Essay on How Moshoeshoe Kingdom weakened

1. TOPIC: HOW DID THE BOERS, BRITISH ENCOURAGED THE FALL OF
MOSHOESHOE
INTRODUCTION
- During 1820s the region of Caledon Valley was badly affected by the Boers, kora and
Griqua raiders.
- Several Lesotho leaders decided to use the Mafisa system which is a system used to
give the people cattle’s and protection in an exchange of their support and loyalty.
- Only Moshoeshoe was successful on the Mafisa system among other leaders.
- Moshoeshoe’s followers lived in Thaba Bosiu- mountain of the night.
- The mountain symbolises protection and survival against his enemies.
NB: THEISIS STATEMENT IS IMPORTANT.
BODY
EXPANSION OF MOSHOESHOE
- Moshoeshoe became successful leader with the Mafisa system that he had 40 000
followers in 1840s.
- This made Moshoeshoe becoming a dominant leader in Lesotho.
- When Moshoeshoe expanded he faced challenges:
a. Griqua, kora cattle raids who were raiding Moshoeshoe kingdom for survival
- The griqua continuously launching attacks to Moshoeshoe. But they needed sorghum
and maize of Lesotho. Therefore, Moshoeshoe and the Griqua created a trading
relationship
b. Whit trek Boers and vootrekkers which are descended of the European settlers on
the Dutch colony.
c. Missionaries who wanted to change traditions of Basotho such as Casalis and.
d. The British, hungry for political control of the region.
ROLE OF EUGEN CASALIS
- As Moshoeshoe was a democratic leader and welcoming leader who used
multiculturalism system.
-He welcomed a first missionaries in 1833 which was Casalis.
- Casalis became closest friend of Moshoeshoe in an extend to advisor, because he was
illiteracy.
- But Casalis had its own agenda to transform Lesotho from traditionalist to
Westernization (Christianity).
- Many Lesotho members were against the idea even though 2000 of them was baptised.
HARRY SMITH ROLE

2. - Smith became a governor of the Cape in 1847, he tried to solve the problems of
Transorangia.
- He annexed the Transorangia on behalf of the British government and remained an
Orange River Sovereignty.
- He claimed to be doing all of this for peace in Lesotho.
- But historian argues that he only did that for British settlers to be able to sell and buy
land.
- This is because British sellers saw African land as a valuable resource that was wasted
by Africans.
- Therefore, they wanted the land divided into profitable white owned farms producing
crops for the market using cheap African labour.
- This led to the Warden Line.
ROLE OF THE WARDEN LINE
- British was more concerned with winning white support and neglected protection of
Basotho kingdom.
- 1849, Sir Harry requested that Warden to draw a boundary line around Basotho
Kingdom.
- The line was called the “Warden Line”
- The line granted white settlers all the land they wanted and supported the claims of the
smaller Africa chiefdoms (the Rolong, kora and other) to the land in the North of the
Basotho kingdom.
- Warden plan aimed to divide and rule.
-
ACHIEVEMENT OF THE WARDEN LINE
1. Moshoeshoe lost most of the good farming land
- This is because he needed to share it with the smaller groups, resulting to a decrease of
farming land.
2. Moshoeshoe lost power over his follower
- This mean that the Moshoeshoe kingdom was decreasing in numbers.
3. Moshoeshoe hope to control the land of Rolong, Taung, Kora and Tlokao was lost.
- AS she needed to share his land with them.
- Moshoeshoe was not fond with this Warden Line.
The Warden line did not decrease raids and conflict in the region which the British
blamed Moshoeshoe for it.
THE BLOEMFONTEIN CONVENTION
- February 1954, the Bloemfontein Convention was signed handing Orange River
Sovereignty to Boers without consulting Moshoeshoe and other leaders.
- Moshoeshoe was a powerful leader with 100000 followers and white settler only 13000.
- This made it easy for Moshoeshoe to defeat the settlers, raids.
- March 1858, Boers declared war on Basotho because pf Moshoeshoe people raiding
South West until to the Boers territory.
- Ion the war the Boers failed to penetrate the Thaba Bosiu.

3. - This may be caused by the steepness of the mountain making difficult for the raiders to
access it easy.
WEAKENING STRENGTH OF THE BASOTHO
- Even though Basotho was able to defeat Boers in 1858, the strength of Basotho was
weakening in 1860 and Boers becoming stronger.
- This is because of the increase of immigration of the white settlers into the Boer area
helping the Boer government to create political unity.
- White settlers bought new weapons from the Cape Colony and trained their soldiers.
- Moshoeshoe on the other hand was getting old and weak and his followers criticised
him from losing the land to the Boers.
- This decreased loyalty and support to Moshoeshoe.
- Moreover, Moshoeshoe sons were fighting among themselves making Moshoeshoe
kingdom to be unstable.
- Therefore, the OFS declared war to Moshoeshoe and again failed to penetrate the Thaba
Bosiu.
- The OFS, they then took Basotho cattle and burned their crops and fields, devasting the
Basotho kingdom.
- In 1866, the Basotho wanted peace that Moshoeshoe signed a peace treaty which took
more land of Basotho’s.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BASUTOLAND
- In 1867 diamonds were discovered in Kimberly which renew British interest in the
North of Orange River.
- 1868, they renamed Basotho Kingdom to Basutoland.
- This mean Basutoland became British territory making Moshoeshoe to be more weaker
losing almost his followers.
- February 1869. The OFS signed treaty with British to create final boundary between
the Basutoland and the OFS. So that the Basotho people cannot not get their hands on
the diamond and restrict migration.
- The borders are still there even today.
- This marked an end of Moshoeshoe ruling that he died in 1870.
- Even though Basotho Kingdom became a British colony, Moshoeshoe was able to save
it from trekkers.
- Basutoland did not become part of South Africa but gained independence from Britain
in 1966 and was called Lesotho.