Chief Makgoba

Chief (Kgoshi) Mamphoku Makgoba was a Lobedu (Bakgalaka) Chief who ruled Makgobaskloof (often misspelled Makgoebaskloof) in the Soutpansberg, former Northern Transvaal (Limpopo province ), Mopani district, South Africa. His tribal totem is the Tlou of BaTlou tribe. The structure of the traditional system of governance and leadership as we know it in contemporary South Africa might have been differently articulated and understood by tribes in pre-colonial Africa.

Additionally, we know that the tribe of Makgobaskloof has strong links with some of the Kalanga -Sotho-Tswana tribes that established ancient Kingdoms such as Butua, Maphungubwe and Great Zimbabwe. The history of these great kingdoms is often shrouded in mystery since very little information exists in literature, but also in museum displays and archaeological narratives.

Chieftainship Chief Makgoba, as we know him, came from a royal family that led a tribe in Makgobaskloof prior to the arrival of White Trekboers in the Lowveld, Soutpansberg in the 1860. His governance and leadership of a small but assertive, and fearless tribe can be traced back to the early 1700s to the late 1800s. is tacitly organized and stored in the minds of the elders, and is part of the oral culture that is passed from generation to generation through tribal totems, child naming, surnames etcetera.

As the ZAR administration intensified the giving away of free land to White trekkers, the chiefs in the area started complaining about the annexation of indigenous land. Many of the chiefs did not recognize the ZAR administration as legitimate because if fell outside the traditional institutions of governance and leadership framework (as amended). As a result, the chiefs and queens resisted because African people were not seen as equal partners to the land and the many natural resources deposits in the area. One of the complainants was Chief Makgoba.

In 1888, officials from the ZAR administration began erecting beacons to mark off land belonging to indigenous local populations. They also started imposing fines for those who resisted. Land under the traditional jurisdiction of Chief Makgoba was also annexed and given to White Trekboers. Chief Makgoba and his people destroyed the beacons in retaliation. After the Soutpansberg administration became aware of the action by Chief Makgoba and his people, they then sent Native Commissioner Oscar Dahl several times to Makgobaskloof to talk Chief Makgoba around to no avail. A warrant of arrest was issued, and Chief Makgoba was arrested and sent to prison at Fort Klipdam near Pietersburg.

Resistance spreads to nearby Chiefs and Queens While Chief Makgoba was in prison for the first time, other traditional leaders not far from Makgobaskloof joined the struggle against land annexation and exclusion by the ZAR administration. Queen Khesetoane Modjadji III of the Balobedu people was one of them. The "Rain Queen " also started a campaign of civil disobedience, and refused to allow tax collection in her area. When she was threatened with punishment she also threatened to kill all Christians in her area. As Queen Modjadji and her people continued with resistance, the administration Pietersburg and Pretoria decided to form commandos to suppress the revolt. However, the commandos were being continuously harassed by Chief Makgoba's regiments and Queen Modjadji was becoming more hostile. These were the first signs of deteriorating situation that would lead to a guerilla warfare by mid-1892. Another commissioner was sent to the area, this time to tell the chiefs in the Soutpansberg to stay clear of White owned farms and stay in their designated reserves. When this plan was rejected, local chiefs started attacking white farms in retaliation. As the attacks intensified, many white farmers started leaving the area to avoid conflict. On March 1, 1894, the ZAR administration send final warnings to Chief Makgoba and neighboring chiefs and queens, but they also refused to be subjugated. It was then decided by the ZAR administration that a war with Chief Makgoba and other chiefs/queens would crush the resistance.

1895 War between Chief Makgoba and the ZAR administration On June 3, 1895, the ZAR administration launched a full-scale war against Chief Makgoba and other local chiefs after many years of resistance. Chief Makgoba had already earned the titled of "The Lion of the Soutpansberg" for his guerilla warfare strategies and tactics against an invading population of White Trekboers. His followers say he committed suicide to avoid capture. However, it is alleged that the assassins took the head, and gave it to the ZAR government in the Transvaal as proof. Subsequently, the chief's head is alleged to have been concealed from the Makgoba family for many years. It is not clear where the chief was buried.

After the death of King Makgoba, some of his family members changed their surname from Makgoba to Magoele due to fears that his capturers will come after them. Magoele was a well known fountain in the area now called Ga-Mailula around Mamabolo. They adopted Magoele as their family name because the fountain Magoele was a source of water which was the community's source of life.

In 2011, Chief Makgoba's great-grandson Kgoshi Mokopa Makgoba led a campaign to locate the remains of the head of Chief Makgoba.