Thread by @tlsibanda

1. KING MZILIKAZI'S KINGDOM

A long thread...

By the time Mzilikazi arrived in the Zimbabwe plateau a lot of damage had already been done by Sebetwane, Soshangane & Zwangendaba. Nyamazana who was Zwangendaba’s niece defeated the last King of the Rozvi/Lozwi empire Chirisamhuru.

2. Thus when Gundwane Ndiweni arrived Queen Nyamazana was in control of the former territories of the Rozvi/Lozwi empire. King Mzilikazi only joined them about two years after the Gundwane entourage which had settled in modern day Esigodini where there is Falcon College.

3.When King Mzilikazi arrived he was then ushered to current day Ntabazinduna where he established his first kraal. The issue of him finding Nkulumane installed as king is dealt with in the previous thread on Icala Lezinduna.

4. To consolidate his control over the former Rozvi/Lozwi territory which was now under Nyamazana, Mzilikazi proposed marriage & she agreed to become indlovukazi. The Masukus of the famous Mbiko kaMadlenya were thus incorporated in the Northern Ndebele state.

5. The Northern Ndebele state was composed of multiple ethnicities which were classified into three groups.AbeZansi were originally from Zululand. They were the ruling military & political class. AbeNhla were the Sotho-Tswana groups from the north. They were second in command.

6. The Amaholingubo/Hole were the majority & were already living in the Zimbabwean plateau. Their name meant 'those who wear robes'. People in the Zimbabwean plateau wear already trading with the Portuguese for centuries in various clothes & as such they adorned ingubo.

7. The Northern Ndebele people were therefore, a nation & not a tribe or clan but a collection of various ethnic groups like the Nguni, Sotho-Tswana, Rozvi /Lozwi, Kalanga, Birwa, Tonga, Nyubi, Venda etc. They were also identified as UMthwakazi or Mahlabezulu.

8. All ethnicities adopted the Northern Ndebele language, customs & totems. The Tau (Sotho-Tswana) /Mumpande (Tonga)/Shumba (Shona) became Sibanda. Ndlovus can be (Gatsheni) who are Nguni, (Gabula) who are Kalanga, (Mthombeni) who are Nguni and others with various ethnic origins.

10. Political authority was vested in the Khumalo clan with the first king being Mzilikazi. The king was Commander in Chief & national priest who was the sole superintendent over the annual Inxwala ceremony. The Khumalo ancestors were recognised as the ancestors of the nation.

11. The Northern Ndebele state was divided into izigaba under chiefs & headmen appointed by the King. Men of all classes were organized into age groups that served as fighting units/regiments. After marriage, the men continued to live in their fortified regimental villages.

12. The regiments came out of four divisions of the Ndebele army : Amakhanda, Amhlophe, Amnyama & Igabha. They fell under commanders & generals. Regiments were in villages which were also named after them. The regiments were deployed for various missions from time to time.

13. The royal town (isigodlo) was the epicentre for the State. Off the Bulawayo - Inyathi road close to Esiphikeni Hill was the first royal town where Mzilikazi lived. It was called Emahlokohlokweni & was protected by the Amahlokohloko regiment which Lobhengula was part of.

14. The royal town was sorrounded by isiphika which had a few settlements. Isiphika was the defence ring around the state house. When the capital town relocated isiphika settlements readjusted their positions so that they continued to render defence & security to the royal town.

15. Travellers were not expected to venture deep into the state before their presence was reported to the chiefs. Such reporting regiments were located at the state boundaries to intercept would-be invaders and send word so that regiments were summoned to repulse the invaders.

16. Such regiments/villages were in the southern part of the state where Afrikaners presented some real threat. Regiments performing such a function were known as izikhuza/ izihlabamkhosi. Secret intelligence amabutho spied for the king & foiled internal insurrections.

17. All the cattle acquired were put in the King's kraal known as isibaya senkosi. Chiefs & headmen were also entrusted with the king's cattle in various districts. Young men were tasked with taking care of the national herd. Cattle were the core of the economy of the state.

18. Chieftaincies from sorrounding states paid tribute through cattle in exchange for protection from the King. The Boers pursued Mzilikazi in his new territory & tried to attack many times but their attempts to were foiled. In 1852 they signed a peace treaty with the Ndebele.

19. Mzilikazi allowed missionaries to stay in his territory. The first mission base was set up at Inyathi in 1859 close to Mzilikazi's royal town Emhlangeni. The king wanted missionaries to help him access guns so that he fortifies his military. However, this never happened.

20. The Inxwala ceremony was the most important religious ceremony for the Ndebele to usher a new year & pray for national prosperity. Amabutho paraded at the capital & performed various dances, ukusina. The king would throw his spear towards the rising sun as part of the rites.

21. The Northern Ndebele state had existed as a centralised political reality in the south-western part of the Zimbabwean plateau. It was composed of people who were conscious of being Ndebele under the Khumalos & spoke isiNdebele as their national language.

22. The Northern Ndebele existed as an independent nation until their last king Lobhengula was removed from power by the British colonialists.The Northern Ndebele state was the last kingdom in Southern Africa to fall in the hands of colonisers after the Anglo-Ndebele War of 1893.

23. SOURCES
-Phathisa Nyathi :Zimbabwe's Cultural Heritage

-Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni :
The Ndebele Nation: Reflections on Hegemony, Memory & Historiography

-Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni :
'Inkosi Yinkosi Ngabantu: The Case of the Ndebele of Zimbabwe.