The Sunday News
Pathisa Nyathi
CATTLE ownership was an important indicator of gender and power relations, social and political status and it helps us to appreciate how Ndebele society was organised, its fundamental worldviews and relations with both neighbouring and far flung communities.
To tell the full story of cattle is tantamount to completely dissecting Ndebele society, a process that unlocks both the myriad of cultural practices and the pillars of beliefs that support them.
When the Ndebele State was destroyed by the invading forces of the British South Africa Company in 1893 the pretext was provided by controversy surrounding royal cattle in what has come to be known as the Victoria Incidents of July 1893.
Ndebele kings did not put all their eggs in one basket. Their vast herds of cattle were farmed to communities outside of the Ndebele core state. Some were even farmed out beyond the tributary state, in what I have termed the raided state.
When the colonists got to what they named Fort Salisbury in September 1893 they started prospecting for gold which sadly, was not found in abundant quantities as they had anticipated. In their adventurous minds the famed King Solomon’s gold mines must be in Matabeleland, a state that they knew was not going to be walkover in order for them to get access to the gold.
As a result the invading forces, guided by Frederick Courtney Selous (uSilowe), skirted the Ndebele State. It was a matter of time before the Ndebele State was invaded. A pretext was sought and communication between Cecil John Rhodes and his chief ally Dr Leander Starr Jameson indicated a well-orchestrated plan to destroy the Ndebele State, all for the precious metal, gold.
King Lobengula had some of his cattle looked after by a chief called Bere near Fort Victoria. Whites living in Fort Victoria, now Masvingo alleged that Chief Bere’s people had stolen telegraph wire.
In order to provoke a nasty scene they confiscated the royal cattle knowing well that the herds belonged to King Lobengula. As expected, King Lobengula was not going to take it lying down. Indeed, he dispatched a party to investigate.
That party was led by Chief Mgandane Dlodlo who then was chief of Inxa, the oldest village among the Amakhanda villages which included the following: Insingo, Insinda, Inzwananzi, Indinana and Inxa. Manyewu Ndiweni was also a leader of the ill-fated group. A pretext had been found to justify attack on the Ndebele State.
Chief Mgandane’s party was ordered by the whites to retreat and by sunset to have crossed a border that they knew nothing about. That party was pursued and the commander shot dead and allegedly had his head decapitated.
That story belongs elsewhere. For us what is important here is that the king had his herd of cattle looked after by people at various places. In case of a disease outbreak within a given locality, some herds stood a great chance of surviving.
The king had the largest herd for a reason. It was his cattle that were slaughtered during the various ceremonies such as Inxwala and Umthontiso. Soldiers going out on a raid did so from the royal capital.
Only the king was authorised to order a raid. This was a political and economic measure to ensure there was one centre of power. This was the crisis that faced Khondwane Ndiweni’s party.
They had been separated from the king for two years. In the king’s absence who was going to preside over Inxwala? Who was going to order the raids?
The king was the wealthiest man in the land. He married several queens so as to have several nephews who took over chieftainships such as Nyangazonke (following the marriage of Princess Nedlana, King Mzilikazi’s daughter to Chief Faku Ndiweni); Godlwayo (where Chief Mthikana Mafu married Makhwa, another daughter of King Mzilikazi); Mathema chieftainship of Enqameni where Chief Somhlolo Mathema married yet another of King Mzilikazi’ daughter, Lomahawu who unfortunately did not produce a child, and had Prince Lopila Khumalo’s daughter Nala come as inhlanzi to bear a child for her. The son was Macebo Mathema.)
There were many visitors that called on the person of king for various reasons. Some were senior kings such as Umphakathi who frequently commiserated with the monarch.
Travellers, hunters, missionaries, prospectors and traders also called on the king to seek royal sanction in order to venture into the state in pursuit of their business.
We should never lose sight of the fact that meat was an important component in the diet of the Ndebele: hence the expression inyama iphekwa ngomhluzi wenye.
This was still the case long after the demise of the Ndebele State at Queen Lozikeyi Dlodlo’s village at Nkosikazi. Even more cattle were slaughtered at the royal town. Meat was hermetically cooked in large clay pots by men and served in wooden platters some as long as one metre.
Two men carried the platter known as umgwembe. The cut pieces were big, to allow several men to take a bite in turn and pass it to the next person. Eating together like this was a way of engendering some esprit de corps, (umfelandawonye”.
The royal household had several people. Cattle were slaughtered to feed them. Some were royal poets, royal cooks, traditional doctors, praise singers, amalalaze/imbovane/abesihlangu (the captives who carried out several household chores.)
There were others who provided close security to the king, others who attended to the ablution needs of the monarch. Of course there was the induna yezinduna who lived within the royal enclosure together with his family.
The king spoke to visitors through this induna yezinduna to avoid addressing visitors directly.
Familiarity breeds contempt. The population was large and the king was duty bound to provide for all these people.
When a raiding party returned it reported initially at the royal residence. The party and its booty, intundu kaSobukhazi, (a Phenyane Masulu after whom Sobukhazi High School is named), awaited spraying (ukuchelwa) by the renowned traditional healer prior to entering the royal town. The Ndebele lived in mortal fear of ingwendela also known as uzimu. We have in the past told the story of Maqekeni Sithole the Chief of Amagogo and his royal errand to Chief Chivi’s people.
The captured cattle were then distributed to various recipients: the king, ibutho that captured the cattle (note that ibutho had its own cattle looked after by the chief and had specific ibutho ear notch, uphawu.); the brave men who actually captured the cattle and the royal queens.)
A raiding party like the returning one had to have provisions on the hoof. A story is told of how Imbizo on its journey to engage the advancing BSAC forces rounded up cattle to support them during the engagements.
We have in previous articles told how royal princesses getting married to prominent chiefs took with them fairly large herds of cattle and servants, abesihlangu. From the outset these royals became independent.
They went to their husbands and immediately became senior wives earmarked to produce chiefs. Normally, a daughter-in-law did not partake of amasi at her father-in-law’s place, akadli amasi akwabozala. She was however, at liberty to consume amasi from her own herd that she was given by her own father.
A king married several queens sometimes to cement good relations with potential adversaries. Once there were marital links relations improved. What powerful king would attack his father-in-law?
King Lobengula married Queen Xhwalile a daughter of Gaza King Mzila. Though the Gaza Queen did not produce the desired offspring relations had been cemented.
The Queen and her maids were banished to Emzinyathini where Chief Tshibhini Gwebu was later accused by King Lobengula of flirting with royal maids, a charge he denied by naming his son Mangamani, the father of Mthonzima.
King Lobengula was later to reserve one of his daughters Mhlumela to marry her to Gaza King Ngungunyana.
Unfortunately Chief Gampu Sithole had some flirting relationship with the princesses which led to Chief Gampu fleeing to the Transvaal only to return later when bad blood between him and the king had been resolved.
