Thaba - Bosiu Cultural Tour

Thaba-Bosiu Cultural Tour

The Highlight of the Tour:

Mountain Fortress of Moshoeshoe I
Historical Sites
Royal Graves
Cultural Village

After breakfast, we embark on a journey to Thaba-Bosiu, where the Basotho nation was born. The name Thaba Bosiu means the “Mountain at Night.” This is where you will experience Basotho culture and heritage.

Thaba Bosiu is a constituency and sandstone plateau with an area of approximately 2 km² (0.77 sq mi) and a height of 1,804 meters above sea level. It is located between the Orange and Caledon Rivers in the Maseru District of Lesotho, 24 km east of the country's capital, Maseru. It was once the capital of Lesotho, serving as King Moshoeshoe I’s stronghold.

Moshoeshoe

Thaba Bosiu was used as a hideout by Moshoeshoe I and his subjects after they migrated from Butha-Buthe in 1824, escaping the ravages of the Difaqane/Mfecane Wars. The plateau formed a natural fortress that protected the Basotho during times of war.

Moshoeshoe I and his people occupied this mountain in July 1824. He named it Thaba Bosiu (loosely translated as “Mountain at Night”) because he and his people arrived there at night. To intimidate his enemies, he spread news that the mountain grew larger at night.

Moshoeshoe was able to offer cattle and protection to those fleeing the ravages of the Mfecane/Difaqane Wars. When Moshoeshoe settled in Thaba Bosiu, he sent his regiments to gather many displaced people. They were given food and shelter. The plateau’s large area meant it could hold enough livestock and provisions to support the people during a lengthy siege.

Once he was satisfied that they were safe, he sent the people out again, but many chose to remain under his rule. This gave birth to the Basotho nation, and Thaba Bosiu served as the capital of this new nation. It also became the centre of organised resistance to European encroachment into the central plateau region of Southern Africa.

Physical Description

The mountain has eight springs and six passes, the main one being Khubelu Pass. The other passes are known as Ramaseli, Maebeng, Mokachane, Makara, and Rahebe.

It is flat-topped and situated in the valley of the Phuthiatsana River. It lies approximately 24 km east of the junction of the Caledon River, which divides Lesotho from the Free State in South Africa.

The plateau rises about 106 meters above the surrounding valley, and its summit is surrounded by a belt of perpendicular cliffs averaging about 12 meters in height. Nearby, there is also San rock art.

In 1837, Private David Webber from the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders reached Thaba Bosiu, where he was given refuge. He was a skilled mason and carpenter and therefore built Moshoeshoe a stone house. The building was rectangular, measuring 10 meters by 5 meters, and was divided internally into two rooms.

Moshoeshoe later had four additional stone buildings constructed as part of his compound—three rectangular structures and one cylindrical building.

Beliefs

Many Basotho believe that the mountain possesses magical properties. One belief is that if an individual takes some soil from the mountain, it will mysteriously disappear by morning, having returned to the mountain.

As mentioned earlier, stories were also spread to intimidate enemies, claiming that the mountain grew larger at night.

Attacks

Mzilikazi attempted to attack Moshoeshoe I at Thaba Bosiu while trying to gather strength after escaping the rule of Shaka Zulu, but he was unsuccessful.

European forces in 1852, as well as the Boers of the Orange Free State, were unable to capture Moshoeshoe’s mountain during the Siege of Thaba Bosiu on 18 August 1865.

Louw Wepener and 6,000 armed Boers volunteered to charge the mountain. Their strategy was for the Free State Artillery (Vrystaatse Artillery Regiment) to bombard the top of the plateau.

However, as they approached the mountain, only 100 Boers remained with Wepener by 5 p.m., as the others had retreated to the Boer lines.

Wepener managed to reach the top of Khubelu Pass, but he was fatally struck by a bullet to the head. He is the only enemy known to have reached the mountaintop. The pass is therefore sometimes referred to as Wepener’s Pass.

The siege continued until January 1866, when General Jan Fick and his men returned to the Free State to reorganise.

Treaty of Thaba Bosiu

Due to severe starvation after the siege, the Basotho signed a treaty in April 1866, agreeing to surrender 3,000 cattle. They were also forced to surrender more than two-thirds of their arable land.

At the time, the Basotho faced widespread famine, and Moshoeshoe I and his subjects agreed to the terms of the Orange Free State.

The land they forfeited included conquered territory on the western banks of the Caledon and Orange Rivers.

This left the Basotho with a significantly reduced cultivable area near Thaba Bosiu, as well as about 32 km of arable land on the eastern bank of the Caledon River.

However, many villagers did not vacate the surrendered territory. In March 1867, Orange Free State President Johannes Henricus Brand ordered the resumption and intensification of Free State military action.

In 1867, after the Third Free State–Basotho War, when the Free State conquered the entire Lowlands, Moshoeshoe requested British protection, which was granted in March 1868, just before another Boer attack on Thaba Bosiu.

As a result, Lesotho became a British territory, and Thaba Bosiu remained the only part of the territory that had never been conquered.

Thaba Bosiu Affair

On 27 December 1966, Moshoeshoe II organised protest meetings which culminated in a prayer gathering at Thaba Bosiu. This was a reaction to the governance of Prime Minister Chief Leabua Jonathan, leader of the Basotho National Party (BNP).

Moshoeshoe II challenged the legitimacy of the BNP government and protested his lack of executive authority in Lesotho’s governance.

When the prayer meeting took place, Chief Jonathan perceived this act as a promotion of insurrection and banned the gathering.

A conflict between security forces and demonstrators followed, resulting in 10 deaths and the arrest of several opposition leaders.

Under house arrest, Moshoeshoe II was forced to sign a document promising not to convene or address public gatherings without government consent, and to deliver only speeches prepared or approved by the government.

National Monument

In 1967, the Lesotho government declared the mountain a National Monument.

During the 1990s, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Basotho government, initiated the Preservation and Presentation of Thaba Bosiu Project to conserve this historic site.

Today, the mountain has become a major tourist attraction, featuring a conference centre, cultural village, and traditional rondavel-style accommodation.

In 1996, Moshoeshoe II was buried on the mountain alongside Moshoeshoe I.

To preserve its cultural and political significance, several political organisations have held meetings and rallies at Thaba Bosiu. For example, Lekhotla la Bafo, a political organisation, held numerous meetings on the mountain. In 1957, it held a joint meeting with the Basutoland Congress Party (BCP) at Thaba Bosiu.

In 2017, the relationship between the site and its local communities was studied by Nthabiseng Mokoena.

Inclusive:

Transport
Tour Guide
Entrance Fees

Exclusive:

Items of Personal Use
Hotel Expenses
Meals