Sebetwane (between about 1790 and 1800 – July 7, 1851) was chief of the Patsa branch of the
Bafokeng clan. He established the large and powerful
Makololo
The Kololo or Makololo are a subgroup of the Sotho-Tswana people native to Southern Africa. In the early 19th century, they were displaced by the Zulu, migrating north to Barotseland, Zambia. They conquered the territory of the Luyana people and ...
nation in what is now southwestern
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
after an arduous migration of over 1200 kilometres from the clan's ancestral lands, near modern day Biddulphsberg, in the Free State province of South Africa.
Names
King's names also can be written as Sebitwane or Sibutuane. In isizulu he is called sibidwane.
Biography
In the early 1820s Sebetwane was the Chief of a small Sotho group known as the Bafokeng-ba-ha-Patsa. Facing constant attacks and losing all their cattle during the early years of the
Mfecane
The Mfecane (isiZulu, Zulu pronunciation: ̩fɛˈkǀaːne, also known by the Sesotho names Difaqane or Lifaqane (all meaning "crushing, scattering, forced dispersal, forced migration") is a historical period of heightened military conflict a ...
, Sebetwane urged his people to leave their homeland:
"My masters, you see that the world is collapsing. We shall be eaten up one by one. Our fathers taught us peace means prosperity, but today there is no peace, no prosperity! Let us march!"
In 1823 they moved north near what is now the southern borders of Botswana, attacking a number of other societies and incorporating their younger members. These attacks were largely successful for three years, and the Kololo increased their population and cattle wealth. Pushed north by the advancing Ndebele, the Kololo suffered a catastrophic defeat at Dithubaruba in 1826 to a coalition of forces headed by the Ngwaketse chief Sebego I. Following this defeat they moved north-east, but continuing warfare there eventually pushed them towards the
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Grassland; formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo") in Botswana is a swampy inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an altitude of 930–1,000 m in the central part of the en ...
in 1834. Once in the area, Sebetwane's heir was killed, although in 1835 Sebetwane won a major victory over the Batawana and controlled the area for a few years before striking north again around 1840.
After briefly settling near the
Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls ( Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "The Smoke That Thunders"; Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and anim ...
, in 1838 Sebetwane passed the
Zambesi River
The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...
and conquered the
Lozi's kingdom. He was both able to conciliate Makololo and Lozi and repel two attacks brought against him by
Mzilikazi
Mzilikazi Moselekatse, Khumalo ( 1790 – 9 September 1868) was a Southern African king who founded the Mthwakazi Kingdom now known as Matebeleland, in Zimbabwe. His name means "the great river of blood". He was born the son of Mashobane kaMange ...
, king of the
Ndebele
Ndebele may refer to:
*Southern Ndebele people, located in South Africa
*Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe and Botswana
Languages
* Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele
*Northern Ndebele language
Northern ...
. He died on July 7, 1851, shortly after meeting at Linyati, his capital, the missionary explorer
David Livingstone
David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...
, with whom he developed a warm friendship.
Personality
Distinguished as both a warrior and a statesman, Sebetwane was able to consolidate his military gains by his generous and just treatment of the conquered peoples. Even those who had been conquered by him and eventually fled his kingdom maintained that he was an extremely warm leader: Sebetwane "loved people very much even if they were his victims."
Family
Sebetwane had a wife named
Setlutlu
Setlutlu was a Queen as a consort of King Sebetwane, chief of Makololo tribe. She is also known as Masekeletu.
Her brother-in-law was the king Mbololo.
Biography
Sebetwane originally awarded Setlutlu to Lechae, one of his young commanders. La ...
. His oldest son, Kgwaanyane, was his favorite and was pampered. Carried around the Kalahari in a litter, he was sheltered from battle but eventually was killed in an ambush by the Herero.
[Moanaphuti Segolodi, "Ditso Tsa Batawana," 1940. https://www.academia.edu/12170767/Ditso_Tsa_Batawana_by_Moanaphuti_Segolodi_1940] He was succeeded by his daughter
Mamochisane
Mamochisane (fl. 1851) was a Makololo Queen who ruled over many people, but especially the Lozi in Barotseland, today's Western Zambia, in 1851. She was later a wife of King Sipopa Lutangu.
Biography
Mamochisane was a daughter of the King Sebet ...
, who soon stepped down in favour of her half-brother
Sekeletu
Sekeletu (c. 1835–1863) was the Makololo King of Barotseland in western Zambia from about 1851 to his death in 1863.
Biography
Sekeletu was a son of the King Sebetwane and Queen Setlutlu. He succeeded his half-sister Mamochisane, who h ...
. He also had a son named Mpepe, who was an enemy of Sekeletu, and grandson called
Litali.
His brother
Mbololo later became a king of makololo
References
*''
Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...
'', "Sebetwane", (2000)
External links
Makololo interregnum and the legacy of David Livingstone(PDF)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebetwane
South African chiefs
19th-century Zambian people
Litungas
18th-century births
1851 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Mfecane