Sebetwane
Encyclopedia
Sebetwane was a Southern African king, Basotho
Basotho
The ancestors of the Sotho people have lived in southern Africa since around the fifth century. The Sotho nation emerged from the accomplished diplomacy of Moshoeshoe I who gathered together disparate clans of Sotho–Tswana origin that had dispersed across southern Africa in the early 19th century...

 chief. He established the large and powerful Makololo
Makololo
The Makololo are a people of Southern Africa, closely related to the Basotho, from which they separated themselves in the early 19th century. Originally residing in what is now South Africa, they were displaced by the Zulu expansion under Shaka and migrated north through Botswana to Barotseland in...

 nation in what is now southwestern Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

 after an arduous migration from his original home - Free State Province.

Biography

Sebetwane was a great ruler. After briefly settling near the Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls
The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...

, in 1838 he passed the Zambesi River and conquered the Lozi
Lozi people
The Lozi people are an ethnic group primarily of western Zambia, inhabiting the region of Barotseland. Lozi are also found in Namibia , Angola and Botswana.-Name:...

's kingdom. He was both able to conciliate Makololo and Lozi and repel two attacks brought against him by Mzilikazi
Mzilikazi
Mzilikazi , also sometimes called Mosilikatze, was a Southern African king who founded the Matabele kingdom , Matabeleland, in what became Rhodesia and is now Zimbabwe. He was born the son of Matshobana near Mkuze, Zululand and died at Ingama, Matabeleland...

, king of the Ndebele. He died on July 7, 1851, shortly after meeting at Linyati, his capital, the explorer David Livingstone
David Livingstone
David Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...

, 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. He maintained a peaceful kingdom.

Family

Sebetwane had a wife called Setlutlu
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 :...

. He was succeeded by his daughter Mamochisane
Mamochisane
Mamochisane was a Makololo Queen who ruled over many people, but especially the Lozi in Barotseland, today's Western Zambia, and was a wife of King Sipopa Lutangu.Her uncle was the king Mbololo.- Biography :...

, who soon stepped down in favour of her half-brother Sekeletu
Sekeletu
Sekeletu 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 had decided to step down from the throne...

. He also had a son named Mpepe, who was an enemy of Sekeletu, and grandson called Litali.

His brother Mbololo
Mbololo (king)
Mbololo was a Litunga of Makololo tribe, a successor of Liswaniso. He ruled 1863 - 1864. He was the last king of Makololo dynasty.-Family:...

later became a king.

External links

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