Jump to content

Witsie's Cave (Lekhalong la Witsie)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Lucas Moloi (talk | contribs) at 16:54, 16 December 2019. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Witsie’s cave
LocationWitsieshoek, Free State
Nearest cityQwaQwa and Clarens
AreaWitsieshoek
EstablishedDeclared a Provincial Heritage Site in 2016

Witsie’s cave (Lekhalong la Witsie) is a sacred site in the Free State and is named after the grandson of Chief Seeka of Bakholokoe. The cave is largely associated with Makholokoe – a tribe of the Basotho and has a rich history relating to this tribe, as well as the interactions between blacks and Boers in the 1800s. The cave has been claimed by Makholokoe as an important imprint in their history and is an important landmark in the Province.

The Makholokoe

The Makholokoe arrived in Qwaqwa around 1800 led by Lephatsoana Witsie (also spelled Oetsi or Wetsie). They left a place called Thaba Kholokoe which is near Standerton in Mpumalanga, and settled at Thaba Kholo near Bethlehem, Free State. Witsie then went ahead to look for another place and that is when he decided that he and his people would settle in Qwaqwa. They first moved at the foot of a mountain called Fika Patso (Split Rock) before moving to Mohlomong near where the old Qwaqwa government building was situated which now seats the offices of the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality. It was while living in Mohlomong that Wetsie discovered a cave near Monontsha Village. Having discovered it; it was soon named after him. This cave became a cattle post during the seasons.[1]

View of Witsieshoek from the cave Witsieshoek.

The community of Makholokoe that is found in the Eastern Free State today is the second generation of Witsie, the grandson of Chief Polane of AmaZizi.[2] The Genealogy of Makholokoe is as follows:

  • Lehasa
  • Polane (Witse’s grandfather)
  • Tshohisi
  • Letlatsa I
  • Letsitsa I
  • Dikgang
  • Kgoadinyane (Letsitsa II)
  • Letlatsa II


The Genealogy of the Makholokoe was compiled by Chief Lesia Moloi, the former Chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders in the Free State and leader of Makholokoe; however dates of succession were not available.[3]

Interaction with Voortrekkers

Voortrekker settlers moved closer to where Witsieshoek (Afrikaans meaning Witsies se Hoek, ie Witsie’s corner.) was situated, establishing their farms along the boundaries. At first, these two groups lived well side-by-side. This area was first known as Phofung (meaning the place of the elands), due to a large number of elands found in the area. The place became popularised by Boers as Witsieshoek meaning Witsies se Hoek – Witsie’s corner. [4] The Boer and the Makholokoe had a close trading relationship, through a system called Mafisa. This was a process where a man with many cattle, would lend some to a poor man who would use the milk of the cattle and keep the calves; which afforded him the opportunity to farm his own. In return, the poor man would take care of the cattle of the rich man and owe him loyalty. This system was popularised by King Moshoeshoe during the Mfecane/Difaqane Wars.[5] According to Toeba Moloi (local historian from Qwaqwa) [6] the Boers did not keep their promise of returning the cattle loaned to them by Makholokoe. This is viewed as the reason for the conflict between the two parties.[7]

A battle soon ensued between Makholokoe and the Boer farmers over the issue of cattle being stolen. Farmers reported Witsie to 'Major HD Warden, who was in charge of the Orange Free State after it was annexed by the British in 1848. Warden then gave orders to Witsie to instruct his people to return the allegedly stolen cattle, but Witsie refused, denying the allegations. Warden then ordered Witsie and his people to vacate the area. [8] King Moshoeshoe was called in to intervene. He requested Witsie to return the stolen cattle, for the sake of peace, and he offered him land to settle in Lesotho with his followers. Wetsie declined the offer .[9] Complaints about the Makholokoe’s raiding and lifting kept flooding the office of Joseph Orpen who was the Volksraad representative in Harrismith. On 12 May 1856, two years after the signing of the Bloemfontein Convention (the agreement through which the British authorities handed the Voortrekkers in the Orange River Sovereignty in 1854), the order to expel Witsie and his people was executed. A republican ‘armed expedition’ led by Commandant LR Botha and Field-Cornet FJ Senekal, drove the Makholokoe from Witsieshoek and captured their cattle, horses and sheep. Two expeditions were sent, one being in May and the other in June of the same year. This marked the first armed conflict between the whites and blacks in the area. Wetsie was forced to retreat.[10]

Significance of the cave

Witsie used this cave as a hideout after he and his people were attacked by the Boers. The Makholokoe were trapped, with the intention of starving them. Once Witsie realised that his resources were being exhausted, he snuck out during the night with his family and trusted headmen. They used the horse shoe-shaped cavern to escape into Lesotho. King Moshoeshoe I then gave them land on Likgoele in what is now the district of Mafeteng. While attempting to surrender, his people were then shot at, while some managed to escape. Their livestock were also captured.[11]

It is believed that Witsie was a healer and rainmaker and therefore the cave has become a sacred site due to it being used in the past for spiritual rituals. There are claims that in the pile of stones found at the entrance to the cave, lies the remains of some people who perished during the attack. [12] In 2016 the cave was declared a provincial heritage site in the Free State by the Free State Provincial Heritage Resources Authority.[13] The cave has been referred to as a ‘fortress’ or ‘stronghold’ of the Makholokoe forefathers.

See also

References

  1. ^ Roos, JJ (1930). Die sendingte Witsieshoek: Paulus Mopeli. Bloemfontein. pp. 12–13.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Sheddick, VGJ (1953). The Southern Sotho: Southern Africa part 2. New York: International Africa Institute. ISBN 9781138232174.
  3. ^ Ntlhabo, Makashane (2010). Investigating the significance of a heritage site: The case of Witsie’s cave in Qwaqwa (Masters). Wits University. pp. 41–42.
  4. ^ Ntlhabo 2010, pp. 2–3.
  5. ^ Adejuwon, James (2008). Climate Change and Adaptation. United Kingdom. p. 75. ISBN 9781844074709.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ http://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10539/9701/Appendix%201-11.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y
  7. ^ Ntlhabo 2010, p. 35.
  8. ^ Roos 1930, pp. 12–13.
  9. ^ Rosenberg, Scott (2013). Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. UK: Scarecrow Press. p. 417.
  10. ^ Semela, MS (2005). The Namoha Battle, Qwaqwa (1950): A case study of the significance of oral history (PhD). University of the Free State. pp. 102–103.
  11. ^ Matli, M (2010). Native Policy Management and their Impact on Tribal Society: The Witsieshoek Native Reserve 1907-1951 (Masters). University of the Free State. pp. 1–3.
  12. ^ Ntlhabo 2010, p. 10.
  13. ^ National Heritage Resources Act, Act 25 of 1999, Provincial Government Notice 03, Free State Province Government Gazette, Vol 03, No 05, Bloemfontein: Government Printer, 8 April 2016

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Witsie%27s_Cave_(Lekhalong_la_Witsie)&oldid=931047886"