Ga Masemola

Template:Infobox South African town 2011 Ga Masemola is a village community about 180 KM North East of Pretoria/Tshwane. The area was founded in the 16th century by Masemola, the fourth son of Matlebjane II, King of Batau.

Batau broke away from the mainline Swazi.They then settled at Wakkerstroom and then Seokodibeng, a place that is now called Lake Chrissie. They went from there to Mokwena River (which today is called Crocodile River) and established themselves in the Mpumalanga Mountains.

History

Settlers

In the 1880s emigration to South Africa was strongly encouraged by president Paul Kruger and support committees were set up throughout the Netherlands. In 1883 a company, under the leadership of Wolterus Dull, was established to strengthen ties between the Netherlands and South Africa. The first settlers from the Netherlands arrived during the period 1884-1887 let by Wolterus Dull. The area was proclaimed as a town in 1893 by Paul Kruger and was originally named Dull's-stroom, later simplified to Dullstroom, after the settlers’ leader Wolterus Dull and the Crocodile River (stream) nearby.

Founding

Matlebjane II had five sons. The first son was Seloane, second Mogashoa, third Phaahla, fourth Masemola and lastly Photo. Seloane, Mogashoa, Phaahla and Masemola, got worried that the king’s gifts (dibego) were continuously being taken to the younger king's wife (the mother to Photo). They then all agreed to murder the king, but were worried about what people will say. So they conceived a plan, since Photo was still a teenager, they somehow convinced him that all of them including him Photo should kill the king at night with their spears. But there was a plan Seloane, Mogashoa, Phaahla and Masemola cooked up which Photo was not privy to.

During that night the brothers got into the king's resting place and all stabbed the king; the king died. In the morning Photo discovered that he had been fooled by his brothers—his brothers' spears were turned deliberately at the sharp tip and he alone had killed the king. So only his spear had blood while his brother's spears did not have blood as the spears were deliberately blunted. Photo's brothers then cried aloud hysterically with painful voices, that Photo has killed their father. From then on Photo was despised and rejected by the people for having killed his father. The killing of Matlebjane II by his sons is the reason we have the following idioms today:

• Matlebjane o bolaile ke tswala.
• Ka hlagolela leokane la re go gola la ntlhaba?

The Batau lived at the Mokwena River for a period spanning 200 years. This was a time of relative peace and stability. Some people believe that their ruins and remains are still visible there in Mokwena (Crocodile) River, Dullstroom.

Ga Masemola surrounds ga Maphutha village. Maphutha (from the Swazi name Mabuza), was a brother to Masemola.

See also

Batau tribe