This article is a transcription of a talk by Mr H.W. Kinsey to
the S.A. Military History Society in December, 1972. Editor's
note: Published in two parts. Part I follows. Part II will
appear in Vol. 2 No. 6 December, 1973 The story of Sekukuni and
the military campaigns agains him and the Bapedi is a
fascinating and romantic one, largely because of the history of
the Bapedi people and the comparative remoteness of the area in
which Sekukuni's stronghold was situated. In order, however,
fully to appreciate this story it is necessary to know something
of the history of the Bapedi people, of which Sekukuni was the
chief, the historical and political background in the Transvaal
in the 1870s and to have in one's mind the geography of
Sekukuniland and the surrounding areas of the Transvaal
involved. It is also interesting to note that Sekukuniland is
the only Native area of any magnitude in South Africa which
carries the name of the most renowned chief of the area.
Relatively speaking, the Sekukuni Wars are not ver