The battle of Mbolompo: What really happened on the 27/28 August 1828? Taken from the book “Faku: Rulership and Colonialism in the Mpondo Kingdom (c.1780-1867)” By Timothy Joseph Stapleton In the early 1820s, the Ngwane of Chief Matiwane had fled west of Natal towards Moshoeshoe’s mountate state, not Lesotho, only to be turned south by Griqua raiders. By 1826 or 1827 they had settled on the upperMtata River on the nortwestern edge of Mpondo territory. As Faku probably saw Matiwane’s group as both a threat and potential target, Mpondo warriors raided the Ngwane around 1827, but were driven off without much booty. However, in 1828 the Ngwane were targeted by the British army as possible source of forced labour and cattle that could be brought into the Cape Colony. In late July 1828 Major Dundas, a British officer who had just visited Faku to obtain intelligence on the area, led a mounted reconnaissance force of fifty armed settlers and many more Thembu allies against the Ngwane and seized 25000 cattle pus an unknown number of female prisoners. The effectiveness of colonial fire-power in this operation greatly impressed both Faku and Hintsa, the Gcaleka king. Faku saw an opportunity to launch another raid against the Ngwane. Therefore, Colonel Henry Somerset’s main colonial army which consisted of about one thousand mounted khoikhoi riflemen and armed settlers alond with several howitzers, attached the Ngwane on 27 August, they were assisted by not only Ngubencuka’s Thembu but also Mpondo and Gcaleka warriors. It may be significant that around this time Faku was attempting to secure alliance with the Thembu by sendig his daughtr, Nonesi, to become the great wife of their king. According to Victor Poto Ndamase, Faku “was requested by Ngubencuka to come and help him in the battle with Matiwane at Mbolompo.” A Mpondomise oral account from the late nineteenth century describes the rather one-sided engagement: “The amaNgwane made no stand, but fed and went into the bushes. The reports of the guns were very dreadful, none of the native allies fought, they looked on in astonishment. The report of the cannon was fearful, it was directed into the bush; women and children screamed, and the cattle bellowed, and all came out of the forest towards where the army was, and were captured.” Over seven hundred Ngwane’s were killed and the white farmers brought over one hundred women and children back to the colony. The Thembu Gcaleka and Mpondo returned to their respective homes with many cattle and prisoners. A Zulu oral tradition indicates that a considerable number of Ngwane went to live under Faku. Interestingly, the Reverend Shrewsbury of Butterworth mission purchased a pregnant woman for two cows from a Gcaleka who had participated in the raid. Just as Fynn had done, Somerset, the British commander, covered his actions by maintaining that he had heroically defended the colony and its African neighbors from an advancing Zulu army. Subsequently, this massive labour and livestock raid against the Ngwane was disguised as the “Battle of Mbolompo.” Taken from the book “Faku: Rulership and Colonialism in the Mpondo Kingdom (c.1780-1867)” Written By Timothy Joseph Stapleton ———————— END ———————
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 05:41:15 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015