My maternal grandmother inspired me to write the historical political memoir which I titled Lost Inheritance. As a young boy I lived with my paternal grandmother, UMsoli (a.k.a. uMcibo.) She often recounted stories relating to how her great grandfather, Mhabahaba Mkwananzi, left his homeland of Zululand. The story that impressed me most is that of how he met and became friends with Mzilikazi. This was the rise of Mzilikazi, the Bull Elephant.
Khumalo Kingdom
This historical political memoir begins in Zululand in 1818. Zwide, Mzilikazi’s maternal grandfather and chief of the Ndwandwe clan. Zwide decapitated Mashobane, the father of Mzilikazi. As a result, Mzilikazi ascended the throne of the Northern Khumalo kingdom. Mzilikazi is ill at ease and in constant dread of an attack from the Ndwandwe.
Mzilikazi collected all his people and cattle and took them across the White Umfolozi River. He took them to Bulawayo, where he surrendered them to Shaka.
Subjugation
In Bulawayo, the Capital of Shaka’s domain, Mzilikazi stood before Shaka, “Hail King Shaka. I beg you for your protection and I promise to serve you. I declare that the Khumalo people will welcome the opportunity to join the ranks of the Zulu Regiments. Shaka agrees.
Shaka and Mzilikazi instantly became friends from the moment of their meeting. My historical political memoir reveals a detailed account of how their friendship survived despite Mzilikazi’s future betrayal of Shaka.
Shaka continued to train his forces. He also formed the auxiliaries and incorporated his vassal clans into regiments. Amongst the vassal clans were the Abezansi led by Chief Mhabahaba Mkwananzi. He appointed Mzilikazi as one of the group captains.
Shaka received word from spies that Zwide was preparing to advance over the Black Umfolozi into Zulu territory.
All group captains, including Mzilikazi and his associates, gathered to receive strategic plans of attack from Shaka. The overriding plan was to harass the enemy using hit-and-run methods of attack, withdrawal, and decoy. In my historical political memoir, I explain that Mhabahaba was the induna of the Mkwananzi regiment, later called Intuta.
Invasion
The Ndwandwe army set out for the South, equipped with a new type of assegai designed to match, in close combat, the Zulu stabbing spear. The commander-in-chief was Soshangana, a brilliant tactician. Zwide preferred not to take part in the invasion and remained encamped not far from the Zulu border. The Ndwandwe crossed the Black and White Umfolozi Rivers and pressed on to Bulawayo.
The Ndwandwe found the Zulu kraals deserted, the cattle folds empty and fields stripped of corn. Soshangana halted to consider the question of rations for his men. However, he learned that the Zulu were close by, and he decided to overtake them. However, the regiments he was pursuing were decoys.
Soshangane and his army failed to make contact with the enemy. Their rations were running low. Soshangane and his men dared not risk sending parties to search for game. Fear of capture by Shaka’s regiments was a deterring factor.
Soshangane and his army reached the Tugela River, they abandoned their pursuit of the Zulu. Instead, they retraced their steps along the eastern slopes of the Nkandla ranges.
The Ndwandwe retired to a coppice bivouac. When darkness fell they lay down to sleep. One of Shaka’s regiments of veteran warriors set upon them with stabbing spears and then vanished swiftly into the night. In my historical political memoir, I show that Mzilikazi was largely responsible for the demise of the enemy.
Ndwandwe Defeat
The next morning, the Ndwandwe retreated into the Umhlatuze Valley. Shaka hurled his entire army into the valley. So sudden and devastating was the Zulu attack that Soshangana started withdrawing his army across the Umhlatuze River. In a desperate effort to avoid annihilation, the Ndwandwe fought bravely. In a tardy flow of the Umhlatuze until the waters ran red with blood. Night saved the Ndwandwe from complete annihilation. Soshangana and his depleted columns struggled homeward while the Zulu waited for dawn.
With his aggressors in full flight, Shaka sent two fleet-footed regiments ahead of time to capture Zwide. When they arrived at Chief Zwide’s kraal, the Zulu warriors found that he had already escaped across the Pongolo River. They fired the royal kraal and, took old Ntombazi – mother of Zwide and collector of heads – captive. They then set out to pillage and sack the remaining settlements in Ndwandwe territory.
Meanwhile, Soshangane’s routed warriors struggled back to their homeland. On arrival, they found their huts razed to the ground, their womenfolk and children butchered or missing. Their chief’s kraal was in ruins. They dispersed in various directions in a bid to save their lives from the Zulu regiments. The regiments continued to hound the Ndwandwe throughout the country.
In the company of a small group of men, Soshangana managed to reach the coast. However, on finding that there were Zulu looters in the area, he turned northwards. Years later he emerged as a conqueror of the people of Portuguese East Africa.
Shaka’s Ultimate Rule
In my historical political memoir, Shaka became the Paramount Chief of all the clans in Zululand following the destruction of the Ndwandwe. His great empire extended from the Pongolo in the north to the Tugela in the south.
Mzilikazi proved so dauntless a warrior that he won Shaka’s admiration and became his favourite. His capabilities as leader impressed Shaka. In his gratitude, he rewarded him and took him as one of his advisors.
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