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Mzilikazi's Journey into Zimabwe and dominance of the Shona and Rowzi people.

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Ndebele Hierarchy

  • At the top of the hierarchy was the King, his word was law and went without question. He relied on a small council of trusted advisers.
  • Under the King there were two degree's of rank above the common people, the first was called Umnumzane and the second was the Zinduna.
  • The Umnumzane included both male relatives of the king and commoners, they would not go on raids and weilded considerable influence over the land and its running's.
  • The second group is the Zinduna and they had authority over the military regiments, they were mostly commoners and probably had more authority than the ruling class. They in turn would have subordinate officers under them.
  • Mzilikazi organized his districts into sections, and each section was run and overseen by one of his wives and a Zinduna.
  • The Zinduna consulted these wives on important matters and the wives reined the Zinduna's independence. The wives provided the king with continuous information, and their residences became his during his travels.
  • Mzilikazi split his people into two groups, one followed his eldest son North into Zimbabwe, were they successfully enslaved and subjugated the tribes in the area.
  • The Shona, and Rowzi were not a warlike people and offered little resistance to the migrating Ndebele
  • His group went further West into Botswana and came upon hardships. The people they found there were mostly poor, traveling nomads of the Khoisan people.
  • Tough climatic conditions forced him to still look elsewhere for a place to settle. His people pushed further northwards where he came across modern day Victoria falls Mosi-oa-tunya.
  • Although the climate was perfect, the tsetse fly decimated their cattle and livestock populations. It was here that he received word that The second group had established a capital in the old Rowzi Kingdom in the Matopa's hills. He immediately headed South to meet up with his people.
  • When he arrived he found that after two years of being lost forever the second group had elected his eldest son as the new king, King Nkulumane.
  • Upon his arrival he had those who elected his son as well as his son walked up a nearby hill and thrown off the top; the hill is know know as Intabazinduna, hill of chiefs.
  • Once this was done he was able to consolidate his power once again and resume as King, the Ndebele flourished in their new location, the climate was perfect for crops and livestock and the Shona and Zwide tribes were soft targets and offered rich pickings for the warlike Ndebele regiments

Ndebele Military system

  • The military was the core of Ndebele society.
  • The Induna was a military officer as well as a civil administrator. Immediately under the Zinduna came the Mantoto ('men') who were older married soldiers; next came the Machacha, 'invincible soldiers', who could not marry until they had distinguished themselves in battle and who were expected to conquer or die; lastly came the Matsetse, or youths, who generally tended cattle
  • Similar to Shaka Mzilikazi controlled his soldiers right to marry and they were normally a gift from the king or were payed for with royal cattle.
  • Mzilikazi arranged his regimental kraals so that his capital was in the centre and his principal soldiers were stationed within an easy march, identified by Smith as one hour's journey, in kraals surrounding the centre.
  • These posts held the choiciest breeding cattle and outside this ring were placed eight or ten posts in each direction from which enemies were expected.
  • This layout of kraals indicated Mzilikazi's concern for foreign enemies and threats.
  • He maintained a policy of keeping open veld around him, and forced his tributary chiefdom's to supply information regarding his enemies.
  • Ndebele warriors were dressed similar to their Zulu counterparts.
  • The whiter the shield meant that the warrior was braver and more experienced in combat.
  • Normally held a long spear as well as a smaller fight blade.
  • The military system was the center of Ndebele society.
  • As the head of a mobilized fighting force, he had to keep his fighting forces occupied. This was mostly done through raids on smaller weaker chiefdom's.

Ndebele political and military system

Rise of Ndebele Kingdom

Synopsis:

  • The Ndebele relied on similar tactics of the Zulu's. Their fighting regiments would slay all the elders and new borns leaving only the youths as survivors. These youths would then be incorporated into the Ndebele regiments after a process of survival.
  • The youths and women that were spared would be firstly enslaved and forced to carry the Ndebele's baggage/possessions, if they survived this harsh endurance of slavery then it proved they were string enough to survive the Ndebele way of life. The second stage would be indoctrination.
  • The youths would be assembled into regiments who would be controlled by a member of the Royal family or one of Mzilikazi's aristocrats, This allowed them to forge new loyalties to their regimental fighting groups and king. After years of service a warrior would be rewarded with land and a wife to be able to make a homestead.
  • The majority of the population was made up of Sotho tribes, and a mixture of people from conquered chiefdoms. They were generally allowed their own freedom to farm crops and tendure livestock under the watchful eye of an Ndebele regiment.
  • The rule of law was the kings word, theft and minor offenses were often punished with death, Mzilikazi was known for his harsh enforcement of discipline and ruled with an iron fist.

Mzilikazi's rise to power

Dreams of Rule

  • Mzilikazi's father was murdered it is thought by Zwide.
  • Mzilikazi with the help of his comrade Shaka, gained control and became chief of the Ndebele chiefdom.
  • Instead of swearing alligance to Zwide which is what was expected, being a tribute chiefdom to the Ndwandwe. Mzilikazi swore alliagance to Shaka; a descendant of the Mthethwa Kingdom, and enemy to Zwide.
  • By him signing himself with Shaka, allowed him full command of his own miliatary regiment.
  • Whilst serving in Shaka's army, he proved himself as a fearless warrior, masterful tactician, and a trusted adviser for Shaka.
  • Mzilikazi had bigger dreams than being a general in Shaka's army.
  • In 1822 Shaka sent Mzilikazi's Matabele regiments into the interior to attack the Sotho chiefdoms.
  • After defeating the Sotho Chiefdom's and raiding their cattle, Mzilikazi and the Ndebele refused to pay the mandatory tribute to Shaka.
  • Enraging Shaka, he fled north into the interior with his people, no more than 500 men women and children, along with all their possessions.

Mzilikazi's migration North

  • The Ndebele moved North West sticking to the Drakensburg plateau until eventually crossing onto the South African Highveld.
  • They found conditions here were ripe for exploitation.
  • The Tswana tribes were weak from years of Zulu raids, they were not militaristic people.
  • Became the dominant force amongst the Tswana tribes.
  • Established a capital around modern day Pretoria as well as military strongholds to control the Tswana tribes in the area as well as to look at for chasing Zulu regiments bent on revenge.
  • Creation of an Ndebele/Khumalo and Nguni Aristocracy, lead to explosive growth in numbers as well as loot and people.
  • Increased raids on and from the Boers and other Kingdoms after 1836 caused Mzilikazi to look further North for a safe place that his people locate to.
  • He split his people into two groups, one led by himself, would go North West, into modern day Botswana. Whilst the second group, led by his son, Nkulumane who went North into modern say Zimabwe.
  • He was the son of Matsobana.
  • His mother was Nompethu KaZwide, one of King Zwide's daughters.
  • Chief of the smaller Khumalo and Ndebele Chiefdom.
  • Resided within the Ndwandwe Kingdom.
  • The Ndebele were a tribute Chiefdom to Zwide.
  • Mzilikazi was a direct descendant of Zwide on his mothers side.
  • Served in Zwide's household as a young boy in his Amabutho regiments.

King Mzilikazi and the Great migration.

Mizilikazi's path North

  • King of the Ndebele people
  • First Name: Mzilikazi (The Great road)
  • Date of Birth: 1790
  • Location of birth: Mkuze, Zululand.
  • Date of Death: 9 September 1868.
  • Location of death: Matabeleland, Matopo Hills, Zimbabwe.
  • Mzilikazi took his people first North West, where he came to the enTubeni hills, or place of rest.
  • This was still not far enough North so he continued on his way North until he came to ekupumeleni. Whilst here he was attacked by a contingent of Zulu warriors. But they were repelled, it emphasized that Shaka could still reach him and so they proceeded still further into the interior.

Journey of destruction and integration

  • Moving north and northwest, Mzilikazi pillaged and slaughtered, raided and looted Mzilikazi rounded up the strong men and women, turning the men into army recruits and the women into concubines for his warriors.
  • Integrating, melting pot, them into Khumalo/Ndebele society.
  • The name Ndebele was given to all people coming from coastal areas by the Sotho people.
  • He settled for awhile along the Vaal river before Korana cattle raiders became to much of a threat.
  • Continuing North he made temporary settlements in the area around modern day Hartbeespoort Dam.
  • Between 1827-1832 he built himself three military strong holds to form a barrier or buffer zone.
  • The largest was Kungwini, situated at the foot of the Wonderboom Mountains on the Apies River, just north of present day Pretoria. Another was Dinaneni, north of the Hartbeespoort Dam, while the third was Hlahlandlela in the territory of the Fokeng near Rustenburg. By 1829, the total Ndebele population numbered about 70, 000, consisting of the Matabele elite and a vast number who had been enslaved into the Ndebele way of life..
  • The Ndebele lived in relative peace and prosperity by raiding the smaller Tswana and Nguni chiefdoms in the area, this all changed with the arrival of the Voortrekkers after 1835.
  • The increased conflict between the two cultures forced Mzilikazi to look for new locations where his people could settle.

Coming of the Voortrekker 1836 and further conflict.

  • Early in 1836 Louis Trichardt's Voortrekker company and the Van Rensburg trekkers moved into Matabele territory and were wiped out by fever and by hostile warriors. Hendrik Potgieter's party followed. They trekked north across the Vaal searching for a permanent place to settle.
  • Mzilikazi saw the Voortrekkers crossing the Vaal without his permission and viewed them as a threat to his power in the area. When they began poaching his royal animals he instructed his warriors to expel them from his land as bandits.
  • The Voortrekkers themselves were similiar to the Ndebele in that they too were trying to find a place for their people to settle away from the expanding British influence in the Cape.
  • Potgieter laagered the trekker wagons at Vegkop, between the Wilge and Renoster rivers, and waited for the Matabele to attack them. On 16 October 1836, the Matabele, led by Mzilikazi's general Kalipi, encircled the wagons. The Ndebele were beaten and forced back by Potgieters party, many other Voortrekker parties werent so lucky.
  • In 1837 whilst the Ndebele fighting regiments were North carrying out raids, Potgieters Voortrekkers carried out attacks on the Ndebele, destroying settlements and raiding cattle stocks. It is around this time that Dingane of the Zulu Kingdom renewed his attacks on Mzilikazi seeing that he was in a weak situation, yet he was beaten back once again.
  • In November 1837, Potgieter, Maritz and Uys launched another attack on the Matabele. In a battle lasting nine days, they destroyed eGabeni as well as other Matabele camps along the Marico River. Fearing utter destruction at the hands of the Boers who had gained dominance in the Transvaal, Mzilikazi decided to move much further north. His people, now numbering some 15,000, streamed out of the Vaal valley, and after crossing the Limpopo River into the present Botswana, they split into two groups, with one heading North into Zimbabwe.
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