In January of 1902, the Leliefontein massacre occurred in the Northern Cape of which African country that is home to 56 million people?
Leliefontein massacre The Leliefontein massacre occurred at the Leliefontein mission station in the Northern Cape, South Africa on 31 January 1902. Boer leader Manie Maritz executed 35 indigenous inhabitants of the settlement as punishment for attacking his party when he went to interview the European missionaries in the town during the Second Boer War. Deneys Reitz described the attack as a "ruthless and unjustifiable act" and mentioned that Jan Smuts was displeased when he accompanied Reitz to the site of the massacre, afterward.
Northern Ndebele people The Northern Ndebele people ("Zimbabwean Ndebele: amaNdebele ") are a Bantu nation and ethnic group in Southern Africa, who share a common Ndebele culture and Ndebele language. The Northern Ndebele were historically referred to as the Matabele which was a European corruption of 'Ndebele'. Their history began when a Zulu chiefdom split from King Shaka in the early 18th century under the leadership of Mzilikazi, a former chief in his kingdom and ally. Under his command the disgruntled Zulus went on to conquer and rule the chiefdoms of the Southern Ndebele. This was where the name and identity of the eventual kingdom was adopted.