‘Mantsopa

'Mantsopa Anna Makhetha (1793–1908), often referred to as 'Mantsopa, was a Basotho prophetess, rainmaker, and storyteller. She advised King Moshoeshoe I and predicted the outcomes of several battles, including the Battle of Viervoet in 1851 and the Battle of Berea in 1852. She was exiled to Modderpoort 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 in the present day Free State province of South Africa. 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 then prophesied that Moshoeshoe I would defeat Colonel George Cathcart's forces at Berea, which they did on 20 December 1852 at the Battle of Berea. 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 of 1880–1881, she was accused of "spawning crowds of female prophetesses, who harassed mission stations and inveighed against the Cape colonial authorities."

'Mantsopa's grave is in the cemetery of Modderpoort. Her grave is located in the white part of the cemetery.