Thaba Bosiu is a
constituency
An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...
and
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
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
Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
, 24 km east of the country's capital
Maseru.
[''Thaba Bosiu''; ]Encyclopædia Britannica
The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition. 7 Apr. 200
It was once the capital of
Lesotho
Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
, having been King
Moshoeshoe I, Moshoeshoe's stronghold.
Moshoeshoe
Thaba Bosiu was used as a hideout by
Moshoeshoe I
Moshoeshoe I () ( – 11 March 1870) was the first king of Lesotho. He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor Tribal chief, chief of the Bamokoteli lineage, a branch of the Koena tribe, Koena (crocodile) clan. In his youth, he helped his fat ...
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 which protected the
Basotho in times of war. Moshoeshoe I and his people took occupation of this mountain in July 1824. He named it Thaba Bosiu (loosely translated – Mountain at Night) because he and his people arrived 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
Mfecane/
Difaqane Wars. When Moshoeshoe settled in Thaba Bosiu, he sent for many people to be rounded up by his regiments. 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 satisfied that they were safe, he sent the people out, but many remained under his rule. This gave birth to the Basotho nation; Thaba Bosiu served as a capital for his new Basotho nation. It also became the centre of organised resistance to
European encroachment into the central plateau region of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
.
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 is situated in the valley of the Phuthiatsana River. It is approximately 24 km east of the junction of the Caledon River that divides
Lesotho
Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
from
Free State. It rises about 106m from the surrounding valley and its summit is surrounded by a belt of perpendicular cliffs some 12m on the average. Nearby, there is
San rock art.
In 1837, Private David Webber from the 72nd
Seaforth Highlanders reached Thaba Bosiu, where he was given refuge/sanctuary. He was a good mason and carpenter, and thus built Moshoeshoe a stone house. It was a rectangular building measuring 10 metres by five metres and was divided internally into two rooms. Moshoeshoe had four other stone buildings erected as part of his compound – three of which were rectangular and one cylindrical.
Beliefs
Many Basotho believe that the mountain preserved magical properties. One belief is that if an individual takes some dirt from the mountain, he will find that it is gone in the morning, having returned to the mountain.
As also mentioned above, news was spread as a form of intimidation to the enemies that the mountain grew larger at night.
Attacks
Mzilikazi attempted to attack Moshoeshoe I at Thaba Bosiu, trying to gather strength after escaping
Shaka Zulu's rule; but was unsuccessful in his conquest.
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an invaders in 1852 and the
Boers of the
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...
were unable to storm Moshoeshoe's mountain during the siege of Thaba Bosiu on 18 August 1865.
Louw Wepener and 6 000 armed Boers volunteered to charge Thaba Bosiu. Their strategy was simply for the Free State Artillery (
Vrystaatse Artillerie Regiment) to bombard the top of the mountain. As they approached, only 100 Boers were still with Wepener by 5pm and others had retreated to the
Boer lines. Wepener made it to the top of Khubelu pass only to have his head struck by a bullet. He is the only enemy ever to reach the mountain top and has been linked to it as Khubelu pass is also known as Wepener's pass. The siege of Thaba Bosiu continued until January 1866 when General Jan Fick and his men returned to Free State to reorganise.
Treaty of Thaba Bosiu
Due to being starved after the siege, the Basotho signed a treaty in April 1866 in which they agreed to surrender 3 000 cattle. They also surrendered more than two-thirds of their arable land. At the time, Basotho faced large scale starvation and thus Moshoeshoe and his subjects agreed to the Orange Free State's terms. The land they forfeited during this treaty included conquered territory on the west of the bank of the Caledon River and
Orange River. This left Basotho with a significantly reduced cultivable area close to Thaba Bosiu, as well as 32 km of arable soil on the east bank of the Caledon River. Villagers, however, did not vacate the surrendered territory and in March 1867, Orange Free State President
Johannes Henricus Brand ordered both a resumption and intensification of Free State military action.
In 1867, After the Third
Free State–Basotho War, when Free State conquered the whole Lowlands, Moshoeshoe requested
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
protection which was granted in March 1868 on the eve of the Boer attack on Thaba Boisu. Lesotho became a British territory. Thaba Bosiu was the only part of the territory which had remained invincible.
Thaba Bosiu Affair
On 27 December 1966,
Moshoeshoe II organised protest meetings which culminated in a prayer meeting at Thaba Bosiu. This was a reaction to Prime Minister Chief Leabua Jonathan’s governance (leader of the Basotho National Party - BNP). Moshoeshoe II contested the legitimacy of the BNP governance and his lack of executive powers in the governance of
Lesotho
Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
. When the prayer meeting was held, Chief Jonathan perceived this defiance as a promotion of insurrection and banned the meeting. A conflict between the security forces and demonstrators ensued, resulting in 10 dead and arrests of many opposition party leaders. Under house arrest, Moshoeshoe II was forced to sign a document promising not to convene or address public gatherings without consent of his government and to present only speeches required and prepared by the government.
National monument
In 1967, the
Lesotho
Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
government declared the mountain a national monument. In the 1990s, the United Nation Development Programme in conjunction with the Basotho government, initiated the Preservation and Presentation of Thaba Bosiu, the national monument to preserve this historical landmark. This mountain has become a tourist attraction, with a conference centre, a cultural village and many
rondavel type of accommodation.

In 1996, Moshoeshoe II was buried on the mountain, joining Moshoeshoe I. To keep the cultural significance, several political organisations held meetings or rallies at Thaba Bosiu. For example, Lekhotla la Bafo (a political organisation) held many meetings on top of the mountain. In 1957, Lekhotla la Bafo held a joint meeting with the Basotoland Congress Party (BCP) at Thaba Bosiu.
In 2017 the relationships between the site and its local communities was studied by
Nthabiseng Mokoena.
References
External links
World Heritage Reference 5392
*
{{Authority control
Landforms of Lesotho
Plateaus of Africa