The First Chimurenga, also known as the Second Matabele War, was fought from 1896 to 1897 in what became Southern Rhodesia, beginning as a revolt by the Ndebele people against the British South Africa Company and later spreading to include the Shona people. The Ndebele spiritual leader known as the Mlimo helped incite the uprising by blaming settlers for a severe drought, locust plagues, and the cattle disease rinderpest afflicting the country. The Company's forces were initially weakened because troops and weapons had been sent to fight in the Jameson Raid, leaving the territory poorly defended, but reinforcements eventually broke the sieges of the main settlements, and the war ended in a Company victory in October 1897. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Classification
Conflict TypeColonial or Anti-Colonial War 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: First Chimurenga
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The conflict was initially between the British South Africa Company (BSAC) and the Matabele people, later expanding to include the Shona people in the rest of Southern Rhodesia. In March 1896, the Matabele revolted against the authority of the BSAC.
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The First Chimurenga, also known as the Second Matabele War, was fought between 1896 and 1897 in the region that later became Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
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The BSAC immediately sent troops to suppress the uprising, but it cost the lives of many on both sides.
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