Opinion / Columnist
The sad story of Lobengula's children
05 Mar 2016 at 19:56hrs | Views
WHEN the Rhodesian settler colonialists had destroyed the Ndebele state and killed the former King Lobengula in 1893, the British South Africa company administration made it clear that they were not going to allow anyone to become King of the Ndebele people again.
The Administration declared that the Ndebele State was then dead and buried as far as they were concerned and so any attempt to revive it was not going to be tolerated.
With that declaration, Lobengula's children, especially his sons were thrust onto the centre stage.
The British South Africa Company (BSAC) government decided that Lobengula's sons were never going to be allowed to assume the Ndebele Kingship.
And to achieve the above aim the BSAC government, instead of killing the former king's sons decided to employ ‘civilised methods' to achieve their goal.
First they identified Lobengula's sons who were eligible to claim the kingship.
Those eligible were the ones born when Lobengula was king and they were: Njube Mpezeni, Nguboyenja and Sidojiwe ranging from ages six to 15.
They then removed them from Rhodesia and sent them to Cape Town in 1894 where since they were young they went to school to be educated in Western culture to forget about their own culture and the Ndebele kingship.
Little Sidojiwa could not go to Cape Town because he was still too young.
However, as years went by, some Ndebele elders began asking for the eldest of the boys, Njube to come back home to become king. The BSAC government made it clear that Njube was not going to become the new Ndebele king.
In fact, they would not allow him to come back to Rhodesia. However, Njube was allowed to attend the funeral of his brother Mpezeni in 1899.
After Mpezeni's burial, the settler government noticed that the Ndebele wanted to have Njube installed as king.
On realising that, they quickly sent Njube back to South Africa where due to frustration and bitterness, he died in 1910.
His young brother Nguboyenja, who had also been banished to South Africa, died wretched after suffering a mental breakdown, living the life of a vagabond.
This was in 1908.
Other sons such as Nyamende and Tshakalisa who had been born before Lobengula had become king and were not eligible to become king according to tradition were simply frustrated by the settlers and were never allowed to make any kingship claims. They eventually died after leading miserable lives.
No one knows exactly what happened to the last born, Sidojiwa. Some accounts say he was put away quietly by the authorities.
The above was not the end to the suffering of Lobengula's children under the Rhodesian authorities.
His grandchildren were also persecuted.
Njube had two sons, one named Rhodes, what a name?
The other one was called Albert.
These two were eligible to ascend the Ndebele throne even though they were born in exile in Cape Town.
Eventually, Rhodes and Albert came to Rhodesia and settled among their people.
Then the Ndebele wanted Rhodes to become king.
The people went a step further and gave Rhodes cattle which were eventually referred to as 'royal cattle'.
When Rhodes accepted the above cattle and the people's call for him to become king, the colonial administration heard about it and they went mad.
They framed Rhodes, saying he had extorted the cattle from the people.
They tried him and gave him a suspended sentence for extortion.
After giving him a suspended sentence, the colonial government sent him into exile like his father before him.
They decided to help him leave the country with the Prime Minister of the time, one Moffat saying! "It is a good policy for us to get this young man out of the country."
In the end Rhodes Lobengula was forced to sign an agreement which said that once he left the country, he would never return! And so accompanied by his wife called Rosanmond, Rhodes left for South Africa eventually settling near Grahamstown.
He had a miserable life in South Africa resulting in him dying in mysterious circumstances in the Fish River in 1937.
Accounts differ.
Some accounts said he committed suicide by throwing himself into the raging river while others say he was shot by a gun.
Rhodes Lobengula's young brother Albert was not spared.
At the time Rhodes was charged of extortion, Albert was deliberately left untouched.
However, on the eve of Rhodes' departure, Albert was framed by the authorities.
He was arrested for stealing cattle from a European neighbour.
He was sentenced to nine months hard labour.
After Albert had spent two months in jail the colonial authorities gave him a choice.
To remain in jail or to get out and immediately leave the country for South Africa where his brother Rhodes was living.
Albert decided to go to South Africa and was sent there in July 1938.
He went to live in Grahamstown.
However, when his health had gone bad, he came back to Rhodesia where he eventually died in 1952.
Thus ended the sad story of King Lobengula's children.
Talk of human rights abuses, why don't you ask former colonial Statesmen?
The Administration declared that the Ndebele State was then dead and buried as far as they were concerned and so any attempt to revive it was not going to be tolerated.
With that declaration, Lobengula's children, especially his sons were thrust onto the centre stage.
The British South Africa Company (BSAC) government decided that Lobengula's sons were never going to be allowed to assume the Ndebele Kingship.
And to achieve the above aim the BSAC government, instead of killing the former king's sons decided to employ ‘civilised methods' to achieve their goal.
First they identified Lobengula's sons who were eligible to claim the kingship.
Those eligible were the ones born when Lobengula was king and they were: Njube Mpezeni, Nguboyenja and Sidojiwe ranging from ages six to 15.
They then removed them from Rhodesia and sent them to Cape Town in 1894 where since they were young they went to school to be educated in Western culture to forget about their own culture and the Ndebele kingship.
Little Sidojiwa could not go to Cape Town because he was still too young.
However, as years went by, some Ndebele elders began asking for the eldest of the boys, Njube to come back home to become king. The BSAC government made it clear that Njube was not going to become the new Ndebele king.
In fact, they would not allow him to come back to Rhodesia. However, Njube was allowed to attend the funeral of his brother Mpezeni in 1899.
After Mpezeni's burial, the settler government noticed that the Ndebele wanted to have Njube installed as king.
On realising that, they quickly sent Njube back to South Africa where due to frustration and bitterness, he died in 1910.
His young brother Nguboyenja, who had also been banished to South Africa, died wretched after suffering a mental breakdown, living the life of a vagabond.
This was in 1908.
Other sons such as Nyamende and Tshakalisa who had been born before Lobengula had become king and were not eligible to become king according to tradition were simply frustrated by the settlers and were never allowed to make any kingship claims. They eventually died after leading miserable lives.
No one knows exactly what happened to the last born, Sidojiwa. Some accounts say he was put away quietly by the authorities.
The above was not the end to the suffering of Lobengula's children under the Rhodesian authorities.
His grandchildren were also persecuted.
Njube had two sons, one named Rhodes, what a name?
The other one was called Albert.
These two were eligible to ascend the Ndebele throne even though they were born in exile in Cape Town.
Eventually, Rhodes and Albert came to Rhodesia and settled among their people.
Then the Ndebele wanted Rhodes to become king.
The people went a step further and gave Rhodes cattle which were eventually referred to as 'royal cattle'.
When Rhodes accepted the above cattle and the people's call for him to become king, the colonial administration heard about it and they went mad.
They framed Rhodes, saying he had extorted the cattle from the people.
They tried him and gave him a suspended sentence for extortion.
After giving him a suspended sentence, the colonial government sent him into exile like his father before him.
They decided to help him leave the country with the Prime Minister of the time, one Moffat saying! "It is a good policy for us to get this young man out of the country."
In the end Rhodes Lobengula was forced to sign an agreement which said that once he left the country, he would never return! And so accompanied by his wife called Rosanmond, Rhodes left for South Africa eventually settling near Grahamstown.
He had a miserable life in South Africa resulting in him dying in mysterious circumstances in the Fish River in 1937.
Accounts differ.
Some accounts said he committed suicide by throwing himself into the raging river while others say he was shot by a gun.
Rhodes Lobengula's young brother Albert was not spared.
At the time Rhodes was charged of extortion, Albert was deliberately left untouched.
However, on the eve of Rhodes' departure, Albert was framed by the authorities.
He was arrested for stealing cattle from a European neighbour.
He was sentenced to nine months hard labour.
After Albert had spent two months in jail the colonial authorities gave him a choice.
To remain in jail or to get out and immediately leave the country for South Africa where his brother Rhodes was living.
Albert decided to go to South Africa and was sent there in July 1938.
He went to live in Grahamstown.
However, when his health had gone bad, he came back to Rhodesia where he eventually died in 1952.
Thus ended the sad story of King Lobengula's children.
Talk of human rights abuses, why don't you ask former colonial Statesmen?
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