Pioneer Column
In 1889 seeking to weaken the Ndebele king Lobengula's control over the territory, Cecil Rhodes promoted white settlement in Ndebele and Shona lands. In 1890, he dispatched a group of colonists known as the Pioneer Column to the region under military guard.
Eventually, using a cattle raid as a pretext, a military force entered the Ndebele kingdom. 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 3,000 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.