MOOROSI

Phuthi Chief from Basutoland, Moorosi (circa 1790s-1879) was the first chief to rebel against Cape rule when the Cape Colony annexed Basutoland in 1869.

PHOTO CAPTION: Moorosi SOURCE: EA LIBRARY

The Phuthi were Nguni people, not Sotho, from Natal. They had settled in the southern region of Sotho king Moshoeshoe’s kingdom and had gradually allied themselves with the Basuto.

When the Cape Colony annexed Basutoland in 1869, they imposed a system of direct magisterial rule that undermined the traditional powers of the chiefs. In 1878 the Cape Colony unilaterally imposed severe restrictions on African rights in the protectorate, among them the right to possess firearms.

Already chafing under these restrictions, Moorosi rebelled when his son Lehana was arrested for stealing horses in November 1878. Moorosi organised a rescue party, and on New Year’s Eve rescued Lehana from jail. Colonial reinforcements were brought in to subdue the uprising, but Moorosi’s forces were so strong the district magistrate was forced to flee.

By February 1879, Moorosi was in open rebellion. Eventually, the British troops forced Moorosi to retreat to the mountain forests with about 300 followers. They held out for eight months against two colonial assaults.

In the third assault, Moorosi was killed and decapitated. His death marked the end of the Phuthi chiefdom. The remaining Phuthi were gradually absorbed by the Sotho.

VIRGINIA CURTIN KNIGHT