A British South Africa Company column led by Major Patrick William Forbes was attacked during night by a large force of Ndebele Kingdom warriors.

Equipped with superior weaponry, the column, consisting of British South Africa Police troopers and African auxiliaries, repulsed them with a heavy loss of life to the Ndebele force.

The heads of the British South Africa Company (BSAC), Cecil Rhodes and Leander Starr Jameson, decided to respond to a Ndebele Kingdom raid with force.

The bugles gave the alarm, the camp was all excitement in a moment, all noise with the opening of ammunition boxes and shouting of officers, the men were getting into their places... the scouts had hardly time to save themselves.

"[2] Lobengula's troops were a disciplined force by pre-colonial African standards, and were equipped with both assegais and Martini Henry rifles, but the BSAC trooper's Maxim guns, which had never before been used in battle, far exceeded expectations, according to an eyewitness "mow[ing] them down literally like grass".

Hubert Hervey, one of the BSAP troopers, commented that the Ndebele were not able to make good use of their own weapons: "the Matabele firing was very inaccurate and poor, and did hardly any damage.