Opinion / Columnist
Since Mnangagwa is a mere Munhumutapa, is the way now open for Mthwakazi?
13 Jul 2024 at 18:38hrs | Views
For some time now, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has proudly referred himself as Munhumutapa.
This was the title of the kings of the Mutapa Empire, which flourished between the mid-15th and mid-17th century.
However, it is worth nothing that this kingdom was largely restricted only to the northern parts of modern-day Zimbabwe – in the Dande area, in what we now called Mashonaland Central province.
I found this declaration by Mnangagwa to be the Munhumutapa quite curious!
Has the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe seriously reduced himself to being a 'king' of a mere province in the country?
Wow!
What is even more interesting about this declaration is that this effectively excludes his authority from his own home areas of Midlands and Masvingo provinces.
This is not to mention the southern Matebeleland regions.
I will not even waste my time trying to figure out why Mnangagwa would opt to diminish and demean his own sphere of influence.
However, I could not help wondering if this incomprehensible declaration effectively, although inadvertently, opened the way for the proclamation of the Mthwakazi kingdom.
Mthwakazi was the traditional name of the proto-Ndebele people and Ndebele kingdom - which is believed to have encompassed the Matebeleland, Midlands, and Masvingo provinces.
It is worth noting that these are exactly the same regions from which Mnangagwa has seemingly excluded his authority by declaring himself Munhumutapa.
In spite of his previous impassioned insistence that Zimbabwe was a unitary state, which could never be divided by anyone, he has actually done so himself.
By his own words, his presidency is now restricted to the Mashonaland provinces – leaving central and southern Zimbabwe without a leader.
Mnangagwa only has himself to blame for dividing Zimbabwe.
He has now given legitimacy to those who have been calling for the reestablishment of the Mthwakazi kingdom – as a separate entity to Zimbabwe.
The kingdom was under King Mzilikazi from 1820 to 1868 and then his son Lobengula between 1868 and 1894 – after which it was subsequently crushed by the British colonial settlers.
This was when the modern-day Zimbabwe was created - albeit called Southern Rhodesia - after merging Mthwakazi with Shona chieftainships.
Nonetheless, the people of the southern provinces of the country have always felt marginalized from the days of colonialism through into independent Zimbabwe.
In fact, they are convinced that there has been a well-concocted plan to not only impoverish the Ndebele people but actually systematically eliminate them.
There was a well-calculated plot to disempower and weaken the Ndebele, who were perceived both by the colonial and postcolonial regimes as a threat.
Let us remember that the only group to seriously challenge the 1890 colonial project was the Ndebele, who waged two wars of resistance against the settlers.
The First Matabele War was fought between 1893 and 1894 – whilst the Second Matabele War, also known as the First Chimurenga, was fought in 1896 and 1897.
Both wars pitted the Ndebele against the occupying BSAC (British South Africa Company).
As a matter of fact, despite the unashamed propaganda against King Lobengula – as having ‘sold the country' – after finally realizing that he had been duped through the Rudd Concession, he sent two IziNduna, Babayane and Mshete, to seek audience with Queen Victoria, in an attempt to reverse the agreement.
After failing in this endeavour, King Lobengula launched brave military attacks upon the British settlers.
In all this, the Shona actually sided with the colonizers, whom they (Shona) viewed as their protectors against Ndebele raids.
The Shona never really fought against the settlers, except for the highly exaggerated efforts by Nehanda, Kaguvi, and others.
That is why, even after the signing of the Rudd Concession, the colonizers faced no resistance at all in marching into Shona territory, thereby setting up their capital at Fort Salisbury in September 1890.
As such, the Shona were highly favoured and looked at in positive light by the colonial regime.
This resulted in their areas being developed more than those of the Ndebele.
This was all designed to disempower and emasculate the Ndebele as a strong force and threat.
As part of this plot, the narrative that the Ndebele were less sophisticated than the Shona was created.
Consequently, the Shona were made to feel superior to the Ndebele.
These were the seeds of the Ndebele-Shona divisions that were to emerge during the liberation struggle as the Shona could not accept a Ndebele leading them or an independent Zimbabwe.
That is why most of the Shona nationalists rebelled against Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, leading to the formation of ZANU in August 1963.
Of course, Nkomo was, in effect, Kalanga - but that did not seem to make any difference to the tribalistic nationalist leaders who formed ZANU.
In adding, this close relationship between the Shona and the British was to play a role in this formation of ZANU - which led to their rigged victory in 1980, despite ZAPU having been more popular.
In fact, ZANLA 'power and successes' on the military front were heavily exaggerated in order to justify their election 'victory'.
In reality, ZAPU had a more powerful army (ZIPRA), which was better trained by the Russians and had more sophisticated weaponry, including tanks, anti-air missiles, rocket launchers, etc.
Whereas, ZANLA mainly possessed AK47s and other small weapons.
ZANU and the British were not to stop there with their hatred for the Ndebele - as witnessed with the Gukurahundi genocide of the 1980s.
ZANU sought to annihilate ZAPU - through genocidal atrocities against the Ndebele - whose cadres were still regarded as a threat, on the basis of their more advanced military training.
At the same time, the postcolonial ZANU PF regime continued with the colonial policy of under-developing Ndebele regions, thereby further marginalizing and pushing them onto the fringes of Zimbabwean society.
The Ndebele, before the colonial conquest, were actually more advanced than the Shona.
The only way to neutralize this power was to emasculate them - which the ZANU PF regime is doing with the utmost zeal.
This is why calls have been growing louder for the reestablishment of the Mthwakazi kingdom.
Nevertheless, despite Mnangagwa's strong resistance to this notion - resulting in threats on the lives of those making these demands - he has now given this cause renewed impetus through his own declarations as Munhumutapa.
He has effectively made himself the leader of the northern parts of Zimbabwe, whilst effectively leaving the rest of the country leaderless.
In so doing, he has opened the room for the Mthwakazi kingdom to be resuscitated.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
This was the title of the kings of the Mutapa Empire, which flourished between the mid-15th and mid-17th century.
However, it is worth nothing that this kingdom was largely restricted only to the northern parts of modern-day Zimbabwe – in the Dande area, in what we now called Mashonaland Central province.
I found this declaration by Mnangagwa to be the Munhumutapa quite curious!
Has the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe seriously reduced himself to being a 'king' of a mere province in the country?
Wow!
What is even more interesting about this declaration is that this effectively excludes his authority from his own home areas of Midlands and Masvingo provinces.
This is not to mention the southern Matebeleland regions.
I will not even waste my time trying to figure out why Mnangagwa would opt to diminish and demean his own sphere of influence.
However, I could not help wondering if this incomprehensible declaration effectively, although inadvertently, opened the way for the proclamation of the Mthwakazi kingdom.
Mthwakazi was the traditional name of the proto-Ndebele people and Ndebele kingdom - which is believed to have encompassed the Matebeleland, Midlands, and Masvingo provinces.
It is worth noting that these are exactly the same regions from which Mnangagwa has seemingly excluded his authority by declaring himself Munhumutapa.
In spite of his previous impassioned insistence that Zimbabwe was a unitary state, which could never be divided by anyone, he has actually done so himself.
By his own words, his presidency is now restricted to the Mashonaland provinces – leaving central and southern Zimbabwe without a leader.
Mnangagwa only has himself to blame for dividing Zimbabwe.
He has now given legitimacy to those who have been calling for the reestablishment of the Mthwakazi kingdom – as a separate entity to Zimbabwe.
The kingdom was under King Mzilikazi from 1820 to 1868 and then his son Lobengula between 1868 and 1894 – after which it was subsequently crushed by the British colonial settlers.
This was when the modern-day Zimbabwe was created - albeit called Southern Rhodesia - after merging Mthwakazi with Shona chieftainships.
Nonetheless, the people of the southern provinces of the country have always felt marginalized from the days of colonialism through into independent Zimbabwe.
In fact, they are convinced that there has been a well-concocted plan to not only impoverish the Ndebele people but actually systematically eliminate them.
There was a well-calculated plot to disempower and weaken the Ndebele, who were perceived both by the colonial and postcolonial regimes as a threat.
Let us remember that the only group to seriously challenge the 1890 colonial project was the Ndebele, who waged two wars of resistance against the settlers.
The First Matabele War was fought between 1893 and 1894 – whilst the Second Matabele War, also known as the First Chimurenga, was fought in 1896 and 1897.
Both wars pitted the Ndebele against the occupying BSAC (British South Africa Company).
As a matter of fact, despite the unashamed propaganda against King Lobengula – as having ‘sold the country' – after finally realizing that he had been duped through the Rudd Concession, he sent two IziNduna, Babayane and Mshete, to seek audience with Queen Victoria, in an attempt to reverse the agreement.
After failing in this endeavour, King Lobengula launched brave military attacks upon the British settlers.
In all this, the Shona actually sided with the colonizers, whom they (Shona) viewed as their protectors against Ndebele raids.
The Shona never really fought against the settlers, except for the highly exaggerated efforts by Nehanda, Kaguvi, and others.
That is why, even after the signing of the Rudd Concession, the colonizers faced no resistance at all in marching into Shona territory, thereby setting up their capital at Fort Salisbury in September 1890.
As such, the Shona were highly favoured and looked at in positive light by the colonial regime.
This resulted in their areas being developed more than those of the Ndebele.
This was all designed to disempower and emasculate the Ndebele as a strong force and threat.
As part of this plot, the narrative that the Ndebele were less sophisticated than the Shona was created.
Consequently, the Shona were made to feel superior to the Ndebele.
These were the seeds of the Ndebele-Shona divisions that were to emerge during the liberation struggle as the Shona could not accept a Ndebele leading them or an independent Zimbabwe.
That is why most of the Shona nationalists rebelled against Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, leading to the formation of ZANU in August 1963.
Of course, Nkomo was, in effect, Kalanga - but that did not seem to make any difference to the tribalistic nationalist leaders who formed ZANU.
In adding, this close relationship between the Shona and the British was to play a role in this formation of ZANU - which led to their rigged victory in 1980, despite ZAPU having been more popular.
In fact, ZANLA 'power and successes' on the military front were heavily exaggerated in order to justify their election 'victory'.
In reality, ZAPU had a more powerful army (ZIPRA), which was better trained by the Russians and had more sophisticated weaponry, including tanks, anti-air missiles, rocket launchers, etc.
Whereas, ZANLA mainly possessed AK47s and other small weapons.
ZANU and the British were not to stop there with their hatred for the Ndebele - as witnessed with the Gukurahundi genocide of the 1980s.
ZANU sought to annihilate ZAPU - through genocidal atrocities against the Ndebele - whose cadres were still regarded as a threat, on the basis of their more advanced military training.
At the same time, the postcolonial ZANU PF regime continued with the colonial policy of under-developing Ndebele regions, thereby further marginalizing and pushing them onto the fringes of Zimbabwean society.
The Ndebele, before the colonial conquest, were actually more advanced than the Shona.
The only way to neutralize this power was to emasculate them - which the ZANU PF regime is doing with the utmost zeal.
This is why calls have been growing louder for the reestablishment of the Mthwakazi kingdom.
Nevertheless, despite Mnangagwa's strong resistance to this notion - resulting in threats on the lives of those making these demands - he has now given this cause renewed impetus through his own declarations as Munhumutapa.
He has effectively made himself the leader of the northern parts of Zimbabwe, whilst effectively leaving the rest of the country leaderless.
In so doing, he has opened the room for the Mthwakazi kingdom to be resuscitated.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
Source - Tendai Ruben Mbofana
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