UMzilikazi iqhawe lakaKhumalo

Isizwe sakwaKhumalo besehlukene kathathu ngamakhosi abusayo. Bekukhona inkosi uDonda, kube inkosi uBeje bese kuba uMashobane. Isizwe sakwaKhumalo bekuyisizwe esaziwayo ekuzingeleni kanti futhi nasekulimeni bebenesandla esihle ukukhulisa izitshalo. Lesi sizwe besizinzele eduze komfula iKwebezi kuyoshaya eNgome.

Isizwe sakwaNdwandwe besakhe empumalanga nalesizwe sakwaKhumalo. Isizwe sakwaNdwandwe sesatshwa ngalendlela ngenxa yamandla abebenawo. Inkosi ebibusa lesisizwe sakaNdwandwe uZwide, uNompethu wafike wase eba undlunkulu. Kulapho ke uMzilikazi azalwe khona. Esikhathini esingesingakanani inkosi yaseMashobeni yathi akushushumbiswe uNompethu nengane bayiswe kwaNdwandwe bayohlala khona ngoba esaba ukuthi kungase kube khona itulo lokugodusa uMzilikazi. Kungaleso sikhathi uMzilikazi lapho ekhulela kuZwide wafunda bonke ubuqhawe bempi nokunye okuningi. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi amakhehla akwaNdwandwe ambiza uMzilikazi ukuzomdonsa ngendlebe ukuthi akafunde ukuthi kuphathwa kanjani isizwe ngoba uzokuba yinkosi ngelinye ilanga.

Ngenxa yokuthi isiko lakwaNdwandwe lokusokwa kwabafana beligcinwa minyaka yonke, lwafika ke nalolo suku kuMzilikazi kwafanele yena nabanye abafana baye entabeni ukuyosokwa njengoba bekwenziwa kubafana bakwaNdwandwe. Bathi bebuya entabeni kwase kunothuthuva olwalususwe inkosi uDingiswayo yakwaMthethwa ebiphethe kusukela eNseleni kuye ezansi neMfolozi emnyama.

Ngenxa yokuxhumana okukhulu phakathi kwenkosi uDingiswayo namaPutukezi ngezokuhwebelana ngezinkomo namazinyo endlovu nezikhumba zezilwane, wavele wahlasela izizwe akhelene nazo athathe imfuyo yazo noma ezinye azigwinye. Amabutho akhe wafunda ukuwahlela ngendlela eyahlukile kunaleyo eyayisetshenziswa ngalezozikhathi, loku ekufunda kubo abezizwe. Ngaleso sikhathi uShaka ubehlala kaMthethwa, lapho ekhulele khona wangena ngaphansi kwebutho elalaziwa ngokuthi iziCwe. UDingiswayo wenze isiqiniseko ukuthi uShaka uthola ukuqeqeshwa okuseqopheleni ngoba wayefuna ukuba ayongamela ubukhosi baKwaZulu.

Yathi ingakhothama inkosi uSenzangakhona, uyise kaShaka ngonyaka ka 1816, afika amahebezi kuZwide ukuthi uS’gujana umfowabo kaShaka komunye unina usebekiwe ukuba ahole amaZulu. Wathalalisa isikhashana uShaka wase ecela uNgwadi okwakungumzala wakhe ukuba ayohlola isimo nokuthi ikhona yini indlela angagudluzwa ngayo kulesisikhundla uS’gujana. Nebala uNgwadi wababela khona kwaZulu lapho wafika khona wayobika kwibamba ukuthi uputshuke kuvaliwe besho ukumqeda. Watshela uS’gujana ukuthi uDingiswayo ubulale uShaka wase ethi lapho ezwa ukuthi amanqe ayamzungeza waphuma ngesamagundwane.

UNgwadi wahlala isikhashana nje wase ethola ithuba lokubulala uS’gujana ngoba phela njengenhloli okwakubalulekile kwakuwukugudluza uS’gujana esikhundleni ukuze angabangisi uShaka. Wathi angaqeda ukwenza lowo msebenzi wakha phansi wabaleka ephindela kwesa kwaMthethwa. Izindaba zehla kahle kuShaka uma uNgwadi emtshela ukuthi inkosi ayikho KwaZulu ngoba uyibulele yena qobo lwakhe. Inkosi uDingiswayo akachithanga sikhathi, watshela amabutho lawo ayeqeqeshwa nawo uShaka iziCwe ukuba azimphelezele ayothatha ubukhosi bakwaZulu. Ufike wazibeka esihlalweni kwangabikho nozwakalisayo ukumphikisa kuleso sinqumo nesenzo asesenzile. Kuso leso sikhathi ezwe uZwide ukuthi uDingiswayo uyadlondlobala waze wasiza uShaka ukuthatha ubukhosi.

English Summary
The Khumalo clan was ruled by three chiefs, Chief Donda, Chief Beje and Chief Mashobane. This clan was well known for their agricultural expertise as well as hunting. They resided near the river Kwebezi all the way to the Ngome. The Ndwandwe clan was situated on the east side of the Khumalo clan. This was a very strong and powerful ruler. Zwide was the king that ruled the Ndwandwe clan. Nompethu then became the queen of the tribe. That is the time when Mzilikazi was born. The chief Mashobane made an arrangement that Mzilikazi and the queen Nompethu should be taken away to Ndwandwe because there were rumours that someone wanted to kill Mzilikazi.

It was then when Mzilikazi moved and grew up under the leadership of Zwide and he observed and learned the skills of being a warrior. It was a tradition that young men under Zwide’s leadership would go to the mountains for days for circumcision and while they were away, the war broke out and King Dingiswayo from the Mthethwa clan was causing chaos. During that time Shaka grew up under King Dingiswayo at kwaMthethwa and he became a mighty warrior and a very brave leader. When his father Senzangakhona died, S’gujana became the king.

And King Dingiswayo heard about this and told Shaka that it was time for him to go and lead the Zulus and become king. He then sent his cousin to go check the situation at home and his cousin came back after a few days and told Shaka that he has completed the job (killing S’gujana) and the Zulus were without king and were ready for his leadership as king.

Shaka then went home and took his rightful place and became a king of the Zulus without any contestation nor questions asked. He became good friends with Mzilikazi up until one day Mzilikazi refused to bring back the cows that were meant for Shaka which were won from the battle against the BaSotho. Mzilikazi had been sent by Shaka to go fight that battle. This disrespect from Mzilikazi made Shaka angry and he started pursuing Mzilikazi and Mzilikazi fled Shaka until he got to Pretoria. Shaka died and Dingane started after Mzilikazi wanting his brother’s stock that Mzilikazi left with. He crossed the border and went to Zimbabwe.

Mbusiswa Zuma

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