What is Mfecane war?

The Mfecane (isiZulu, Zulu pronunciation: [m̩fɛˈkǀaːne]), also known by the Sesotho names Difaqane or Lifaqane (all meaning "crushing, scattering, forced dispersal, forced migration") is a historical period of heightened military conflict and migration associated with state formation and expansion in Southern Africa.

Who started the Mfecane wars?

There is a great deal of controversy about what caused the mfecane, but one of the more popular theories is that the Mfecane wars were caused by competition for limited land, growing trade at Delagoa Bay, and the mhlatule famine.

What impact did the Mfecane war?

Rapid population growth resulted on competition for land which was needed for agricultural, grazing and residential purposes This led to over-cultivation of soils and later soil erosion Bigger and powerful states like the Ndwandwe, Mthethwa, Zulu and Ngwane began competing to control economic and political activities ...

Why was Mfecane so significant in the history of South Africa?

The Mfecane had a great influence on the history of South Africa. Large parts of the country in Natal, the Transvaal and Free State were largely depopulated because people fled in droves to safer areas such as the Transkei, the edge of the Kalahari, the Soutpansberg and the present-day Lesotho.

How did the Mfecane impact Southern Africa?

Devoid of social order, the refugees pillaged and stole wherever they went. The impact of the Mfecane extended far beyond South Africa. People fled from Shaka's armies as far away as Barotseland, in Zambia, to the northwest and Tanzania and Malawi in the northeast.

Foreign Mercenaries withdrawing from Russian advancing forces, somewhere in Ukraine: The Telegraph

Which tribes were affected by Mfecane?

There were three major ethnic groups that occupied the areas now known as Nquthu, Babanango, Empangeni, Mtubatuba, Hlabisa, Nongoma, Pongola, Vryheid, Melmoth and Mahlabathini – those ethnic groups were the Ngwane, the Ndwandwe and the Mthethwa.

What role did the Mfecane play in the Great Trek?

The major point of Mfecane: The Role Played by Blacks in the Great Trek, is that blacks trudging besides ox wagons out of the Cape and into the hinterland outnumbered white Trekkers. "The Great Trek has been interpreted in many different ways," Halala writes in the introduction to his book.

What are Lesotho and Swaziland?

Summary. Both Lesotho, a tiny landlocked nation completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa, and Swaziland, an enclave between Mozambique and South Africa, are de facto abolitionist, defined as a country in which the death penalty remains a lawful sentence but no executions have occurred for ten years or more ...

What is Mfecane PDF?

The Mfecane was one of a period which witnessed many theories being developed and produced which tries to account for Mfecane. Orthodox historians maintain that the Mfecane was a great series of wars and raids initiated and perpetrated by the powerful amaZulu king, Shaka ,during the 1820s and 1830s according to J.

What is the Nguni tribe?

Nguni people are a group of closely related Bantu ethnic groups that reside in Southern Africa. They predominantly live in South Africa. Swazi people live in both South Africa and Eswatini, while Ndebele people live in both South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Why is Shaka Zulu important?

Who was Shaka? Shaka was a Zulu chief (1816–28) and the founder of the Zulu empire in Southern Africa. He is credited with creating a fighting force that devastated the entire region.

Why did South Africa invade Lesotho?

Mandela approved the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to Lesotho on 22 September 1998 to quell the rioting and maintain order. Botswana Defence Force soldiers were also deployed. The operation was described as an "intervention to restore democracy and the rule of law".

Why is Lesotho its own country?

Lesotho (then Basutoland, a British protectorate) was annexed to the Cape Colony in 1871, but became separate again (as a crown colony) in 1884. When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, there were moves by the UK to include Lesotho. However, in October 1966, the Kingdom gained full independence.

Why is Swaziland and Lesotho separate from South Africa?

The short answer is that the inhabitants of what is now Lesotho were ornery and didn't roll over to British hegemony, so they were not included in South Africa with the more controllable people. The long version requires some background. The precursor to the Republic of South Africa was the Union of South Africa.

Where is Xhosa from?

Xhosa, formerly spelled Xosa, a group of mostly related peoples living primarily in Eastern Cape province, South Africa. They form part of the southern Nguni and speak mutually intelligible dialects of Xhosa, a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo family.

What are the causes and effects of Mfecane PDF?

Causes of Mfecane

They identified population explosion, the introduction of maize by the Portuguese, land shortage and hunger, new military tactics and weapons development, and the change in society to formation of age regiments.

Where did the Zulus migrate from?

Originally, the Zulu tribe emanated from the Ngunis who inhabited the central and Eastern Africa and subsequently migrated to the Southern Africa in the “Bantu Migration” which occurred centuries ago. The Zulu tribe represents the largest population of ethnic groups in South Africa; making up to 10-11 million people.

What caused the Great Trek in South Africa?

Great Trek, Afrikaans Groot Trek, the emigration of some 12,000 to 14,000 Boers from Cape Colony in South Africa between 1835 and the early 1840s, in rebellion against the policies of the British government and in search of fresh pasturelands.

Why the Boers left the Cape Colony?

There were many reasons why the Boers left the Cape Colony; among the initial reasons were the language laws. The British had proclaimed the English language as the only language of the Cape Colony and prohibited the use of the Dutch language.

What are the main causes of the Great Trek?

The Great Trek resulted from the culmination of tensions between rural descendants of the Cape's original European settlers, known collectively as Boers, and the British Empire.

When did Zulus arrive in South Africa?

Zulu settlement and early life in Natal. It is thought that the first known inhabitants of the Durban area arrived from the north around 100,000 BC.

Who is the father of Nguni?

Benedict Wallet Vilakazi has been called the “Father of Nguni Literature”. He was born on 6 January, 1906 at Groutville Mission Station near Stanger in KwaZulu-Natal.

Where did the Khoisan originate from?

Some 22,000 years ago, they were the largest group of humans on earth: the Khoisan, a tribe of hunter-gatherers in southern Africa.

Does Lesotho have an army?

The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) is the military of Kingdom of Lesotho, which consists of about 2,000 personnel and is tasked with maintaining internal security, territorial integrity, and defending the constitution of Lesotho.