Clocolan
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Clocolan is a small town in the Free State province of South Africa. The Basotho, who lived here after the ancient Kwena became extinct, left the area after new settlers entered the area. The new inhabitants mispronounced the name of the area, Hlohlowane (the Sesotho word for ridge of the battle), and called it Clocolan. The town was established in 1906.
The Kwena did not become extinct, but is one of the clans of the Basotho Nation, the Ba Kwena. This is the royal clan from which Moshoeshoe the founder of the Basotho Nation sprung. Ba Kwena means the people of the croocdile. South West of Clocolan on the road to Ladybrand is a flat topped mountian (mesa) called Mabolela. This mountian was one of the strongholds of the Basotho.During the first two decades of the nineteenth century Tshaka unified the tribes in Natal into the Zulu Nation. Many battles were fought and the wars fought in Natal spilled over into the Free State. Mantatese the the leader of the Ba Tlokwa (people of the Cat) moved from the area round present day Harrismith to near what is now Ficksburg to escape these wars. This lady and her Ba Tlokwa was much feared and raided the whole of the present eastern Free State. She was stopped from entering the Cape colony by British forces near Aliwal North. She was succeeded by her son Sekonyela. He was the chief from which Piet Retief and his Voortrekkers had to get Dingane's stolen cattle in 1837 before they could settle in Natal. Moshoeshoe created the Basotho Nation by collecting the remnants of small tribes that had been dispersed and their belongings stolen and giving them protection and safety in the mountian fortresses in Lesotho and parts of the Eastern Free State.This period of tribal war was called the Mfecane.
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