Kololo Invasion and Rule of Bulozi

KOLOLO INVASION OF BULOZI
The Kololo were part of the Sotho-speaking people of the Orange Free State (Trans-Orangia)
province in South Africa. Originally they were called the Fokeng. During the Mfecane, the
group was uprooted while some were taken into captivity. They therefore decided to escape
and crossed the Vaal River north. Their numbers began to increase because of integration of
smaller communities running away from the Mfecane. They also fought many battles. They
were led by Sebitwane. In 1831 they crossed the Zambezi and defeated the Tonga. They
moved further east as far as Sala country, but then decided to move to the west to the Toka
Plateau. However they were attacked by the Ndebele whom they managed to repulse.
The Kololo continued west and arrived in the land of the Luyi around 1835. The Luyi were
disunited and engaged in wars of succession following the demise of Mulambwa. Some Luyi
officials fled and settled out of the kingdom. Most officials, however, amongst who was
Sipopa, remained and were incorporated in the Kololo aristocracy. The unity of the kingdom
and loyalty to the new leader, Sebitwane, was enhanced by the defeat of other attacking
Mfecane groups. For example, in 1843-5, the Msene Ngoni attacked but were crushed and
their leader killed in battle. In 1845 and 1850 the Ndebele raided Bulozi but were definitively
defeated. The successful warfare and raiding by the Kololo made the kingdom to expand
The Kololo easily defeated Luyi because of the following reasons.
i. The long years of fighting experience as a result of the Mfecane wars.

ii. The succession dispute following the death of Mulambwa Silumelume was chosen as
the successor, but others supported his brother Mukwanu. This resulted into a civil
war, leading to instability.
iii. Malaria epidemics had weakened the Luyi.
The Kololo took control of central and southern areas of Bulozi up to the Victoria Falls.
However, much of the forest dry areas were not so much under Kololo control.
1
KOLOLO RULE OF BULOZI
Phase 1: 1835-1851 (Sebitwane’s rule)
During phase 1 of Kololo rule, the kingdom saw a steady expansion and development of
unity. Sebitwane was interested in building a nation-state and not just a kingdom. This he did
by unifying Lozi-Kololo and other groups. His reign saw a number of reforms to attain this
goal. He did the following.
i. He incorporated the local chiefs in the political hierarchy.

ii. The Luyi were allowed to continue with their political traditions and were not
forced to adopt the age regiment system of the Kololo.
iii. He followed a policy of integration and encouraged all his subjects to mix freely.
iv. He married women from the conquered (Makalaka)
v. To ensure that integration was fostered, he made it a point that only one language
Kololo was spoken. It was through the introduction of this language that the new
name for the people, Lozi, came about.
vi. He made sure that a Kololo family was settled in every village.
vii. Villages were grouped into provinces under Kololo governors. Along these lines
tribute was collected and redistributed.
viii. The institution of kingship was made public for the king did not live in seclusion.
Sebitwane interacted with his people in public. He became a public figure (‘father
of the Nation’ and his subjects were regarded as his children = Bana Bamulena).
After defeating the Ndebele in 1850, the capital was moved south from Naliele (on the
southern edge of the flood plains) to Linyanti on the Chobe River. This enabled Sebitwane to
defend the kingdom more effectively from any Ndebele attacks. It was also good for cattle
rearing, and situated near the ox-wagon road from South Africa. It was there that Dr David
Livingstone visited him in 1851 shortly after which the Litunga passed away. At his death,
the kingdom had grown so large that it extended to the Namwala and Choma areas.
Phase II (1852-1864)
At the death of Sebitwane, his daughter Mamochisane succeeded him but only for about nine
months because she soon abdicated in favour of her brother Sekeletu. This phase in Kololo
history was the disastrous. The kingdom almost collapsed because Sekeletu did not have
leadership qualities possessed by his father. Generally, he was a cruel leader,. For instance;
2
i. He did not continue with the process of integration started by his father.
ii. He chose his councillors from among the Kololo only.
iii. He was pre-occupied with the well-being of the Kololo and in his way
alienated the Lozi.
iv. His mistrust of the Lozi worsened when he became a leper- the Lozi being
accused of having bewitched him.
v. He starts trading with the Portuguese in Angola through the Mambari
middlemen. He received guns, gun powder and cloth in exchange for Lozi
slaves.
vi. He appointed his peers as advisors.
vii. Unlike his father, Sekeletu only married Kololo women.
End of Kololo Rule
The fact that the new capital Linyanti was far away from the Zambezi flood plain, the
heartland of the Lozi, increased the rift between the two groups. Linyanti was also mosquito-
infested, hence large cases of Malaria. The Kololo, who originated from the South, suffered
more from Malaria than the Lozi because they had no natural immunity to the disease. This
weakened the Kololo.
The kingdom in the meantime continued disintegrating. This was reported by Livingstone in
1860 during his second journey. Three years later, Sekeletu passed away, leaving behind a
much divided state. The kingdom was soon plunged into a succession dispute. The Lozi took
advantage of the confusion to revolt in 1864. This rebellion was led by survivors of the
former Lozi royal establishment and was successful.
Sipopa, a descendant from the Lozi royal family led the revolt, and afterwards was made
king. However, he was unable to unite and control the whole territory. It was his successor,
Lewanika (1878-1914) who was able to re-build and unify the kingdom. He was temporally
deposed in 1884, but was reinstated the following year. He continued raiding the Tonga, Ila
and Kaonde for cattle in order to assert his leadership. He also adopted the strong centralized
rule introduced by the Kololo. He was able to unite the kingdom and to participate in external
developments that were engulfing the region. It was during this reign that the P.E.M.S.
missionaries led by Francois Coillard started work there (1885); South African big game
hunters also arrived during this time; but most importantly, official of the BSACo arrived
marking the beginning of colonial rule in Zambia.

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KOLOLO INVASION OF BULOZI

The Kololo easily defeated Luyi because of the following reasons.

i. The long years of fighting experience as a result of the Mfecane wars.

Phase 1: 1835-1851 (Sebitwane’s rule)

i. He incorporated the local chiefs in the political hierarchy.

End of Kololo Rule

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