1. HOW PRINCESS ZINKABI ATTEMPTED A COUP ON LOBHENGULA....
Umnxeba... 🧵
Princess Zinkabi was King Mzilikazi's daughter. She was married to Mbiko the son of Madlenya Masuku. Mbiko was a powerful warrior who was respected in the northern Ndebele kingdom.
2. Mbiko Masuku was a powerful military leader of the feared Zwangendaba regiment . As a reward for his bravery King Mzilikazi had given him his daughter Zinkabi as a wife & thus Mbiko was elevated to royalty.
3. According to the late author Mayford Sibanda, Princess Zinkabi made it clear to her husband ukuthi ubukhosi buyaphangwa njalo buyahluthunwa ngolamandla. Akekho ozalwa eyinkosi! As such her husband had to seize power to become the next Northern Ndebele king.
4. Zinkabi did not believe that Lobhengula as the next in line was the rightful heir to the throne. This was because Lobhengula was born to a Swazi mother (MaTshabalala) & she felt that he was of a lesser class. Lobhengula was loathed for eating zebra meat among other vices.
5. Mbiko & his wife devised a secret plan to influence the leaders that Lobhengula was not the rightful heir and that Nkulumane should be sought from Zululand to replace king Mzilikazi.This was a decoy to give them time to eliminate Lobhengula & pave way for Mbiko to kingship.
6. Zinkabi was already preparinhg herself to be the next Ndebele Queen & King through her husband! However, the two greatly underestimated Lobhengula's political & military acumen or his political advisors.
7. The two thus created confusion in the Ndebele nation’s senior political and military leadership on whether Lobhengula was the rightful heir. Some therefore listened to Mbiko & agreed that a delegation be sent to Zululand to 'find' Nkulumane.
8. Sensing a coup loading commander, Velane, of the Mzinyathi regiment, sent his own people to another Lobhengula supporter, Fakafaka Mabhena, urging him to go & take Lobhengula from his regiment, Mahlokohloko, to Mhlahlandlela Palace to be officially installed as king.
9. This quick move denied Mbiko an opportunity to mobilise his base. Realising that his coup plans had been exposed Mbiko and his loyalists boycotted the Lobhengula coronation ceremony. Being a military man Mbiko knew that trouble was brewing & he mobilised to attack.
10. A few days after his coronation, after an intelligence tip off, Lobhengula strategised to move first & attack Mbiko & his feared Zwangendaba regiment before they eliminated him.
11. To prove his courage, Lobhengula travelled on horseback to the battlefront to motivate his warriors. He then secretly left for Mbiko’s village & found Mbiko sitting near his calves’ kraal, stabbed him with a spear and then set the village on fire whilst riding his horse.
12. Upon learning that her husband had been killed by her half brother, Zinkabi committed suicide. Other Mbiko loyalists followed suit & either drank poison or hanged themselves. The rest fled!
13. The raid on Mbiko’s regiment was vicious & bloody. Many of the Zwangendabas fled in order to save their families & were to never return the Ndebele state. By his heroic bravery Lobhengula established himself as king Mzilikazi's successor.
14. For more drama READ the historical novel 'UMbiko KaMadlenya' by the late Mayford Sibanda.
*ISIPHETHO*
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King Sobhuza I was born around 1788. He is considered as the founder of modern Eswatini. His father was King Ndvungunye Zikodze ruler of the Ngwane kingdom. Sobhuza I was also known as Somhlolo.
2. The name Somhlolo ('man of mysteries') is in reference to the mysteries, uncommon wisdom and prophetic gifts that were associated with his life. It is said that on the day that he was born his father was struck by lightning.
3. His reign in the early 1800s marked an important phase in the history of Eswatini. As Sobhuza began his reign, the Ngwane kingdom territory was centered along the Phongolo River to the south of modern ESwatini, and it's northern boundaries covered today's southern ESwatini.
King Soshangana was born in present day KwaNongoma in KwaZulu to Zikode kaGasa, a chief of the Ndwandwe empire under King Zwide kaLanga. The Gasa occupied the Mkhuze region around the eTshaneni mountain.
2. After the collapse of the Ndwandwe empire, Soshangana, along with his four brothers followed the example of other Ndwandwe parties by fleeing King Shaka. They took a route along the eastern foothills of Lubombo through Mngomezulu to the upper Tembe River.
3. In the Tembe area, King Soshangana lived for about five years, fortifying his group by constant raids. In about 1825, he crossed the Tembe River and marched north–west. Between 1825 and 1827 he lived on a tributary of the Nkomati River north of present-day Maputo.
Present day Kalanga people of Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa are believed to be descendants of part of the Bantu people who migrated down south from the Great Lakes region around AD900.
2. The early Kalanga ancestors are believed to be the Zhizo farmers whose descendants subsequently established the Leopard's kopje culture between AD 420 and 1050 characterised by special stone architecture and decorative pottery.
3. The Kalanga, Venda and Bolubedu are believed to have established the kingdom of Mapungubwe around 1075-1220 in the area around the confluence of the Limpopo Rivers. The kingdom flourished and attracted many Bantu migrants including the ancestors of modern day Shona groups.
In the previous threads on Ndebele marriage customs we dealt broadly with the ancient practices. The ancient elaborate practices have however, been modernised, though the core foundations of marriage practices have been preserved.
2. Gift exchange : Once the relationship is ripe, the couple intending to get married exchanges gifts to demonstrate their love and commitment. The gift can be a piece of jewelry, handkerchief, a tie etc.
3. Expression of intent to marry : The two then approach their respective elders to advise them that they intend to get married and are ready for the process to start. The elder could be an uncle or aunt. This expression is made in the absence of the other partner.
1. THE SPECIAL MARRIAGE RITUALS OF THE NDEBELE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE 🇿🇼 (PART 3)
To conclude this series we will briefly look at three types of marriages : the remarriage of a divorcee - ukuntshweba; the remarriage of a widow - ukungena and the pledging of a girl - isithembiso.
2. Divorce was very rare in Ndebele societies as marriage was viewed as a permanent covenant. Adultery was not an automatic ground for divorce as the elders intervened to preserve the union. A man could not chase away his wife and was free to marry as many as possible.
3. A woman could be banished in instances where she committed capital offences against her own family and in-laws like murder or witchcraft and such other offences that made it untenable for her to continue staying with her husband and the extended family.
The Shangwe people are predominantly found in Gokwe in the northern Zimbabawe plateau. Like the Tonga, they deeply identify themselves with the Zambezi valley.
2. The Shangwe are believed to be descendants of the Mbire - Korekore group and the Hungwe who migrated into the Zambezi Valley at various time intervals from the beginning of the 15th century.
3. The Shangwe and the Tonga lived side by side in the Zambezi valley for centuries and as such they share language and cultural heritage.