... В храме после службы за время, пока моя жена уговаривала чёрного католического свщенника освятить наши куличи и яйца, ко мне подошёл молодой человек в сопровождении чернокожей красавицы: - Здравствуйте, я из Москвы... Я читал вашу книгу... А это моя невеста - она дочь короля Сикукуне... Нынешнего...Но его дед был очень знаменит... Я хочу пригласить вас на свадьбу... - С огромным удовольствием!!!! Sekhukhune was King of the Marota people (commonly called Bapedi) who originated from the Bakgatla of the Western Transvaal. Sekhukhune, like Moshoeshoe King of the Basotho people, was an illegitimate ruler who came to power using military force. As a result, his half brother, and legitimate heir, Mampuru was forced to flee from the Kingdom. As a result of lack of legitimacy, he built his power by entering into diplomatic marriages with various royal dynasties, by incorporating other societies into his empire, and by military conquest. This increased his support base and gave him legitimacy. To defend his empire from the encroaching European colonization, Sekhukhune sent young men under the authority of 'appointed' headmen to work in white farms and diamonds mines. The money they earned in these employments was taxed and used to buy guns from the Portuguese in Delegoa Bay and cattle to increase the wealth of the Marota people. By the middle of the 19th century the Marota empire had grown to unite all the disparate people in the area under a common Royalty. The Marota lived in the land between the Vaal and Limpopo rivers. They regarded this territory as their country and admitted or excluded all corners to it. The political landscape has, of course, changed greatly since those far-off days. After Sekhukhune's death, Pretoria divided Sekhukhuneland into small "tribal" units that owed allegiance not to one central' Marota Authority but to "Native Commissioners". This effectively destroyed the Marota Empire. Thereafter, the Bapedi people were forced to seek employment on white farms, in factories and mines as migrant labourers. The migrant labour system that the Bapedi used to build their empire was now skewed against them. In a curious sort of way this fulfilled Sekhukhune's prophecy of December 1879, that after him no other chief would be able to stand up to Pretoria since they would all be its tools. Wars of Resistance When Hendrick Potgieter and the Voortrekkers arrived in the Marota Empire in the middle of the 19th century, Sekhukhune's father, Sekwati (1775-1861), resisted them. In a famous battle at Phiring in 1838 Sekwati defeated the Voortrekkers by the simple tactic of establishing his stronghold on an impenetrable hill. But Phiring was insecure and so Sekwati moved his headquarters to Thaba Mosega (the fighting koppie) in the Lulu Mountains of the Eastern Transvaal from which his people were dislodged only by a series of bitter wars ending in December 1879. Sekhukhune Region The region is named after King Sekhukhune, a king of the Marota (commonly known as the Bapedi) in Sekhukhuneland during the 18th century. Sekhukhune is a cross-boarder municipality between Limpopo and Mpumalanga Province. It is a rural area with an economic base in mining and agriculture. With fertile soil, a sub-tropical climate and the availability of reasonable quantities of water, the area boasts a strong and prosperous farming industry which consists of citrus, grapes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, peppers, beans and pumpkins, wheat, maize, cotton and tobacco. The region is endowed with mineral resources like chrome, platinum and diamond deposits. Places of interest include the Lebowa Platinum Mines, Potlake Game Reserve, Mona Meetse spring water, Ledingwe Cultural Village, Echo Stone at Phahlamanoge and Lenao la Modimo (God's Footprint). Schuinsdraai is a popular water-recreation destination where anglers can relax on the shores of Flag Boshielo Dam.