The Name Isishweshwe

According to Pheto-Moeti (2017: 26)  Isishweshwe/ Blue Cloth came to South Africa known as the German Print which was imported from Europe to meet the demand of the German settler women, hence the name German Print appeared. The fabric was then introduced to South Africa by the German settlers, where the name seshoeshoe appeared.

The name appears to have emerged in Lesotho by the early 20 century, associated both with the name and deeds of Lesotho's founder, Moshoeshoe 1 in figure 1. SeShoeshoe later become more widely known throughout South Africa as Isishweshwe(an isiZulu phonetic variant).

 Figure 1- Natal Archives (2011). King of Lesotho- Moshoeshoe 1 [ONLINE]