moshoeshoe essay history grade 10 pdf

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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 Survival of the Sotho Under Moshoeshoe Essay

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/

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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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History Grade 10 - Topic 4 Essay Questions and Answers

Shaka Zulu Legacy

Essay questions on Shaka Zulu’s legacy will be asked as 8-mark questions where students have to use sources to answer the question. The following article will discuss the major points of the question and refer to supporting evidence for these points.

TIP: See our technical skills pack on answering source-based paragraphs.

The above statue portraying Shaka Zulu was removed in 2010, due to difference in opinion about the portrayal of Shaka Zulu. [1] Discuss the legacy of Shaka Zulu by explaining ways in which he has been portrayed, and why he has been portrayed this way.

How has Shaka been remembered?

A myth and legacy around Shaka Zulu emerged in the early 19th Century in South Africa. It was initially believed that Shaka was the main cause of the Mfecane. [2] This has since been debated by historians, who claim that Shaka was one of many leaders that played a role in influencing South Africa during this time. This discussion shall look at different portrayals of Shaka and why he was depicted in this way.

TIP: Questions on Shaka and the Mfecane are examinable. See additional article on the historiography of the Mfecane.

How Shaka has been portrayed?

The late Winston S. Churchill , former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, once stated that, “History is written by victors.” [3] A victor is a winner and by incorporating only the winner’s interpretation into history it leads to biased representation of history. One see’s traces of the victor’s history in common portrayals of Shaka Zulu : [4]

• Some historians portray Shaka as a “military genius” who consolidated a powerful Zulu military and society resulting in the defeat of other chiefdoms. [5] Shaka was obsessed with military tactics and employed new techniques on the battlefield that allowed for the defeat of rival kingdoms.
• Shaka is also portrayed as a cruel tyrant who caused the destruction and misery of African societies during the Mfecane as he had firm control over his subjects. [6] Shaka would order the execution of those who he deemed a threat or disloyal to him or the Zulu kingdom.
• Shaka is also portrayed as a nation builder and an admirable leader who consolidated and strengthened the Zulu nation. [7]

Information or knowledge on Shaka comes from different types of sources. Historical research methodology requires that the reliability of sources has to be assessed. Questions of who produced the sources and why sources were produced can give one a better understanding of the angle taken in the information’s portrayal.

The Military Genius

Oral history and praise poems portray Shaka as a “military genius.” Here is an extract from a praise poem titled Shaka: [8]

“Dlungwana son of Ndaba! Ferocious one of the Mbelebele brigade, Who raged among the large kraals, So that until dawn the huts were being turned upside down. He who is famous without effort, son of Menzi, He who beats but is not beaten, unlike water, Axe that surpasses other axes in sharpness; Shaka, I fear to say he is Shaka, Shaka, he is the chief of the Mashobas. He of the shrill whistle, the lion; He who armed in the forest, who is like a madman, The madman who is in full view of the men. He who trudged wearily the plain going to Mfene; The voracious one of Senzangakhona, Spear that is red even on the handle… The attacker has been long attacking them: He attacked Phungashe of the Buthelezi clan, He attacked Sondaba of Mthanda as he sat in council, He attacked Macingwane at Ngonyameni, He attacked Mangcengeza of the Mbatha clan, He attacked Dladlama of the Majolas, He attacked Nxaba son of Mbhekane, He attacked Gambushe in Pondoland, He attacked Faku in Pondoland.”

In African societies, oral tradition was the main way to pass on information where speaking about history would passed down from one generation to the next. [9] Praise poems or izibongo, a Zulu word referring to praises intoned in honour of a person, are generally long. Oral tradition has accumulated accounts of people who lived through the events or who heard of these events. The following quote comes from an interview in 1903 that a Natal administrator, James Stuart, had with Jantshika Nongila whose father was a spy for Shaka : [10]

“At Dukuza, while Tshaka was sitting in company, he pointed to the cattle in the kraal and said, “No ordinary man will inherit those cattle; none but a great man will get them. The day I die the country will be overrun by locusts; it will be ruled by white men. The stars will be bright in the sky. While I am still taking care of you.”

The Cruel Tyrant

Accounts which portrayed Shaka as a cruel and bloodthirsty tyrant were based on written accounts. The only written accounts of Shaka produced during his lifetime were by British traders who visited the Zulu kingdom in the 1820s. Lots of historians based their views of Shaka on the diary of Francis Fynn, a British trader. [11] The credibility of the source is problematic as the diary did not provide an accurate daily account, but was written down from what Fynn could still remember. In addition, the British trader called Nathaniel Isaacs encouraged Fynn to write negatively about Dingane and Shaka . In a letter addressed Fynn, Isaacs said: [12]

“Make them seem as bloodthirsty as you can, and try to give an estimation of the number of people they have murdered during their reign.”

The Nation Builder

The negative depictions of Shaka by British traders were not the only colonial written records, but there were also colonial administrators in Nata l who portrayed Shaka as a nation builder. [13] In the early 1900s a Natal administrator, James Stuart, collected many oral testimonies from people who heard of stories of Shaka . For example, in 1903, Stuart interviewed Jantshika Nongila, the son of Shaka’s spy. [14] The following extract comes from original documents written by Stuart from the interviews he conducted and these original documents are currently held in the Killie Campbell Africana Library in Durban: [15]

“Almost at the same time as that of Napoleon in Europe, the career of Shaka in South Africa, instead of being full of failure, met with success and that in a truly remarkable manner. Beginning with a small and little known tribe he by degrees lifted it together with many surrounding tribes within a five hundred mile radius into becoming a great nation.”

During the twentieth century written records were produced by Zulu leaders who admired Shaka’s leadership skills. [16] The former  African National Congress (ANC)  Leader,  Albert Luthuli , wrote of Shaka in his autobiography, “Let My People Go”. [17] Luthuli wrote of Shaka as a formidable leader, but also as a leader who displayed dangerous characteristics as a dictator.

Why was Shaka portrayed in this way?

Different sources provide different perspectives and theories of Shaka’s role and influence as a leader of the Zulu kingdom . Sources display bias when they focus on one aspect of Shaka , either as a nation builder or a cruel tyrant. [18] Sources that depict Shaka as a cruel tyrant have dominated the historical narrative of the Zulu leader. These sources also place a lot of emphasis on the traditional view that Shaka Zulu was one of the main causes for the Mfecane. [19] However, from the 1980s many historians rejected the one-sided view of Shaka as merely a bloodthirsty tyrant, but placed more emphasis on his positive role as a Zulu leader.

Remember that one has to ask who and why a source was produced. Negative portrayals of Shaka by British colonial traders were written when the British saw him as a threat to their colonial influence in Natal . [20] By portraying Shaka as a threat, it could justify their subjugation of the Zulu kingdom . However, by the early 1900s Shaka had long passed on and was no longer a threat to the British colony. [21] In the early 1900s the Natal administrator, James Stuart, wanted to produce accounts of Shaka as a proficient administrator, because he wanted to provide evidence to the British colony of good African administrators so that African leaders could administer areas reserved for African land use. [22] Thus, the pool of information about Shaka provided more positive accounts of his leadership. From the 1980s, more historians rejected the biased notion of Shaka as a bloodthirsty tyrant, but have integrated different perspectives which acknowledge his intelligible leadership, without ignoring his dictatorial tendencies. [23]

This content was originally produced for the SAHO classroom by Ilse Brookes, Amber Fox-Martin & Simone van der Colff

[1] C. Ndasilo. “King Shaka statue still causing trouble”. News24. 23 August 2013. Available at: https://www.news24.com/news24/Travel/South-Africa/King-Shaka-statue-still-causing-trouble-20130823

Accessed 15 October 2020.

[2] J. Wright. “Political Mythology and the Making of Natal’s Mfecane,” Canadian Journal of African Studies. (23), (2), 1989. p. 272.

[3] History News Network. “The History of “History is Written by the Victors,” available at: https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/173752 . [online] Accessed 25 November 2020.

[4] N. Worden, J. Bottaro, P.  Visser, P. “In Search of History: Grade 10 Learner’s Book”.

[8] Ibid.”.

[9] SA History Online, “Oral Tradition and indigenous knowledge.”[online] Available at: https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/oral-tradition-and-indigenous-knowledge . Accessed 25 November 2020.

[10] Testimony from the James Stuart Archive. Available at:  https://fhya.org/baleka-ka-mpitikakazi-testimony-from-the-james-stuart-archive-of-recorded-oral-evidence-relating-to-the-history-of-the-zulu-and-neighbouring-peoples-volume-1-ant-lyl [online]. Accessed 25 November 2020.

[11] H.F. Fynn. D. McK. Malcolm, J. Stuart. (eds.).  The Diary of Henry Francis Fynn. Compiled from Original Sources . (Shuter & Shooter: Pietermaritzburg, 1950.)

[12] N. Worden, J. Bottaro, P.  Visser, P. “In Search of History: Grade 10 Learner’s Book”.

[14] Testimony from the James Stuart Archive. Available at:  https://fhya.org/baleka-ka-mpitikakazi-testimony-from-the-james-stuart-archive-of-recorded-oral-evidence-relating-to-the-history-of-the-zulu-and-neighbouring-peoples-volume-1-ant-lyl [online]. Accessed 25 November 2020.

[15] N. Worden, J. Bottaro, P.  Visser, P. “In Search of History: Grade 10 Learner’s Book”.

[17] A. Luthuli. Let My People Go. (Mafube: Tafelberg, 1960).

[18] N. Worden, J. Bottaro, P.  Visser, P. “In Search of History: Grade 10 Learner’s Book”.

[19] J. Wright. “Political Mythology and the Making of Natal’s Mfecane,” Canadian Journal of African Studies. (23), (2), 1989. p. 272.

[20] N. Worden, J. Bottaro, P.  Visser, P. “In Search of History: Grade 10 Learner’s Book”.

[22] Testimony from the James Stuart Archive. Available at:  https://fhya.org/baleka-ka-mpitikakazi-testimony-from-the-james-stuart-archive-of-recorded-oral-evidence-relating-to-the-history-of-the-zulu-and-neighbouring-peoples-volume-1-ant-lyl [online]. Accessed 25 November 2020.

[23] J. Wright. “Political Mythology and the Making of Natal’s Mfecane,” Canadian Journal of African Studies. (23), (2), 1989. p. 272.

• Henry Francis, F. Stuart, J. & McK. Malcolm D. (eds.).  The Diary of Henry Francis Fynn. Compiled from Original Sources . Pietermaritzburg: Shuter & Shooter, 1950.
• History News Network. “The History of “History is Written by the Victors,” available at: https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/173752 . [online] Accessed 25 November 2020.
• Luthuli A.  Let My People Go. Mafube.  Tafelberg, 1960.
• SA History Online, “Oral Tradition and indigenous knowledge.”[online] Available at: https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/oral-tradition-and-indigenous-knowledge . Accessed 25 November 2020.
• SA History Online, “The Mfecane.”[online] Available at: Insert link. Accessed tbc.
• Testimony from the James Stuart Archive. Available at:  https://fhya.org/baleka-ka-mpitikakazi-testimony-from-the-james-stuart-archive-of-recorded-oral-evidence-relating-to-the-history-of-the-zulu-and-neighbouring-peoples-volume-1-ant-lyl [online]. Accessed 25 November 2020.
• Wright, J. “Political Mythology and the Making of Natal’s Mfecane,” Canadian Journal of African Studies. (23), (2), 1989.
• Worden, N., Bottaro, J. Visser, P. “In Search of History: Grade 10 Learner’s Book”.

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