Pioneer Column

The settler who mapped the Pioneer Column route
By Alvin Madzivanzira

THE story of the occupation of Zimbabwe would be
incomplete without the mention of Frederick Courtney
Selous.
Popularly known as ‘Sirewu’ by locals who couldn’t
pronounce his name, he became acquainted with both
Mashonaland and Matabeleland during his expeditions.
Selous, a hunter with close knowledge of Mashonaland,
guided the Pioneer Column, a group gathered by
adventurer Frank Johnson to lead the occupation of
Zimbabwe.
Selous was born on December 31 1851 at Regent’s Park,
London, as one of five children of an aristocratic
family.
As a child, Selous had a penchant for stories on
explorations and adventure.
He started by establishing personal collections of various
bird eggs and butterflies and studying natural history.
His African journey began in 1870 when he arrived in
South Africa aged 21.
In 1872, he reached Matabeleland from the Cape of
Good Hope in South Africa.
In Matabeleland, according to his account, he was
granted permission to hunt anywhere in King
Lobengula’s dominion.
Selous, an avid reader of David Livingstone’s works like
The Zambezi and its tributaries, explored the country
and was one figure the Pioneer Column could not do
without.
Early in 1889, Selous met Frank Johnson in then
Bechuanaland (Botswana), which was already a British
protectorate, and he was asked to act as guide for a
gold-prospecting expedition in the upper regions of
Mazowe River.
Another task was to do mapping and literals for the
country they were to occupy.
During that expedition, they made concessions for
mining with chiefs, Mangwende, Mutoko leader of
‘Mabudja’ and Mapondera, among others.
Such an exercise was impossible in Matabeleland as
powerful Ndebele impis were present.
Between August and October 1889, Selous travelled in
Mutoko areas until he reached the powerful Chief
Mapondera’s kraal.
It was during that expedition that he ‘found’ Mt Darwin
and named it after the naturalist Darwin.
Chief Mapondera’s area lay in the centre of the gold-
bearing district.
To avoid trouble with the powerful Mapondera, Selous
obtained a mineral concession and got him to sign a
paper to the effect that he considered himself in no
way under Portuguese rule.
Upon realising the imminent danger of losing Zimbabwe
to a Portuguese garrison, Selous then wrote a letter to
Cecil John Rhodes after returning to the Cape in South
Africa.
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