rorkesdriftvc.com :: View topic - 'Slaughter in South Africa as Troops tackle Tribe'

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:41 am

Just read this article in the Sydney Morning Herald

In the Herald 1880

'Slaughter in South Africa as Troops tackle Tribe

In South Africa about 1500 colonial troops were dispatched to deal with members of the Basuto tribe, who were gathering and whose numbers had built up to 5000. The troops made an attack and after brief resistance the tribesmen took to flight.

Vigorously pursued by the colonial cavalry who cut them down. At the end of the day some 3000 Basutos were dead for the loss of six colonial troops.'

Is anyone aware of this incident or where it happened etc,

I have never heard of it before, especially as the Basutos fought on the British side in the Zulu War.?

Andrew

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:48 am

In this "war" the Basutho allied with E. Cape tribes attempting to drive whites out, whilst the Cape Colony attempted to control guns. Neither side obtained their objective.

Basutholand was thereafter administered by Great Britain rather than by the Cape Colonial administration, subsequently obtaining independence (politically but not economically) as the modern state of Lesotho.

For a list of the colonial casualties try

http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol015gt.html

regret cannot assist with Basutho and allied casualties

As Lesotho is a mountaneous country i doubt whether cavalry would have been used; possibly mounted infantry; certainly not inflicting thousands of casualties.