He effectively took over the chieftainship from his mother queen Manthatisi in 1824 settling in Jwalaboholo in modern day northern Lesotho.

Sekonyela was born around 1804,[1] he was the son of Kgosi Mokotjo of the Batlokwa people who married Monyalue of the Basia, who then became Manthatisi after the birth of their first child – Nthatisi.

Mokotjo died following an illness while on a mission to claim the area around Hohobeng from the rival Batlokwa chief Lebasa.

[3][2] Following the outbreak of the Mfecane wars, Manthatisi led her people on two years of wandering between the Sand and Orange Rivers.

[5] In 1836 French missionary Arbousset visited Sekonyela, estimating his tribe to number approximately 14,000 people; of whom 1,400 lived around Marabeng.

Dingane employed the services of Voortrekker leader Piet Retief who imprisoned Sekonyela by trickery.

[12][13] In May 1849, Sekonyela and the Korana, particularly their leader Gert Taaibosch, were reconciled and this is when a number of attacks against Moshoeshoe I were carried out.

[14] On 1 September 1850, Major Henry Douglas Warden - who was in charge of the Orange Free State, after it was annexed by the British in 1848 – was granted permission by the Orange Free State government to take military action against Sekonyela in order to end the frequent attacks on the Basotho and Bataung.

[15] During that time Sekonyela also led some successful cattle raids against neighbouring chiefdoms to the north and north-east.

In February 1852, Assistant Commissioner Hogge met with Moshoeshoe I, assuring him that the British would no longer interfere into inter-tribal conflicts.

Having significantly surpassed Sekoyela's chiefdom in strength and growing tired of his raiding Moshoeshoe I was determined to punish any further incursions.

After destroying the village of Nkhahle, Moshoeshoe's army advanced on Sekonyela's stronghold at Marabeng and that of his son Maketekete at Jwalaboholo.

[17] After the Battle of Berea on 20 December 1852, Taaibosch and Sekonyela attacked the Bataung of Tolo in Winburg and the Kgolokwe under Witsie in the Harrismith District.

The bulk of his people joined Moshoeshoe I; and others relocated to the Eastern Cape with a small portion fleeing north to integrate with Batswana.

He later moved to a plot given by George Russell Clerk – at Wittenberg Reserve in the Herschel District of Eastern Cape.

Modern day Batlokwa refer to Sekonyela as bohale meaning fierce or angry, due to his propensity for anger and the poor treatment he meted to his followers.