Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal
Encyclopedia
Nongoma is a town in Zululand
, KwaZulu-Natal
, South Africa
. It is the seat of the Nongoma Local Municipality
. It is situated 300 km north of Durban
and 56 km from Ulundi at 27°53′55"S 31°38′53"E; it is surrounded by the Ngome Forest. It is a busy market town that serves a large surrounding area.
The area has four royal palaces belonging to the current Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini:
, a late 18th-century Ndwandwe
monarch
who was eventually defeated by Shaka
at the beginning of the Mfecane
wars. On 30 March 1883, a Zulu regiment, the Mandlakazi under Zibhebhu
, defeated the uSuthu (another Zulu regiment representing King Cetshwayo kaMpande) in the Msebe Valley near Nongoma.
The town itself was only established in 1887 with the building of Fort Ivuna by the British
as a buffer zone between the Zulu warring factions. It was originally called Ndwandwe but was later replaced by an earlier name given by the local tribesmen to the sacred area where the town stands: KwaNongoma ("place of the diviner or mother of songs"). In June 1888 Nongoma was destroyed by the uSuthu but later rebuilt. The fort was used during the Bambatha Rebellion
of 1906.
Two Zulu monarchs are laid to rest in the Nongoma area:
Zululand District Municipality
Zululand is one of the 11 district municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal province. The seat of Zululand is Ulundi. The majority of its 804,456 people speak IsiZulu . The district code is DC26...
, KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is the seat of the Nongoma Local Municipality
Nongoma Local Municipality
Nongoma Local Municipality is a local municipality in the northeastern part of Zululand in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is Zululand’s second largest municipality in terms of population and the second largest in terms of area. It shares its name with the town of Nongoma, which...
. It is situated 300 km north of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
and 56 km from Ulundi at 27°53′55"S 31°38′53"E; it is surrounded by the Ngome Forest. It is a busy market town that serves a large surrounding area.
The area has four royal palaces belonging to the current Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini:
- Khethomthandayo Royal Palace — One of his wives lives here.
- Kwakhangelamankengane Royal Palace — His third wife, Princess Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu lives here.
- Linduzulu Royal Palace — His first wife, Queen MaNdlovu, lives here.
- Enyokeni Royal Palace — Queen MaMchiza lives here, and it is the King's only 'traditional' palace. In early September it is the site of the UmhlangaUmhlangaUmhlanga, or Reed Dance ceremony, is an annual Swazi and Zulu tradition held in August or September. Tens of thousands of unmarried and childless Swazi/Zulu girls and women travel from their villages to participate in the eight-day event...
(Reed Dance).
History
This area was once the home of King ZwideZwide
Zwide kaLanga was the chief of the Ndwandwe clan from about 1805 to around 1820. He was the son of Langa KaXaba, a Ndwandwe Chieftain. Legend has it that Zwide's mother, Queen Ntombazi was a sangoma.- Political life :...
, a late 18th-century Ndwandwe
Ndwandwe
The Ndwandwe clan are a subgroup of the Nguni people who populate sections of Southern Africa.The Ndwandwe, with the Mthethwa, were a significant power in present-day Zululand at the turn of the nineteenth century...
monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
who was eventually defeated by Shaka
Shaka
Shaka kaSenzangakhona , also known as Shaka Zulu , was the most influential leader of the Zulu Kingdom....
at the beginning of the Mfecane
Mfecane
Mfecane , also known by the Sesotho name Difaqane or Lifaqane, was a period of widespread chaos and warfare among indigenous tribes in southern Africa during the period between 1815 to about 1840....
wars. On 30 March 1883, a Zulu regiment, the Mandlakazi under Zibhebhu
Usibepu
Zibhebhu kaMaphitha was a Zulu chief 1883-1884; rival of Cetshwayo.Zibhebhu was a son of Maphita, son of Sojiyisa. He was one of the 13 'kinglets' allocated land in the aftermath of the Anglo-Zulu War, and vied for the royal succession with another of Cetshwayo's sons, Dinuzulu...
, defeated the uSuthu (another Zulu regiment representing King Cetshwayo kaMpande) in the Msebe Valley near Nongoma.
The town itself was only established in 1887 with the building of Fort Ivuna by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as a buffer zone between the Zulu warring factions. It was originally called Ndwandwe but was later replaced by an earlier name given by the local tribesmen to the sacred area where the town stands: KwaNongoma ("place of the diviner or mother of songs"). In June 1888 Nongoma was destroyed by the uSuthu but later rebuilt. The fort was used during the Bambatha Rebellion
Bambatha Rebellion
The Bambatha Uprising was a Zulu revolt against British rule and taxation in Natal, South Africa, in 1906. The revolt was led by Bambatha kaMancinza The Bambatha Uprising was a Zulu revolt against British rule and taxation in Natal, South Africa, in 1906. The revolt was led by Bambatha kaMancinza...
of 1906.
Two Zulu monarchs are laid to rest in the Nongoma area:
- King Solomon kaDinuzuluSolomon kaDinuzuluSolomon kaDinuzulu was the king of the Zulu nation from 1913 until his death on 4 March 1933 at Kambi. He was born on the island of St. Helena during the exile there of his father, king Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo....
(1891–1933), son of King Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo - King Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomonCyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomonCyprian Bhekuzulu Nyangayezizwe kaSolomon was the king of the Zulu nation from 1948 until his death at Nongoma in 1968. He succeeded his father, king Solomon kaDinuzulu, after a lengthy succession dispute which was only resolved in 1944...
(1924–1968), son of King Solomon kaDinuzulu and father of the current Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini.