Sekwati
Sekwati was a 19th-century paramount King of the Maroteng or more commonly known as the Pedi people.[2] His reign focused on rebuilding the Pedi Kingdom on the conclusion of the Mfecane and maintaining peaceful relations with the Boer Voortrekkers and neighbouring chiefdoms in the north-eastern Transvaal. He was the father to rivals Sekhukhune I who took over the Marota/Pedi paramountcy by force and Mampuru II, his rightful successor.[3]
| Sekwati I | |
|---|---|
| King of the Bapedi | |
| Reign | c. 1824 – 20 September 1861[1] |
| Predecessor | Phetedi |
| Successor | Sekhukhune I |
| Born | Sekwati Thobejane Unknown |
| Died | 20 September 1861 |
| Burial | Thaba Mosega |
| Issue | |
| Father | Thulare |
| Religion | African traditional religion |
By the death of his father Thulare I in 1824, the Marota or Pedi Kingdom was in a state of despair due to the turbulances caused by the Mfecane ("the crushing") or Difeqane ("the scattering") and encroaching white settlers (Boers) into the Transvaal. Sekwati came into power after the death of his older brothers who were killed during raids by Mzilikazi's Matabele warriors and other Zulu invaders. To counter harassment by his more power Swazi and Zulu neighbours he moved his capital from Phiring to Thaba Mosego on the slopes of the Leolo Mountains where he built fortified walls to repel further attacks.
Bibliography
- Peter Nicholas St. Martin Delius, The Pedi Polity Under Sekwati and Sekhukhune, 1828-1880, University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies).
- Barbara Oomen, Chiefs in South Africa: Law, Power & Culture in the Post-apartheid Era, University of KwazuluNatal Press, 2005.
See also
References
- Kevin Shillington, Encyclopedia of African History, p. 1194
- Winter, J. A. (1913). The History of Sekwati. South Africa: South African Journal of Science.
- South African History Online. "Pedi & Anglo-Pedi Wars 1876-1879". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 2020-08-08.