Pioneer Column - Definition and Overview

In 1889 seeking to weaken the Ndebele king Lobengula's control over the territory, Cecil Rhodes promoted white settlement in Ndebele and Shona lands and dispatched a group of colonists known as the “Pioneer Column” to the region in 1890, under military guard.

Evenetually, using a cattle raid as a pretext, a military force entered the Ndebele kingdom and using the newly invented Maxim machine gun with deadly effect, Rhode's forces inflicted a crushing defeat on Lobengula’s troops, who were armed only with spears and shields. Over 3000 Ndebele warriors fell in battle, against only one white casualty. In the years that followed, Lobengula’s people were forced into tribal reserves, while the best lands were seized by a steady influx of settlers from Britain and South Africa.