MAKABA II
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Makaba II (circa 1760-1824), was a noted warrior-king who consolidated and expanded the power of the Bangwaketse in the southern part of what is now Botswana (previously called Bechuanaland) and made the Ngwaketsi kingdom the most powerful among the Batswana.
Makaba II was the son of Moleta who, as king between about 1770 and 1790, stimulated the growth of Ngwaketse military power by using resources accumulated through trade in ivory, furs, and the copper mined near Kanye. In the course of his reign, Makaba II moved his capital to Kanye Hill and fortified it with stone walls. From this vantage point he successfully fought off the attacks of the Barolong who were supported by armed Kora and Griqua mercenaries led by Jan Bloem in 1798-99. He competed with the kingdom of the BaHurutse for hegemony in what is now southern Botswana.
As European travelers and missionaries began to trickle into the southern region in the early part of the 19th century, Makaba II was consolidating his power, by fighting against virtually all neighboring states. He attacked the Bakwena state, his chief rival. He also repulsed an attack by the Bakgatla and then incorporated their polity into his kingdom. In 1808, the Ngwaketse military strength was augmented when a section of the Barolong, driven from their homes by civil wars, joined Makaba’s kingdom. He also increased the resources of the Bangwaketse by raiding and capturing cattle from the Batlhaping, Bakwena, Bahurutse, and other groups.
While Makaba moved his capital several times, by 1815 he had concluded that Kanye, protected by stone walls, provided the most favorable location.
Makaba’s fortunes began to change by 1820. He tried unsuccessfully to create a military alliance against the Bakwena, who were aided by a white wanderer, Coenraad de Buys. Then his son, Tshosa, was accidentally killed after plotting an abortive coup. Makaba himself was killed in 1824 in a battle at Losabanya, fought against the Makololo of Sebetwane and the Bataung of Moletsane.
Makaba II was the precursor of the 19th-century military nation-builders of southern Africa. Other leaders, Moshoeshoe of the Basotho, Shaka of the AmaZulu, and Mzilikazi of the AmaNdebele, followed in his footsteps and built large political units. By resorting to stone fortifications, Makaba successfully neutralized the advantage of gun-bearing armies. Because he appreciated the lethal advantage of the new weapons, however, he avoided military confrontations with white settlers and missionaries.
C. TSEHLOANE KETO
