Soshangane and the Shangane / Shagaan people

Soshangane and the Shangane / Shagaan people

Soshangane fled from the wrath of Shaka as did Mzilikazi and he and his small band of followers, numbering about 200, moved north eastwards to Mozambique. With time they dominated the resident Tsonga people and attacked the neighboring Shona, Zulu and Swazi.

Unlike chief Mzilikazi, Soshangane did not mould the different elements into a single nation. The main reason for this may be, he was not very successful in assimilating the conquered peoples into a common culture.

The Tsonga especially were retained in separate regiments from their conquerors and there was more than a suspicion that the Tsonga requirements were used usually as 'cannon fodder' in the most dangerous military situations. This was not likely to encourage a feeling of loyalty to Soshangane.

During his lifetime, Soshangane maintained a semblance of law and order usually by imposing his authority by force. Even the Portuguese were forced to pay an annual tribute during his region. The Shangane at the peak of their Empire in the 1850’s stretched from the Zambezi river to south of the Limpopo river.

Within the reign of Soshangane were the seed of disruption and eventual destruction. There was no obvious successor to the king and succession disputes weakened the Shangane people. The subject people were also waiting for the proper time to launch a rebellion.

By the second half of the 19th century, there was a revival of Portuguese interest in the East African coasts. Soshangane died in about 1859 and was eventually" succeeded by his son Mzila, who only gained the throne with the support of the Portuguese. Portuguese influence increased during his reign, and when Mzila died in 1885 his son Gungunyana inherited internal problems and a growing Portuguese threat.

He appealed to Natal for British protection which was not available as the British were not prepared to interfere in an area which was considered a Portuguese sphere of influence.

In 1890, there was an abortive attempt at rebellion by the Chopi which was smashed by the Shangane, but in 1895 the Portuguese defeated the Shangane and the Gaza Empire came to an end.

Mzilikazi and the Ndebele

In 1818, the year that Dingswayo died Mzilikazi became the leader of the Khamalo clan and after being allied with Zwide, he switched his people's allegiance to Shaka. He and his regiments filled a unique position in Shaka's army, that of a tribal regiment led by its own tribal chief perhaps it was a small enough unit not to constitute a threat to Shaka's rule, but certainly the loyalty of the regiment must have been centered on Mzilikazi rather than Shaka.

Knowing Shaka's attitude to Induna's who did not deliver all the spoils or loot of battle to the royal kraal, Mzilikazi did not remain to risk Shaka's wrath when, after a campaign in northern Zulu land in 1821, he did not return all the captured cattle. First of all he insulted the royal messengers and then made good his escape across the escapement into the interior. On his ruthless journey he smashed all opposition and in 1824 he reached the Oliphant River and settled at Eku Pumelani, where he rested for a time, reinforcing his ranks with captured women and children and sending out his warriors to crush his enemies and capture more cattle.

Eku Pumelani proved too close to Shaka, and Mzilikazi began to move towards central Transvaal which was devastated and depopulated by the Ndebele between 1825 and 1828. Constantly, searching for security, Mzilkazi was still threatened by the Zulu and by bands of the half castle Korona and Griqua.

Dingane sent an army against him but the battle was not conclusive. Mzilikazi stifled the threat of the half caste groups by an attack on the Taung led by Moletzane after which the Ndebele moved westwards to Mosega systematically destroying Tswana opposition on the way.

Having escaped from the Zulu, Mzilikazi faced by more dangerous opponents in 1836 when the Boer Trek parties entered his territory unannounced. He mistook the Erasmus and Liebenberg trek parties for raiding expeditions and destroyed them.

An attack on Potgeiter's party is also remembered as the battle ofVegkop. In an attack on Mosega, on 2^nd January 1837, the Boers routed the Ndebele and by October, Potgieter defeated Mzilikazi again and forced the Ndebele into Shona territory- now modem Zimbabwe.

The Shona had been weakened by attacks from Zwangendaba, and Mzilikazi had little difficulty in defeating them and establishing himself at Bulawayo.

Throughout his journey's, and after he had settled in Rhodesia, Mzilikazi maintained the Nguni culture by separating the Nguni from the subjected Sotho people.

The Nguni language was absorbed by the defeated tribes, and today in Zimbabwe (former Southern Rhodesia), the Ndebele still speak a Zulu dialect (Amazulu).

Mzilikazi has been accused by historians of being a tyrant in the same way as Shaka, but during his lifetime the security of his people was all important and he was completely uncompromising in his dealings with other groups to achieve it. Because of his great personal authority his land and people were governed in an environment of law and order even in face of European colonialists.

Mzilikazi deserves credit for having been founder members of the Ndebele nation. He managed to establish the Ndebele nation during the difficult times of the M'fecane.

The Ndebele Kingdom and its Organization:

Shaka took control of small Kumalo chiefdom under Mzilikazi, as its ruler. Mzilikazi became an Induna in the Zulu army

In 1822 Mzilikazi after raiding the Sotho country refused to return cattle and other booty to Shaka. Shaka was angry and made plans to have Mzilikazi murdered.

Mzilikazi fled with over 300 warriors became a wandering warlord, plundering and devastating the eastern Transvaal and worth of Swaziland. He conquered the Sotho and Nguni refugees to his camps. The Zulus frequently invaded his territory up to 1828.

In 1832 he had established a permanent settlement near the source of the Marico River.

The next stage of Mzilikazi's story was the history with the Boer trekkers (November 1878). They were pushed northwards in Mashonaland at Bulawayo to establish a powerful state - politically, economically and socially.

Politically, the Ndebele society was headed by a king who was the central figure head, like Mzilikazi (1822 - 1868) and Lobengula (1868 - 1894). The Ndebele king was very powerful and has been described by historians as a source of all authority with powers over land humans and animals. The king made all important political appointments. The system of succession to the throne under normal circumstances was hereditary following a system of primogeniture (the son succeeded the father). In practice, there was no normal succession. The Ndebele state was a military one with duties of the military often overlapping those of other departments in the society. Therefore the army formed the back bone of the kingdom.

For efficient administration, the kingdom was divided into four main provinces. But power remained centralized and exercised through a commoner bureaucracy of commoner military Indunas (Provincial or Military Commanders). To each military regiment were attached the King's female relatives and wives who acted as spies.

In the system of justice the king’s word was law and he was the supreme judge of the kingdom. The Ndebele king had many methods of creating unity, for example soldiers were arranged in age regiments that cut across clan and ethnic boundaries. There was also the use of a common Sindebele language.

Militarily, the Ndebele maintained the Zulu regiment system with the king as the commander in chief. The army consisted of a permanent standing force and a reserve force.

Economically, the Ndebele economy was centralized. The king controlled royal herds and all the wealth and assets of the kingdom. Raiding (and militarism) was a very important activity in the Ndebele society/kingdom, There was also involvement in trade with neighbors and the Europeans at the coast of East Africa, especially the Dutch, Spaniards and the Portuguese. Some agriculture was also done at village level mainly retired soldiers; The crops included potatoes, pumpkins, legumes, millet, yams and cotton among others. Tribute/revenue from the Shona, the Lozi Bamagwato and Mashona land was another source of revenue.

Socially, the Ndebele were a clearly stratified society consisting of three district castes namely;

a) The Zansi (the original Ndebele from Zulu land)

b) The Enhla and the (the captured lot),

c) Holil/ Rozwi/ Tjabi/ or Kalanga (the slaves)

Marriage between the various Ndebele classes/castes was infrequent.

Religiously, the Ndebele believed in the Mwari /Mlimo Cult (the traditional religion of the Shona people). The Ndebele also had cultural ceremonies, for example the festival of the first fruit harvest, the festival of great dance and the rain making ceremony, among others