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BATTLE OF TIGELE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
LOCATION
The site is about ten (10) kilometers south of Mafikeng, at Setlopo village
BRIEF BACKGROUND
The then years (late 1700 to late 1800) were characterized by continued conflicts which besides land included cattle raids and this caused great tribal displacement. In particular the Dutch and the British colonial expansion from the South, cattle raids by the Korana and the Griquas from the south-west, the slave raids by the Portuguese from Delagoa Bay, Incursion of the Nguni people from south-east, particularly Mzilikazi who settled at Mosega and Egabeni (Silikatskop).
The four Barolong clans finally settled at Thaba Nchu. They later assisted the Boers after they suffered a great loss from Mzilikazi. This lead to an alliance between them, which led to Barolong, Griquas, Karanas and the Boers clubbing together to attack Mzilikazi, twice, the second instance being the Barolong and the Boers where they had driven him out northwards.
The latter remained in the area of Rooigrond, while the former returned back to Thaba Nchu. Barolong later came back to their land and they got involved in continued conflicts regarding the farming land along the Molopo river, which the Boers occupied regardless of Kgosi Montshiwa's warnings to vacate, as the land belonged to him according to the Kaete Award of 1871,
These conflicts finally led to the famous Seige of Mafikeng from the 13th of October 1899 to 17th May 1900.
On the 31st of July 1884 some 300 Dutch–Boers from Rooigrond raided the Barolong and Bangwaketse Cattle posts at Tlapeng, 16 miles to the North West of Mafikeng and drove off over 3000 head of cattle. News of the raid had been received and in the early morning of the next day, the Barolong were assembled in the "Letsholo"– a war munt or battle muster - preparatory to going out to dispute the possession of the cattle with the Rooigrond volunteers.
Matlhare Nkgwang the M.O.H. and Royal Magician was still busy sprinkling the warriors with his prophylactic infusions, and immunising them with incisions, sacrifications and injunctions and incantations against military accidents, and Montshiwa was still giving final orders when the enemy came in sight. On return from Tlapeng, they had driven their loot along the West and South of the Barolong village of Mafikeng, purposely near enough to be seen, and thereby lure Montshioa's men to fight. Sure enough, unable to resist the desire to recapture their cattle, the Barolong at once went out to attack. A severe engagement followed on the Lotlhakane and Magogoe spruits four miles to the South of Mafikeng village, ebbed and flowed now forwards towards Lotlhakane and now backwards towards the village as the Barolong or the boers dominated the fight.
In the afternoon a contingent consisting of farmers who had just arrived at Rooigrond from Stellaland and Harts river district came to assist their kinsmen, and turned the scales against the Barolong, who were in any case already running short of ammunition. The Barolong were utterly defeated, and suffered severe losses in 181 killed and about as many wounded. Of those killed, 67 were Bangwaketse Tribesmen, whose cattle had been among those stolen and which they had followed up. The Rooigrond volunteers lost about 50 men, among them two Coetzee brothers. This was a decisive battle, and to the Barolong the most disastrous of the Campaign, wherefore they called it "Tigele", meaning Collapsion, prostration, subsidence or submergence.
The Rooigrond men and their allies were masters of the field, and after mopping up small pockets of resistance, they collected their slain and wounded, and triumphantly drove their booty over the Transvaal border at Rooigrond.
There was much weeping and lamentation in the Barolong Town that night as one after another corpse of the men who has given their lives for their country and freedom was brought. Among the slain were several Barolong Princes, Tawana Molema, Makgetla and his brother Makgetlanyana Phetlhu. The Barolong also lost two Europeans who had been assisting them, Christopher Bethel and Nathan Walker.
Extract from "Montshiwa Barolong Chief & Patriot"
BY S.M. MOLEMA
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