The Pedi Kingdom grew rapidly in population and power during the 1860s and early 1870s. Some neighbouring African societies attached themselves to it to escape the labour demands and taxes imposed by the Boers, while others were coerced into joining. The Pedi also expanded their firearms supplies, strengthening their ability to resist territorial and labour pressures from the Transvaal.

Pedi expansion deprived the Boers of labour and carried Pedi territorial claims into disputed areas where they clashed with the Lydenburgers. Conflict intensified when the Pedi prince Johannes Dinkwanyane prevented a Boer from occupying land and when a Pedi contingent forced African residents to abandon a Berlin mission station. Transvaal President J. J. Burgers, seeking loans for a railway to the sea, also viewed war as a means of restoring investor confidence.

In May 1876 Burgers launched a three-pronged attack on Sekhukhune’s Lulu mountain fortress with assistance from the Swazi. Boer forces fought half-heartedly, leaving much of the combat and casualties to the Swazi, who eventually withdrew. Local Boers continued to harass Sekhukhune, but negotiations produced a truce and neither side achieved a decisive victory. In 1879, British forces allied with the Swazi overpowered the Pedi Kingdom and captured Sekhukhune.