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Mzala Tom Profile picture
@RealMzalaTom
Sep 4, 2021 • 14 tweets • 5 min read • Read on X
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1. LOVE, SEX & BETRAYALS : THE STORY OF CHIEF GAMPU SITHOLE 🇿🇼

Umnxeba...🏮

Gampu Sithole, was the son of Maqhekeni who was chief of Amagogo within Igabha section of the Ndebele State. Maqhekeni ruled from a village called Ndikimbela in present day Nata Reserve.
2. Maqhekeni who was Mzilikazi's trusted warrior was a twin with Ngqephu who later became chief of the regiment called Amatshovu. That chieftainship is today traceable to Bakwayi Sithole whose area of jurisdiction is in Matobo District, near Kezi.
3. Gampu Sithole was, by all accounts, one of the most powerful Ndebele chiefs before the fall of the Ndebele state in the Anglo-Ndebele war in 1893, where he commanded Amagogo regiment to fight against the British. He was a close friend and confidante of King Lobhengula.
4. Despite being close to the King Gampu Sithole, had a scandalous and controversial political career that caused clashes between him and the king. Gampu succeeded his father Maqhekeni as chief, after his death.
5. Gampu is remembered from one of our threads for disrupting the royal wedding designed to forge relations between the Ndebele state and the Soshangane kingdom in 1887.
6. During his reign, King Lobhengula, he sought to strengthen ties with the Gasa/Shangani kingdom. To do so, King Lobhengula married Princess Xhwalile Nxumalo the daughter of King Mzila of the Gasa kingdom.
7. In return King Lobhengula offered his most beautiful daughter Princess Sixubhuzelo to King Mzila . However, before the princess could be delivered to the Gasa monarch, Gampu Sithole who had already impregnated Sixubhuzelo, eloped with her to the Transvaal.
8. After a few seasons when the king's anger had subsided Sithole returned & reconciled with the king. His chieftaincy status was restored & his marriage to Sixubhuzelo was formalised.
9. However, after the storm of his sex scandal with Princess Sixubhuzelo had settled , Sithole was at it again. He started philandering, within sacred royal chambers, this time targeting royal wives.
10. Gampu was embroiled in a sex scandal involving two of King Lobhengula's queens. It is believed that one of the queens was executed, as a result of the sex scandal which was dealt with under hushed circumstances to avoid embarrassing the king.
11. Luckily, before a verdict could be passed on Gampu by the royal council, which was likely to be death, Matabeleland was invaded by the Pioneer column. Gampu quickly saw on opportunity to form an alliance with the British after a failed offensive against them.
12. After the fall of the Ndebele state Gampu then worked closely with the British. Gampu sided with the British in the 1896 uprisings. After the peace settlement between the Ndebele and the British, Gampu was heavily rewarded for his loyalty & assistance to the British.
13. Gampu was rewarded with a lot of cattle and was the first salaried chief under British rule. Two of his sons were sent to study at Thekwane Mission. The Ndebele never forgave Gampu for his betrayal.Gampu died in a case of suspected revenge poisoning by Ndebele conservatives.
14. The Gampu Sithole chieftaincy is still in existence to date in Tsholotsho.🇿🇼

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More from @RealMzalaTom

Mzala Tom Profile picture
May 23
1. QUEEN NZINGA MBANDE OF ANGOLA (1583-1663) 🇦🇴

The first Portuguese explorers arrived in present day Luanda around 1500s. By 1575 Paulo Dias
de Novais arrived with a hundred families of colonists and four hundred soldiers. They set up a fort at present day Luanda. Image
2. The Portuguese gradually took control of the coastal area by a series of treaties and wars throughout the 16th century, and their interest in Angola quickly turned to the slave trade.
Image
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3. With the capital at Luanda on the coast, the Portuguese struggled against the kingdoms of Kongo, Ndongo, and Matamba to gain control of the interior. Image
Read 11 tweets
Mzala Tom Profile picture
May 3
1. THE PRE-COLONIAL INXWALA CEREMONY OF THE NDEBELE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE 🇿🇼

Inxwala was a national ceremony for spiritual renewal and thanksgiving for the first fruits in the Ndebele kingdom. The main Inxwala came a lunar month after the conduct of the minor inxwala. Image
2. Once the date for the main inxwala was set, a clarion call was
was made at all kraals in the regions of the kingdom for people to attend the big ceremony. ‘Umthwakazi kagcobe!’, ‘Let the nation dress up for Inxwala!’ the town criers would announce with great excitement. Image
3. All roads would then lead to the capital. The people brought with them food, beer and oxen for slaughter. There were special oxen known as amamvubu, the hippo oxen. These oxen were regarded as sacred animals. It was believed that the king’s ancestral spirits lived in them. Image
Read 11 tweets
Mzala Tom Profile picture
May 1
1. TIME - ISIKHATHI IN NDEBELE 🇿🇼

Ancient Ndebele people used celestial knowledge to chart seasons, regulate agricultural cycles and ritual calendars. Celestial bodies determined healing rituals, divination, social and political decisions. Image
2. The sun, ilanga, the stars, inkanyezi and the moon, inyanga, are the most significant celestial beings that affected several aspects of the Ndebele community. One day is known as ilanga or usuku and a month is known as inyanga. Image
3. One moon cycle makes up a month and thirteen moon cycles make up a year, umnyaka. Daily time is measured in relation to the movement of the sun and the stars. Different measures of time are divided as follows : Image
Read 6 tweets
Mzala Tom Profile picture
Feb 21
1. KING SOBHUZA'S KINGDOM🇸🇿

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. Image
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. Image
Read 18 tweets
Mzala Tom Profile picture
Feb 10
1. SOSHANGANA'S GASA KINGDOM 🇲🇿🇿🇼🇿🇦

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. Image
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. Image
Read 21 tweets
Mzala Tom Profile picture
Feb 4
1. THE KALANGA CIVILISATION 🇿🇼🇧🇼🇿🇦

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. Image
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. Image
Read 21 tweets

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