The Sunday News
Pathisa Nyathi
WHEN Reverend Robert Moffat visited King Mzilikazi kaMatshobana in 1835 the king and his followers had moved their seat of power from Mhlahlandlela in present day Hammaskral, not far from the Aapies River which runs through Pretoria. The new royal town was at Egabheni, the village which was established between the Marico and Crocodile rivers.
It should not be imagined that the people moved en masse in about 1832/3, abandoning all the areas where they had previously settled. In reality, it was part of the state which relocated in a westerly direction in an effort to be out of reach of King Dingane kaSenzangakhona’s armies. Indeed, new settlements included Mosega which had been a settlement for the Hurutshe. Both the Rolong and the Kgatla lived not far from new Ndebele settlements.
There were still some Ndebele settlements in the Magaliesberg (Mohale’ Mountain) near which there were the Kgatla (Mnkandla) under Chief Pilane.
Chief Mpondo was in charge of the area. What that meant, in effect, was that Zulu attackers were stopped far from the royal seat. Indeed, the Zulu army which was dispatched by King Dingane kaSenzangakhona was stopped on its tracks when it launched the second attack on the Ndebele State in 1834.
In essence, the geographical extent of the state increased which translated to improved security and defence and also economic benefits as more people were involuntarily incorporated into Ndebele society or voluntarily assimilated.
Chief Gwabalanda Mathe was in charge of the western area, in the upper reaches of the Marico River, an area where the Ngwaketse had once lived.
Mncumbatha kaKholo was in charge in the northern hills. Such an arrangement translated to increased north-south dimension of the area covered by the state. The king’s royal seat was centrally located to make sure the king was safe and protected. The villages fringing the royal town, comprising what was known as isiphika, served as intelligence gatherers and the bulwark against enemies advancing towards the king.
Strangers intending to get to the king were stopped at immigration towns/imizi, izihlabamkhozi also known as izikhuza, who sent word to the king for his opinion on whether or not the visitor should proceed. A party of men was dispatched to accompany the visitor in order to report on his activities and make sure he did nothing that compromised or breached the security of the state.
When the Reverend Dr Robert Moffat ended his second visit to the king, his host accompanied him on the initial stages of the return journey. The two rode in the same ox wagon. Reverend Moffat observed that they were passing through several cattle outposts. There were few human beings in those remote cattle outposts, known as imilaga. Cattle were sent to these places especially in winter when in south-western Zimbabwe.
Cattle were farmed out to cattle outposts where sweet grass, uhatshi, was found. Such places included Plumtree, Gwanda, Mberengwa and Tsholotsho. Reverend Moffat observed that his host showed a keen interest in his herds that they came across. He would get down and take a close look at them. At one cattle post the royal party stayed overnight. Reverend Moffat who did not appreciate the king’s intimate love for his animals was not particularly amused with royal interest.
Raids, which only the king sanctioned (one centre of power), targeted both cattle and human beings (abesihlangu). The latter were young people who it was assumed could easily embrace a new culture and language. The old and infirm were killed. Cattle played an important role in the lives of the Ndebele, indeed, in the lives of other African people. Their roles spanned social, cultural, spiritual and economic dimensions of society.
All cattle were individually described in terms of their colour configuration: iklalati, impevu, ingcotsha, insipho, isibawu, ibhamu, intenjane, iwaba, ijoli, iganu, inzotho, inkone, ibhidi etc. Cattle were also described in terms of their horn formation. Each beef cut in the carcass had a name and traversed cultural attributes of society (see Nyathi, 2017, Beyond Nutrition: Food as a Cultural Expression). Each person had his/her own cattle with distinctive ear marks, izimpawu; singular-uphawu: isikeyi, ijodo, umchacho, inkonjane, intengo, ihunu etc
Today we shall take a look at cattle ownership. Oral tradition makes mention of amambowe cattle, which were kept by Mfulana Khumalo in Siganda area. Apparently, Mfulana had been left there when King Mzilikazi kaMatshobana and his section of the Ndebele trekked towards where Khondwane kaNdlovu kaMkheswa lived with his section of Amahlabezulu. Unfortunately, it has not been explained to me what sort of cattle these amambowe were.
Mfulana is the man that Queen Lozikeyi okaNgogo appointed as chief in the Nkosikazi area. Chief Mfulana had girls only as his children.
Before he died he suggested the appointment of Mlonyeni Khumalo to be his successor. Indeed, that did happen and Mlonyeni Khumalo became the chief and was briefly succeeded by son Sibuzo who was then succeeded by his brother Mabhikwa, so named because for his mother to conceive, the gynaecological services of a Kalanga doctor were solicited.
Izinkomo zamathanga were given to one in exchange for services offered. It could be as a result of military exploits, medical services, or in return for herding cattle. This was an arrangement which allowed for most people to own cattle of their own, contrary to the false claims by colonists that all cattle belonged to the king. This falsehood was peddled in order to justify seizure of royal herds.
Even women did own cattle in their own right over and above inkomo yohlanga given to a man’s wife in gratitude to the wife who raised the girl child now getting married, thus bringing a large herd of amalobolo cattle. Please note inkomo yohlanga was given to the daughter’s mother by the daughter’s father. These days the son-in-law is made to give the beast. All cattle given as amalobolo belonged to the father of the daughter.
In days gone by, amalobolo beasts were individually named: uswazi, inkunzi, ibhekamuva etc. In essence, there were cattle that exchanged hands between two families: the groom’s family giving the cattle to the bride’s parents in recognition of the fact that she was about to play a role in extending the bloodline of the groom’s family. On their own, the groom’s family could not extend their bloodline. This is because they could not marry their sisters or aunts.
Izinkomo zomthontiso were special cows with grown up calves. Milk from such cows was deemed ritually pure and was used in the concocting of medicines to be used during umthontiso, a rehearsal ritual which preceded Inxwala, the most important royal/national ritual ceremony. Sikhobokhobo Nxumalo who lived in Bubi kept these special cattle. When the fertile Bubi land was expropriated by white colonists, Sikhobokhobo’s son, Mudliwezibanda, was evicted to Nkayi where their recently acquired chieftainship still exists to this day.
