries and non converts
- Because of his convert, he conflicted with his family for having been westernized so much in a black skin
- He disobeyed his father’s command of having the second wife
- He refused to take alcohol that made him popular among the whites Because of his popularity his father and the family felt jealous and made attempts to kill him
- Khama reacted with charity and never lost his respect over such issues
- The family and his father later loved him and changed their negative attitudes
- In 1875 he succeeded his father and became the chief of Bamagwato
- As a chief he made reforms in the society immediately
- Alcoholic drinks were abolished, bride price was forbidden
- The killing of one of the twin children was stopped
- Witchcraft was banned
- He invited London missionary society to establish a school at the royal kraal
- As a clever and fore sighted man he incorporated western cultures and values into his society
- He set up a telegraph office
- He recognized the threat of Boer greed for Swaziland
- He requested for British protection of Botswana in 1876
- NB The British at first refused to respond to his request
- Later with they chiefs of Botswana like Sebele I of Bakwena and Bathoen of Bangwaketse lobbied the British parliament and gave Botswana protection
- He prevented Cecil Rhodes to take over Botswana under the guys co rule
- After lobbying the British parliament Cecil Rhodes was allowed to take a strip of land where he constructed the railway line
- At the end of the 19th century Khama had succeeded in preventing the Boers from taking Botswana land
- Khama finally his characters were compared to those of Mosheshe
- Generally he was a leading collaborator
- They fought against racial segregation in 1934 they advocated for emancipation of slaves
What were the causes of British annexation of Bechuanaland in 1865?
- At first Britain was not interested in the occupation of Bechuanaland
- However, in 1855 she changed her attitude to annex it
- The age of scramble and partition of Africa was of the apex
- Bechuanaland is a former name of Botswana today
- The strategic location of Botswana encouraged Britain
- The German imperialism in the near by Namibia made the Britain more nervous German interest
- The British feared of a possibility of German/ Boer cooperation to engulf Botswana
- British fear of Boer expansion and imperialism in South Africa made them to act very fast in 1855
- Need for an inland route between Transvaal and Kalahari by the British
- British occupation of Transvaal
- British program of a northward passage from cape –Botswana to northern British colonies
- The rise of an outstanding British imperialist’s and millionaire Cecil Rhodes
- Pressurized for the annexation of the “Second rand”
- He pressurized the British to annex Bechuanaland
- He hoped to get minerals on Botswana
- The role of chief Khama III of the small Bamangwato clan
- Requested the British to take over Bechuanaland in 1875
- He even went a head to lobby the British parliament and queen of England over the same
- His Christian attitude and values encouraged the British
- Even then the British south African company has realized that Botswana had some minerals like Uranium
- The British also wished to consolidate her position in south Africa
- The British wanted to protect her settlers and traders in Botswana
- In 1885 British declared a protectorate over Bechuanaland
- Later it extended to where modern Botswana is
- Then by 1895 it had been incorporated in the cape colony
Why were the British not interested in Botswana up to 1885?
- Portuguese occupied Botswana at first
- German was also interested in Botswana
- German traders and missionaries were in Botswana British had little funds
- Botswana was not rich country
- German threatened Britain in Botswana
- The Boers were interested in Botswana
- Britain was more occupied with south Africa and Rhodesia
- Transvaal attracted British interests the more
- Boer settlement in Stelland and Goshen threatened British to occupy Botswana
- Botswana chiefs resisted British
- British lacked missionaries in Botswana
- Communication was difficult