Thaba Nchu

History

The three Barolong clans (boo-Seleka, boo-Ratlou and boo-Tshidi) under their Chiefs, migrated here in December 1833. A decade earlier, these clans were driven from their land of origin, over the Vaal, by Mzilikazi, and sojourned at a place they called Motlhaana-wa-pitse (Jaw-bone of a horse), in what is now the western Free State. Upon reaching an agreement with King Moshoeshoe I, they settled in the area with their Wesleyan Methodist Missionaries- Samuel Broadbent and Thomas L. Hodgson. Then their numbers were augmented by other Barolong (boo-Rapulana under Matlaba) scattered by Mzilikazi. These Barolong people accepted the Voortrekkers as allies. The first Voortrekkers to stay here on their northward journeys were Louis Tregardt and Hans van Rensburg in 1835. The town subsequently became a safe meeting place for leaders such as Hendrik Potgieter, who arrived in May 1836, Piet Uys and Gerrit Maritz. After Potgieter's trek was attacked and plundered at Vegkop, Moroka II swiftly assisted him with draught oxen and a liberal provision of supplies. The Boer party was also assisted in returning to a refugee camp at Thaba 'Nchu, named "Moroka's Hoek". The Boer leader held a war council with the Barolong chiefs, Moroka, Tawana, Gontse, and Matlaba where a Boer-Barolong-Griqua allegiance was formed, which shortly routed Mzilikazi, who then founded the kingdom of Matabeleland. In 1841, when Tawana, Gontse, and Matlaba returned to their original home, Moroka II made Blesberg his permanent home. The area was considered a friendly native state of the Boer-governed Orange Free State, established in 1854. It, however, became an insular territory during the Basotho Wars, during which the Basotho were expelled from its vicinity. In the apartheid era, the town was the only Free…

Geography

Geographical features include the promontories of the Lesotho mountains, suitable for large lands with ample game, wherein a game reserve, the Maria Moroka Nature Reserve, has been maintained. A variety of wildlife and bird species are found here, besides a hiking trail, a traditional Tswana site, and amenities for various activities and adventures in the reserve. The "Thaba Nchu frog" which refers to a species described by A.C. Hoffman in 1939 as Semnodactylus thaba-nchuensis, was discovered on the summit of Thaba 'Nchu Mountain. The reserve has been named after the political town hero Dr. Maria Moroka. Much of the surrounding land is arable, which has been employed for large scale farming of both commercial and domestic nature. The town is also known for the Aran hand-knitted woolen garments made by local craftspeople.

Most-observed species

• Speckled Pigeon

  Columba guinea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  17
• Opuntia robusta H.L.Wendl.

  Opuntia robusta H.L.Wendl. · Magnoliopsida
  17
• Southern Fiscal

  Lanius collaris Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  16
• Cape Wagtail

  Motacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  14
• Cape Sparrow

  Passer melanurus (Statius Muller, 1776) · Aves
  14
• Cattle Egret

  Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13
• Mexican Aster

  Cosmos bipinnatus Cav. · Magnoliopsida
  13
• Pied Crow

  Corvus albus Statius Muller, 1776 · Aves
  10

Most recent

• M 4.4 — 2017-09-15
  58 km S of Bloemfontein, South Africa