Zwide
Encyclopedia
Zwide kaLanga was the chief
of the Ndwandwe
(Nxumalo) 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
.
of the Mthethwa
and his famous general and protégé, King Shaka
of the Zulu Kingdom
.
Kingdom, after he had Chief Dingiswayo killed. He also had a battle with the young Zulu clan at the Battle of Gqokli Hill
.
He destroyed and overran the neighbouring Khumalo
Kingdom and executed their King Matshobana KaMangete. Matshobana's son and heir Mzilikazi
escaped from the Ndwandwe and sought refuge with Shaka
, who had reformed the remnant Mthethwa clan under his rule.
Knowing this, Zwide planned to destroy the Zulu Empire
to secure Ndwandwe domination of Zululand. In 1820, he led his army into battle against the Zulu at the Battle of Mhlatuze River
. His forces were caught crossing halfway across the Mhlatuze River
when the Zulu forces attacked, and the Ndwandwe army was scattered. Zwide escaped with a remnant of his clan across the Pongola River
.
After Zwide and his clansmen escaped, the Zulu attacked the rest of his people, killing many at Mome Gorge, a desolate place. The Zulu attacked the Ndwandwe capital, KwaNongoma. The Zulu victory was the beginning of the Mfecane
or the scattering. Zwide's generals fled north, where they established their own Kingdoms, such as the Shangane Kingdom in Gaza, formed by General Soshangane
.
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
of the 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...
(Nxumalo) clan from about 1805 to around 1820. He was the son of Langa KaXaba
Langa KaXaba
Langa KaXaba was the King of the Ndwandwe nation. He was also the father and predecessor of King Zwide the rival chieftain to King Shaka KaSenzaghakona....
, a Ndwandwe Chieftain. Legend has it that Zwide's mother, Queen Ntombazi was a sangoma
Sangoma
A sangoma is a practitioner of herbal medicine, divination and counselling in traditional Nguni societies of Southern Africa .The philosophy is based on a belief in ancestral spirits...
.
Political life
Around the time Zwide became Chief, the Ndwandwe were growing in military power. Ambitious in expanding Ndwandwe supremacy, Zwide was a prominent rival chieftain to Chief DingiswayoDingiswayo
Dingiswayo was a Mtetwa chief, best known for his mentorship over a young Zulu general, Shaka Zulu, who rose to become the greatest of the Zulu kings.He was born Godongwana, son of Mthethwa chief Jobe...
of the Mthethwa
Mthethwa
Mthethwa could refer to the:* Mtetwa Paramountcy* Nathi Mthethwa, South African minister of police from 2008...
and his famous general and protégé, King Shaka
Shaka
Shaka kaSenzangakhona , also known as Shaka Zulu , was the most influential leader of the Zulu Kingdom....
of the Zulu Kingdom
Zulu Kingdom
The Zulu Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or, rather imprecisely, Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa that extended along the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela River in the south to Pongola River in the north....
.
Military actions
Zwide sought to expand his borders, and in 1818 he destroyed the power of the MthethwaMthethwa
Mthethwa could refer to the:* Mtetwa Paramountcy* Nathi Mthethwa, South African minister of police from 2008...
Kingdom, after he had Chief Dingiswayo killed. He also had a battle with the young Zulu clan at the Battle of Gqokli Hill
Battle of Gqokli Hill
The Battle of Gqokli Hill was conducted in 1818, a part of the Zulu Civil War, between Shaka of the Zulu nation and Zwide of the Ndwandwe, in Shaka's territory just south of present-day Ulundi....
.
He destroyed and overran the neighbouring Khumalo
Khumalo
The Khumalo are an African clan that originated in northern KwaZulu, South Africa. The Khumalos are part of a group of Zulus and Ngunis known as the Mtungwa. Others include the Mabaso, located between the Ndwandwe and the Mthethwa....
Kingdom and executed their King Matshobana KaMangete. Matshobana's son and heir Mzilikazi
Mzilikazi
Mzilikazi , also sometimes called Mosilikatze, was a Southern African king who founded the Matabele kingdom , Matabeleland, in what became Rhodesia and is now Zimbabwe. He was born the son of Matshobana near Mkuze, Zululand and died at Ingama, Matabeleland...
escaped from the Ndwandwe and sought refuge with Shaka
Shaka
Shaka kaSenzangakhona , also known as Shaka Zulu , was the most influential leader of the Zulu Kingdom....
, who had reformed the remnant Mthethwa clan under his rule.
Knowing this, Zwide planned to destroy the Zulu Empire
Zulu Kingdom
The Zulu Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or, rather imprecisely, Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa that extended along the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela River in the south to Pongola River in the north....
to secure Ndwandwe domination of Zululand. In 1820, he led his army into battle against the Zulu at the Battle of Mhlatuze River
Battle of Mhlatuze River
The Battle of Mhlatuze River was a battle fought between the Zulu and Ndwandwe tribes in 1820 following the Zulu Civil War. The Ndwandwe hierarchy was set asunder by the battle, and largely scattered their population in response.-History:...
. His forces were caught crossing halfway across the Mhlatuze River
Mhlatuze River
Mhlathuze River, catchment has a surface area of 4,209 km2. Located in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It rises in the west at an altitude of 1,519m and flows over 100km eastwards to the sea. The deep-sea port of Richards Bay is situated at the mouth of the Mhlathuze River and all industrial...
when the Zulu forces attacked, and the Ndwandwe army was scattered. Zwide escaped with a remnant of his clan across the Pongola River
Pongola River
The Pongola River is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Maputo River. It rises near Utrecht in northern KwaZulu-Natal, flows east through Pongola, is dammed at Jozini, and crosses the Ubombo Mountains; then it flows north towards Mozambique, joining the Maputo River....
.
After Zwide and his clansmen escaped, the Zulu attacked the rest of his people, killing many at Mome Gorge, a desolate place. The Zulu attacked the Ndwandwe capital, KwaNongoma. The Zulu victory was 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....
or the scattering. Zwide's generals fled north, where they established their own Kingdoms, such as the Shangane Kingdom in Gaza, formed by General Soshangane
Soshangane
Soshangane was a General of the Zulu King Shaka who broke away from Shaka's hegemony and carved out a Nguni empire of conquest in what is now modern-day Mozambique. Allied with the rival Ndwandwe in 1819, Soshagane fled after defeat by Shaka. He moved north into Mozambique, absorbing or...
.