Names and naming: Mabhena history captured in names

23 Feb, 2020 - 00:02 0 Views
Names and naming: Mabhena history captured in names

The Sunday News

Pathisa Nyathi

NOT that long ago we paid a visit to the Mabhenas at Singwangombe in Nkayi District. The place is close to the border with Lupane District with Sindombe River as the boundary between the two districts which, soon after occupation, were set aside for the settlement of the defeated Ndebele. Initially, the district that was settled first was Nkayi, mostly by evictees from Bubi District. Later, in the 1950s, more land was expropriated, thus necessitating more evictions and Lupane was created as the second district to absorb evictees.

Our mission was to interview some Mabhenas who now live there under Chief Sikhobokhobo Nxumalo on the southern bank of the Shangani River. Chief Sivalo Mahlangu is on the other side of the river. Memories of uMntwana still endure. UMntwana refers to Prince Tshakalisa also known as Sintingantingasenkosi Khumalo, the younger brother of Prince Nyamande. The two are sons of King Lobengula with Mbhida Mkhwananzi okaLodada. He relocated to the area, on the southern bank of the Shangani River, with Sivalo Mahlangu across the same river.

The Mabhenas who were settled there had been ejected out of eMakhandeni where they settled under various chieftainships such as iNdinana under Chief Mfangilele Matshazi, eNsindeni under Tshuwe Gwebu, iNzwananzi under Mpiliwa Magutshwa, iNsingo under Dlundluluza Dlodlo, among others. The villages had been part of the Khondwane Ndiweni group that settled along the following main rivers: iNsiza, iNcema and uMzingwane. They arrived ahead of the party comprising aMhlophe under Gwabalanda Mathe and iGabha under Maqhekeni Sithole. The second group was led by the king himself.

In order to appreciate the significance and meaning of the names of one of the interviewees we need to briefly recount the history of the Mabhena, actually aManala descended from Manala who was chief in the Tshwane (Pretoria) area in South Africa. The focus of our research is on the man that was cruelly killed by the native commissioner at Inyathi, one Graham who the Ndebele referred to as uMehlwenduku, Maphungo Mabhena. We have brought along several Mabhenas whose ancestors once lived at eMakhandeni. The majority are descended from Chief Maphungo himself with others descended from his brothers. Their father was Mfundani who travelled to Matabeleland, leaving behind his father Bakhonile at Ndubazi, a Sotho name Tubatse corrupted by amaNtungwa to Ndubazi, with the Tubatse River (Steelpoort) close by.

Manala was the elder of the two chiefly brothers, the younger being Nzuza. When their father, Musi was old, he asked Manala the heir apparent to get him meat from a wild animal, known in their language as iMbuduma (actually inkonkoni). In the meantime, Nzuza’s mother, keen that his son take over from Musi, advised his son to get a cow’s meat and present it to the blind Musi in order for him to get the necessary blessings and succeed his father to the throne. When Manala returned, it was already too late, Nzuza had become king. Nzuza left the Tshwane area to settle at Tubatse. In due course Manala followed his brother. A truce was brokered between the two by their younger brother Sikhosana who acted as arbiter. The two feuding brothers consolidated their truce by giving to each other their daughters in marriage. Indeed, henceforth the Mabhenas and the Mahlangus intermarried and Sikhosana was bestowed with the responsibility and authority of providing royal staff (izinduku zobukhosi) for the two kings.

At the time when King Mzilikazi Khumalo got to Ndubazi aManala were under Chief Sibindi while amaNzuza were under Chief Magodonga Mahlangu. Ndubazi in relation to where the Khumalos lived was to the north, a term that later assumed ethnic connotations. One of our key informants, a son of Mquma, the grandson of Chief Maphungo was Nhlanhla Jimmy Mabhena. It was the names that he gave to his several children which documented the history of the Mabhena people. The oldest son was named Bhekenhla. As already pointed out, the Mabhenas and their relatives at Ndubazi had come to be known as abeNhla, a term that placed them lower than those from the south, abeZansi. In terms of marriage, the king did not take any of them as queen. They were regarded as having adopted Sotho cultural traits. Further, the Ndubazi lineages married from among themselves: Mabhena, Mahlangu, Sikhosana, Jubane, Lusinga, Tshili, Ndimande, Mgutshini, Mthombeni, Masuku (Phenyane, Dungandaba), Mkhwananzi (Gawu, Makhwentaba) Songo, inter alia.

Jimmy married a Mlotshwa woman and there were issues around that as he was not readily welcomed as son-in-law on account of being a member of the eNhla group. Mlotshwa’s mother was MaKhumalo, the daughter of Lotshe, son of Mbehane one of the sons of King Mzilikazi. Resistance melted away when, upon further interrogation, it was discovered that Prince Hlangabeza Khumalo, another of the several sons of King Mzilikazi lived at a village called uMnquma whose chief was Maphungo Mabhena. That was during the reign of King Lobengula. The said village was where the gigantic cooling towers are located within Bulawayo’s thermal power station. Finally, Jimmy was allowed to marry the Nguni woman who bore him more than 10 children.

The first child was named Bhekenhla. As a member of the lower class, oweNhla, he should have known the social restrictions applicable to his social group. In order to commit that to memory, he named his son Bhekenhla. That was to say he should have looked within the abeNhla group to find a wife instead of venturing to the higher social class, particularly one with royal connections. History lives in names that we give to children. Names have bases for their choice and application within families. Writing is not exclusively synonymous with documentation.

Another son was named Ndubazi. As already indicated, the name Ndubazi is very important among the descendants of Manala and Nzuza and their kith and kin. AmaNtungwa, as aManala and aMaNzuza were known then, had left their relatives on the eastern side of the Drakensberg Mountains, crossed to the interior plateau and settled among the Sotho-Tswana people, particularly the BaKgatla (Mnkandla), Kgabo (Khabo) in the Magaliesberg area. Indeed, the people in the Ndubazi area intermarried with the Mnkandla people and both groups were incorporated into the nascent Ndebele nation.

They settled at Ndubazi (Tubatse) after the fall out between Manala and Nzuza. The latter left the Tshwane (Pretoria) area to settle at Ndubazi. Nzuza followed to become his nighbour. Ndubazi is thus an integral part of the history of the Mabhena people, indeed other related people who were incorporated at Ndubazi on the Steelpoort River. That was after the incorporation of the BaPedi people further up the same river. It is assumed that when a name is given, the giver is au fait with the explanation and meaning of the name. Those not in the know will enquire to the meaning and get the explanation. That way history is preserved, without necessarily writing it down. There are many ways in which documentation for posterity is attained. 

The research project we have initiated for the Mabhenas shall, hopefully, throw some bright spotlight on them for the benefit of many. Chief Maphungo Mabhena, loyal as ever to the absent king, was defiant to the end. He refused to identify the whereabouts of the royal herds that he looked after.

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