Defeating Disarmament

Abstract

The war which followed was far more disastrous than Sprigg had feared. It lasted for almost exactly seven months from the attack on 12 September on the column of 212 Cape Mounted Riflemen being brought in to defend Mafeteng. They had been withdrawn from Griqualand East, which was left completely undefended as a result. This no doubt explains the timing, if not the cause of the revolt of the Sotho in the Matatiele District of Griqualand East, which erupted on 4 October. They were promptly joined by some of the Griqua, followed shortly by the Mpondomise in the Qumbu and Tsolo Districts (Hope was murdered in the former, where he had been transferred as magistrate), the Qwati and some of the Thembu in Thembuland and Emigrant Thembuland. Many whites suspected that the revolt was the result of a conspiracy, but the evidence of lack of cooperation between the rebel groups does not bear out this theory.¹ Nonetheless, there is strong evidence that Letsie was in contact with and encouraged the Sotho involved in the revolt,² and the Cape authorities’ concern over the Basutoland Rebellion—or War of the Guns, as it is known by the Sotho—must be seen against the background of Cape forces being required to fight in this second arena as well until February 1881.