'Mantsopa Anna Makhetha (1793–1908), often referred to as 'Mantsopa, was a

Basotho The Sotho () people, also known as the Basuto or Basotho (), are a Bantu nation native to southern Africa. They split into different ethnic groups over time, due to regional conflicts and colonialism, which resulted in the modern Basotho, who ...

prophetess, rainmaker, and storyteller. She advised King

Moshoeshoe I Moshoeshoe I () ( – 11 March 1870) was the first king of Lesotho. He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bamokoteli lineage, a branch of the Koena (crocodile) clan. In his youth, he helped his father gain power over som ...

and predicted the outcomes of several battles, including the Battle of Viervoet in 1851 and the

Battle of Berea The Battle of Berea was a battle between British forces under Sir George Cathcart and Basuto-Taung forces under King Moshoeshoe I that took place on 20 December 1852. The battle began when British forces broke into three columns and crossed the ...

in 1852. She was exiled to

Modderpoort Modderpoort, also known as ''Lekhalong la Bo Tau'' or ‘The Pass of the Lions’, is the site in the eastern Free State, South Africa, where the Anglican Missionary Brotherhood, the Brotherhood of St Augustine of Hippo, was established by Bishop ...

in the late 1860s, where she converted to Christianity and was baptised in 1870. She fused Christianity with her own traditional Basotho customs.

Early life and background

'Mantsopa was born in 1793 in Likotsi or Ramakhetheng, west of the

Caledon River The Caledon River ( st, Mohokare) is a major river located in central South Africa. Its total length is , rising in the Drakensberg Mountains on the Lesotho border, flowing southwestward and then westward before joining the Orange River near Beth ...

in the present day Free State province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Her father was Makhetha, half-brother to Mohlomi, a seer and

Bakoena The Bakoena or Bakwena ("those who venerate the crocodile") are a large clan in Southern Africa. They form part of the Sotho-Tswana Bantu people and can be found in different countries such as Lesotho, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Eswa ...

chief. She was descended from royalty of Bakwena ba Monaheng and named after the folktale teller Ntsopa.

Prophecies, rainmaking, and exile

By the 1840s, 'Mantsopa was renowned as a rainmaker, seer, and diviner. She called for the preservation of Basotho customs, uniting the Sotho people during a time when there was frequent raiding between Afrikaner settlers and the Basotho as well as a growing risk of war with the British-administered Orange River territory. She was a talented storyteller and travelled to the lowlands of her cousin King

's territories, rallying the people against Christian missionaries and calling on them to support their high chiefs and uphold Basotho traditions. The earliest documented and most famous prophecy of 'Mantsopa occurred in 1851. Major

Henry Douglas Warden Henry Douglas Warden (2 February 1800 – 2 December 1856) was a British Resident of the Orange River Sovereignty from 1848-1852, bought the farm Bloemfontein from Johannes Nicolaas Brits. He went to the Cape in 1819 and was sent to Natal in 184 ...

British Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indir ...

in the

Orange River Sovereignty The Orange River Sovereignty (1848–1854) was a short-lived political entity between the Orange and Vaal rivers in Southern Africa, a region known informally as Transorangia. In 1854, it became the Orange Free State, and is now the Free State ...

, demanded that the Basuto restore cattle and horses to the victims of their past cattle raids. He had mustered a force of 2,500 to attack Moshoeshoe. 'Mantsopa predicted that Moshoeshoe would have a swift victory and that there would be rain to end an ongoing drought. The Battle of Viervoet was won by Moshoeshoe's forces on 30 June 1851. It also rained that day. Eight years later, French Protestant missionary leader Eugène Casalis recorded 'Mantsopa's prophecy, writing: Following 'Mantsopa's success in predicting the results of the battle, she became an adviser to King Moshoeshoe I and his sons, especially ‘Masupha and Joel. She then prophesied that Moshoeshoe I would defeat Colonel

George Cathcart Major-General Sir George Cathcart (12 May 1794 – 5 November 1854) was a British general and diplomat. Military career He was born in Renfrewshire, son of William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart. After receiving his education at Eton and in Edinbu ...

's forces at Berea, which they did on 20 December 1852 at the

. She also told the Moshoeshoe the day in October 1853 that he would attack his old rival Batlokwa chief

Kgosi Sekonyela Kgosi Sekonyela (1804 – 20 July 1856) was a chief of the Batlokwa people. He effectively took over the chieftainship from his mother queen Manthatisi in 1824 settling in Jwalaboholo in modern day northern Lesotho. He regularly engaged in cattle ...

and bring his fortress to ruins. As 'Mantsopa gained moral and spiritual authority,

feared her growing influence and exiled her in the late 1860s. She moved with her husband across the river to

(

Sesotho Sotho () or Sesotho () or Southern Sotho is a Southern Bantu language of the Sotho–Tswana ("S.30") group, spoken primarily by the Basotho in Lesotho, where it is the national and official language; South Africa (particularly the Free Sta ...

: ''Lekhalong la Bo Tau''). After her exile, 'Mantsopa correctly prophesied the defeat of the Basotho, angering Basotho military leaders.

Christianity in Modderpoort

In Modderpoort, 'Mantsopa gained the acceptance of the Christian missionaries. French missionary and reverend Theophile Jousse made the claim that he had converted 'Mantsopa to Christianity at

Thaba Bosiu Thaba Bosiu is a sandstone plateau with an area of approximately 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.' ...

in Lesotho in 1868. St. Augustine's Priory was established in Modderpoort in 1867 near her residence and she was in contact with the Anglican fathers there. She adopted Christianity, at least nominally, and was baptised on 13 March 1870. She took the baptismal name Anna Makhetha and fused Christianity with traditional ancestor worship. She attended church functions and was active as an Anglican. They considered her the prophet of a Christian covenant with the Basotho. During the ramp-up to the

Basuto Gun War The Basuto Gun War, also known as the Basutoland Rebellion, was a conflict between the Basuto and the British Cape Colony. It lasted from 13 September 1880 to 29 April 1881 and ended in a Basuto victory. Following Basutoland's transformation int ...

of 1880–1881, she was accused of "spawning crowds of female prophetesses, who harassed mission stations and inveighed against the Cape colonial authorities."

Death and legacy

'Mantsopa died in 1908. According to the logbook of the

Society of the Sacred Mission The Society of the Sacred Mission (SSM), with the associated Company of the Sacred Mission, is an Anglican religious order founded in 1893 by Father Herbert Kelly, envisaged such that "members of the Society share a common life of prayer and fello ...

, 'Mantsopa died on the evening of 8 November 1906 and was buried with Christian rites. Mantsopa Grave

'Mantsopa's grave is in the cemetery of

. Her grave is located in the white part of the cemetery. It is a pilgrimage site, and visitors place stones on her gravestone or make offerings at the spring where she bathed. Mantsopa Cave

After her death, a legend emerged that 'Mantsopa had lived in the walled-in cave at St. Augustine's Mission, which had formerly been a shelter and a private chapel. The legend related that she had used the cave as a place for prayer and healing. She had worshipped at a natural well in the forest, but there is no evidence that she had worshipped or lived in the cave. The cave is under the administrative control of the Anglican Church. David B. Coplan, in the ''

Dictionary of African Biography The ''Dictionary of African Biography'' is a six-volume biographical dictionary, published by Oxford University Press. Published in 2012, the editors-in-chief are Emmanuel K. Akyeampong and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., both of the W. E. B. Du Bois I ...

'', writes that "'Mantsopa stands out as not only as a symbol, but indeed as a still influential embodiment of gendered female spiritual leadership and power linking the postcolonial present to the precolonial past." The

Mantsopa Local Municipality Mantsopa Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District of the Free State in South Africa. Origin of the name Basotho prophet ‘Mantsopa Makhetha was a cousin to King Moshoeshoe I, who banished her from the Kin ...

in Free State was renamed for her by the provincial government in 2002.

Early life and background

Prophecies, rainmaking, and exile

Christianity in Modderpoort

Death and legacy

Notes

References

Further reading