The Sunday News
THERE were a number of factors that influenced the location of Ndebele settlements. One of these was type of soil. Both izibomvu (red soils) and izidaka (black soils) were preferred. Also preferred were schist-derived soils such as those found in the Esiphezini and Hope Fountain areas. Soil type depended on the underlying parent rock or geological formation and to some extent the climate.
The Khondwane Ndiweni-led section of the migrating Ndebele people settled in the Insiza-Umzingwane and Incema areas that are characterised by izidaka, izibomvu and schist-derived soils. The choice of soil type was made on the basis of the type of vegetation, especially grass that it supported. Oral narratives of the Ndebele do make mention of the flat-topped hill, Intabayezinduna, where they were to settle and that around the hill there is luxuriant grass known as imbanjane. The grass is good grazing for cattle.
In addition to soil considerations the Ndebele located their settlements near sources of water. Insiza, Umzingwane and Incema rivers influenced the settlement pattern in particular of the villages that were led by Khondwane Ndiweni. The chief village then was Gibixhegu not far from present day Falcon College. The villages were spawned by Amakhanda under the Dlodlos and Umzinyathi under the Gwebus.
Another important consideration was the presence of sloping places. Hut architecture demanded that a sloping place be preferred so that rain water would flow easily without accumulating around the hut which did not have a waterproof wall. The bee-hive was undifferentiated –wall and roof combined into one. The chosen terrain was akin to that found in KwaZulu-Natal where the Ndebele lived before embarking on the long migration to Zimbabwe.
During our excursion to Umvutshwa and related places we encountered these considerations. At the site of Johan Colenbrander’s trading store the soils were typically red — the very soils where Ndebele people grew crops especially sorghum. By the time we got to Athlone Cemetery the geological transition was evident. The soils were neither red nor amahlabathi (sandy soils). This happened to be the schist-derived soils seemingly not as rich as the red soils. By the time we were driving along a road adjacent to State House it was clear the soils were light in colour and sandy in texture. You would not wonder why King Lobengula’s royal residence, Kobulawayo, was also known as Emahlabathini, meaning at the place of sandy soils.
What also became apparent as we drove along the humped road was the altitude of historical KoBulawayo. While it was the highest place around in line with the topographical expression of power and authority, drainage was good.
The terrain is sloping, thus allowing for easy flow of rain water. Coupled with that, the sandy soils do allow unimpeded percolation of rain water. The leafy trees within the out-of-bounds place were clearly the loftiest.
As we drove further on we were clearly descending towards the Umguza River. The trees were of the acacia type, part of secondary vegetation that took over once the villages in the area were deserted following occupation in November 1893. The flourishing trees were predominantly ugagu and izinga both of which are acacia thorn trees. Now the place has several elongated agricultural plots each with a water front. We saw flourishing vegetable growing enterprises — cabbages and tomatoes in particular.
Umguza River was the main source of water for the people living at Kobulawayo and neighbouring villages. The other source of water was the Bulawayo Spruit. It should be appreciated that the royal town was completely surrounded by villages, imizi or amaxhiba. The villages included the following: Inhlambabaloyi (or Inhlambane) under Chief Mhlambezi Ndiweni, Isizinda under Chief Maphisa Fuyane and Ingubo under Chief Fusi Khanye, inter alia. Do note that these villages relocated from the south-east where they fringed the royal town (Kobulawayo or Enyokeni or Entenjaneni) where King Lobengula lived between 1870 and 1881 when he moved to Emahlabathini.
It is important to appreciate the location of White Man’s Camp in relation to the surrounding villages (refered to as isiphika, a hood worn around the neck that carries the head — the capital town) and the royal town. The White Man’s Camp was sandwiched between a string of surrounding villages and isigodlo, the royal town. The name isiphika has survived just west of Isiphongo Hill just off the road from Bulawayo to Inyathi. The name is an indicator of the approximate position of King Mzilikazi’s royal town of Emahlokohlokweni where he lived when the Reverend Dr Robert Moffat visited him in 1854.
Umguza River, where pitched battles were fought against the white colonists during Imfazo II in 1896, was named after an aromatic plant that grows in the area. Ndebele women made use of sweet smelling aromatic plants to ward off body ordours, ukuziqhola. In addition to umguza they also made use of inkiza, imadlana and ubande. The sweetly scented inkiza plant abounds in the Matobo Hills and was used by women to plug their nostrils during the time they kept guard over the decomposing body of King Mzilikazi at Komhlamhlandlela.
We crossed Umguza River where there has always been a drift. In the olden days the drift did not have some concrete that it now has. Ox-drawn wagons must have found it a tall order to cross the thickly wooded river. We began the ascent that led us to the Missionary tree which is less than 100 metres off the road to Umvutshwa. This is part of the White Man’s Camp, which indicates that Umguza River cut across the said settlement which apparently did not cover the western side of the royal town. The white settlers were vulnerable. What is called the Missionary tree is umtswiri, lead tree, which to this day commands a prominent place.
The soils are no longer amahlabathi. Instead, it is the lighter schist-derived soils not as rich as isibomvu we encountered at the site of Colenbrander’s trading store. The few surviving trees are also of the secondary acacia type — ugagu in particular. Prickly pears, idorofiya, are also present especially the variety with purple fruits which was in season. I tucked my teeth into a few juicy ones which left my fingers looking like I had just voted. Paul Hubbard told us the plant was imported from South America, perhaps courtesy of the adventurous and seafaring Portuguese.
It is not clear why the tree was named the Missionary tree. Certainly, by that time the London Missionary Society (LMS) missionaries were living at Inyathi and Hope Fountain missions. The Catholic Jesuits had long since moved to Empandeni Mission. The other missionaries had started operations in Mashonaland where the so-called Pioneer Column of the British South Africa Company had taken over the land. As we approached the tree we realised that one bigger branch had recently been burned down. A few people have illegally settled in the area which is still part of Umvutshwa Farm that belongs to the Fletcher family. My eyes are glued on a part of the surviving but disabled umtswiri tree. There is still a visible scar with incised inscriptions. Whose indelible name is this that has defied the ravages of time?
