Mzilikazi strikes back

With Mzilakazi rejecting his appeals for support, Matsheng ultimately found refuge with the man who had sanctioned his overthrow, Kgosi Sechele.

During Sekgoma’s second reign, Shoshong rapidly emerged from the shadow of Bakwena centres at Dithubaruba and (after 1863) Molepolole as a leading centre for the ivory and ostrich feather trade. Whereas in 1841 the town had a population of only about 1,500, two decades later it was home to over 30,000 people, being described by one visitor as “undoubtedly the most important town in any of the independent native kingdoms in the interior of South Africa.”