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Reintroduction of the Ndebele monarchy, should have been raised in Copac: Phathisa Nyathi
09 Mar 2011 at 18:19hrs | Views
The Zimbabwean Historian Phathisa Nyathi on Wednesday said the reintroduction of the Ndebele monarchy should have been raised during Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee's (COPAC) outreach programme as it was a constitutional matter.
Nyathi's sentiments followed requests by members of the Khumalo clan for government to look for an alternative place to build State House in Bulawayo.
The family said the present one, located in Bulawayo's Sauerstown sits on the cite of King Lobengula's last capital that was destroyed in the late 1880's by Chief Sivalo Mahlangu in the face of defeat by the white settler regime.
The request, the family said, was made as plans were afoot to reintroduce the monarchy and identify a supreme cultural leader for the Ndebele.
"That is a constitutional issue. The issue should have been raised in the constitution outreach programme where people were supposed to say what type of monarchy they wanted re-established," said Nyathi.
Nyathi said the state house issue was secondary to consultations with the people on whether they wanted the monarchy retained.
The historian said when Cecil John Rhodes built the State House on King Lobengula's ruins the idea was to make a point that he had defeated the Ndebele in "a graphic and painful way".
"Where the King had sat, he also sat. He wanted to be the Ndebele king. He did not even change the name Bulawayo. He even established a city a few kilometres from the site under the same name," said Nyathi.
"Even when he died in Cape Town in 1904he had written in his will that he wanted to be buried at the Malindadzimu Hills where his bones lie. It was a sacred and spiritual healing showing that Rhodes did not only want to be a physical king but also a spiritual one.
"Even the place was the view of the world. If you know, the African's idea of authority was that the King occupied a high point."
Nyathi's sentiments followed requests by members of the Khumalo clan for government to look for an alternative place to build State House in Bulawayo.
The family said the present one, located in Bulawayo's Sauerstown sits on the cite of King Lobengula's last capital that was destroyed in the late 1880's by Chief Sivalo Mahlangu in the face of defeat by the white settler regime.
The request, the family said, was made as plans were afoot to reintroduce the monarchy and identify a supreme cultural leader for the Ndebele.
"That is a constitutional issue. The issue should have been raised in the constitution outreach programme where people were supposed to say what type of monarchy they wanted re-established," said Nyathi.
The historian said when Cecil John Rhodes built the State House on King Lobengula's ruins the idea was to make a point that he had defeated the Ndebele in "a graphic and painful way".
"Where the King had sat, he also sat. He wanted to be the Ndebele king. He did not even change the name Bulawayo. He even established a city a few kilometres from the site under the same name," said Nyathi.
"Even when he died in Cape Town in 1904he had written in his will that he wanted to be buried at the Malindadzimu Hills where his bones lie. It was a sacred and spiritual healing showing that Rhodes did not only want to be a physical king but also a spiritual one.
"Even the place was the view of the world. If you know, the African's idea of authority was that the King occupied a high point."
Source - Byo24NEWS
