The Prince of Stafford -England; Nguboyenja son of King Lobengula, : A thread:
After the British defeat of King Lobengula of the Matabele State in November 1893 & his subsequent disappearance, Cecil John Rhodes, abducted & deported to Capetown 3 young royal princes in 1895. Nguboentsha ( Nguboyenja as is commonly known)was the youngest of the 3. in February 1895 Nguboyenja, together with his two brothers,entered Zonnebloem College in Cape Town,an Anglican high-church school for the sons of African chiefs & headmen. He spent 12 years at the college.

The Ndebele of Buhera.
44th independence celebrations in Zimbabwe cast the spotlight on Buhera district in Manicaland whith a demographic oddity: Ndebele villages & a Ndebele chief Gwebu amidst Shona tribes. How did they get there? A thread:
Credit Musoni F (2017),@RealMzalaTom The story of the Ndebele of Buhera starts On August 2, 1923, when Southern Rhodesia’s Government officials addressed a group of Ndebele chiefs at Fort Usher in the Matopos, urging those served with land eviction orders to consider moving to Buhera then known as the Sabi Reserve

Shona chiefs relations with the Ndebele ( Matabele) State of Kings Mzilikazi and Lobengula.
A warts and all short thread:
Some background: Between 1838 and 1840, the Ndebele nation of King Mzilikazi crossed the Limpopo and settled in present day Zimbabwe. @RealMzalaTom. King Mzilikazi left South Africa having ruled Transvaaal for 10 years, leaving after a bitter war against the Boers.The Ndebele
had good knowledge of the area having first raided the Kalanga in 1826 contrary to the myth that Rev Moffat directed King Mzilikazi to settle in Matland

Could King Lobengula read or write?
A thread:
Many myths emerged since the defeat of the Matabele by the British in 1893 about King Lobengula. Historical accounts tell a different story of an intelligent, powerful , articulate king.
@RealMzalaTom @MimiReeds In August 1871, John Lee om behalf of Thomas Baines asked for written permission to prospect for gold. King Lobengula assented to that request signing perhaps the first of a huge volume of letters, permits , treaties that would earn him the nickname Ngwalongwalo oka Matshobana

King Mzilikazi's White children : A thread.
Visitors in the 1830s to King Mzilikazis capital of Egabheni in present Northwest province South Africa, including British Captain Cornwall Harris reported seeing white children/ youths among the Ndebele. Who were they? @RealMzalaTom In the winter of 1834, Griquas under leader Peter Davids trespassed into King Mzilikazis territory in the Vaal illegally hunting game. They were attacked by 2000 Matabele warriors led by Gen Mkhaliphi killing about 400 Griqua armed with guns including Gert Hoyman & Jan Davids

What happened to King Lobengula? A micro thread of clues...
History books & a Ndebele song say " he disappeared". But did he?When the British invasion army smashed the Ndebele regiments & Imbizo commandos , at the Gadade plains , King Lobengula fled north torching the capital Allan Wilson in an illadvised move persued the King across the dry Shangani river with about 30 British troops. That night it rained & the Shangani river became a flood cutting off the hapless Wilson troops. They were cut down to the last man by the Matabele warriors in Pupu.

From hero to Zero The rise & fall of Ndebele chief  Lotshe Hlabangana
A brief thread
Chief Lotshe Hlabangana rose to prominence in the reign of King Lobengula ka Mzilikazi ka Matshobana, occupying the lofty position of chief advisor equivalent to Prime Minister. @RealMzalaTom So much did King Lobengula trust Chief Lotshe Hlabangana, a chief he inherited, that he sent him with Babeyana Masuku as emmisarries to meet Queen Victoria in London in 1888. The first ever official ambassadors from Zim to UK. That mission contributed to Chief Lotshes downfall.

Vala Ngebhetshu: A bite size narration of the battle of Gadade where Ndebele warriors met the might of the British Army in a winner takes all fight to the death. It took place in Mbembesi on 1 November 1893. Its was the the clash of the assegai vs the machine gun
@RealMzalaTom The Ndebele army took the familiar bull horn formation used with devastating effect since days of King Tshaka in Zululand. Ihlathi , Insukamini, Inqobo, iSiziba and Induba regiments formed the right flank and led the attack. Umcinjo , Amavene, Ujinga and Inxa formed left flank.