Ndebele (Zimbabwe)
ZAPU election badge c1980, showing Joshua Nkomo in traditional Ndebele head-dress.
Total population	1.5 million (2001 est. 1)
Regions with significant populations	Zimbabwe: 1.5 million (2001 est.[1]) Image File history File links Download high resolution version (594x700, 38 KB) Summary Brass and enamel election supporters badge depicting Joshua Nkomo in traditional Ndebele head-dress; ZAPU, c1980, Zimbabwe. ... The Zimbabwe African Peoples Union was a political party in Zimbabwe. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Language	Sindebele
Religion	Christian
Related ethnic groups	Nguni, Zulu

This article relates to the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe. For other uses of the term, please see Ndebele.

The Matabele are a branch of the Zulus who split from King Shaka in the early 1820s under the leadership of Mzilikazi, a former general in Shaka's army. They are now more commonly known as the Ndebele or amaNdebele (and were commonly known as the Amandebele when under British rule^[2]). They, however, more appropriately call themselves 'amaHlabeZulu', which means 'stabbers of Zulu'. This name is derived from their violent schism from the Greater Zulu. Title page of one of the earliest Sindebele phrase books, published for the use of settlers in Matabeleland. This article relates to the Ndebele language spoken by the Ndebele or Matabele people of Zimbabwe. ... This article is becoming very long. ... For the cattle breed see Nguni cattle. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... There are two versions of Ndebele in South Africa, they both belong to the Nguni group of Bantu Languages. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Only known drawing of Shaka standing with the long throwing assegai and the heavy shield in 1824 - four years before his death Shaka (sometimes spelled Tshaka, Tchaka or Chaka; ca. ... Mzilikazi (meaning the path of blood) (ca. ...

During a turbulent period of African history known as the Mfecane, Mzilikazi and his followers, initially numbering about 500 people, moved west towards the area near the present-day city of Tshwane (Pretoria), where they founded a settlement called Mhlahlandlela (a name which lives on in the modern-day Bulawayo suburb, Malindela). Here they came into contact with the Tswana people, who are credited with giving this band of Zulus the name "Matabele". Tabele comes from tebela which means 'to chase away'. Mfecane (isiZulu), also known as the Difaqane or Lifaqane (Sesotho), is an African expression which means something like the crushing or scattering. It describes a period of widespread chaos and disturbance in southern Africa during the period between 1815 and about 1835. ... The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan area contained mostly in the province of Gauteng, South Africa, that includes the city of Pretoria. ... Tswana (Motswana, plural Batswana) is the name of a Southern African people. ...

They then moved northwards in 1834 into present-day Zimbabwe where they battled with the Shona, eventually carving out a home now called Matabeleland and encompassing the west and south-west region of the country. In the course of the migration, large numbers of conquered local clans and individuals were absorbed into the Matabele nation, adopting the Sindebele language but enjoying a lower social status than that of members of the original clans from the Zulu kingdom. 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Shona (IPA: ) is the name collectively given to several groups of people in Zimbabwe and western Mozambique. ... Matabeleland is a region in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. ... Title page of one of the earliest Sindebele phrase books, published for the use of settlers in Matabeleland. This article relates to the Ndebele language spoken by the Ndebele or Matabele people of Zimbabwe. ...

Lobengula assumed power after the death of his father, Mzilikazi, in 1868, and Mlimo assumed the role as spiritual leader of the Matabele. Cecil Rhodes negotiated a territorial treaty with Lobengula, known as the Rudd Concession of 1888, which permitted British mining and colonization of Matabele lands between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers, and prohibited all Boer settlement in the region. As part of the agreement, British agreed to pay Lobengula 100 pounds a month, as well as 1,000 rifles, 10,000 rounds of ammunition, and a riverboat. Rhodes then formed British South Africa Company in 1889 and led the Pioneer Column, an army of five hundred, north into Mashonaland, taking over Fort Victoria (present-day Masvingo) and establishing Fort Salisbury (present-day Harare). Lobengula had hoped that the Rudd Concession would cut down on other Europeans entering his land, but as these white settlers moved in, the British South Africa Company setup its own government, made its own laws, and set its sights for more mineral rights and more territorial consessions. Lobengula (d. ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Cecil Rhodes. ... Boer is the Afrikaans (and Dutch) word for farmer which came to denote the descendants of the Afrikaans-speaking migrating farmers of the expanding eastern Cape frontier. ... The flag of the British South Africa Company The British South Africa Company (BSAC) was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company, Ltd. ... In 1889 seeking to weaken the Ndebele king Lobengulas control over the territory, Cecil Rhodes promoted white settlement in Ndebele and Shona lands and dispatched a group of colonists known as the “Pioneer Column” to the region in 1890, under military guard. ... Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. ... Fort Victoria was a single tier battery with defensible barracks west of Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, England, built in the 1850s, later used as a submarine mining centre and training area for military purposes. ... Masvingo is the capital of the Masvingo Province of Zimbabwe. ... Salisbury (pronounced Solsbree or Sauls-bree) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England. ... Harare (pronounced , formerly Salisbury) is the capital city of Zimbabwe. ...

First Matabele War

In November, 1893, events came to a head. Lobengula sent warriors down to Masvingo to attack the Shona who were causing trouble for both the Matabele and the British. Lobengula's warriors were instructed not to kill any white people, but they did steal a lot and were pretty brutal in their treatment of the Shona. During this confrontation between Matabele and Shona, a fight broke out between British and Matabele and thus began the First Matabele War. Hopeing for a quick victory, Leander Starr Jameson sent his British forces to attack the Matabele capital Bulawayo and capture Lobengula. But rather than fight, Lobengula burned down Bulawayo and fled with a few of his elite warriors. The British moved into the remains of Bulawayo, establishing their base, and then sent out patrols to find Lobengula. The most famous of these the patrols, the Shangani Patrol, did not find Lobengula, only to be trapped and killed by the fierce Matabele warriors. Combatants United Kingdom, British South Africa Police Ndebele Commanders Cecil Rhodes, Leander Starr Jameson King Lobengula, Mjaan, chief induna Casualties fewer than 100 Over 10,000 British Artillery, ca 1900. ... An 1895 cartoon of Jameson from Vanity Fair Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet, KCMG (February 9, 1853 – November 26, 1917), also known as Doctor Jim, was a British colonial statesman who was best known for his involvement in the Jameson Raid. ... The City of Bulawayo is highlighted in this map of Zimbabwe. ... A panel from the Shangani Memorial at Worlds View in Zimbabwe, c1905. ...

The British soldiers were vastly outnumbered throughout the war, but their superior armaments, most notably the Maxim gun, proved to be too much for the Matabele warriors. In an attempt to reach a peace accord with the British, a band of Lobengula's warriors brought a large sum of gold to two British soldiers to be delivered to their superiors. The two soldiers instead decided to keep the gold for themselves and the incident went undiscoved for many months. The fate of King Lobengula has never been fully resolved, with many theories explaining his demise. War came to an end soon thereafter. An early Maxim gun in operation with the Royal Navy A 1895 . ...

Second Matabele War

In March 1896, the Matabele again revolted against the authority of the British South Africa Company in what is now celebrated in Zimbabwe as the First War of Independence, but is better known in most of the world as the Second Matabele War. Mlimo, the Matabele spiritual leader, is credited with formenting much of the anger that led to this confrontation. An estimated 50,000 Matabele retreated into their stronghold of the Matobo Hills near Bulawayo which became the scene of the fiercest fighting against the white settler patrols, which were led by their legendary military figures such as Burnham, Baden-Powell, and Selous. Hundreds of white settlers and uncounted Matabele and Shona were killed over the next year and a half. The Matabele military defiance ended only when Burnham found and assassinated Mlimo. Upon learning of Mlimo's death, Cecil Rhodes boldly walked unarmed into the Matabele stronghold the persuaded the impi to lay down their arms. This final uprising thus ended on October 1897 and Matabeleland and Mashonaland would later be renamed Rhodesia. Burnham & Armstrong after the assassination of Mlimo. ... Matobo landscape. ... Frederick Russell Burnham, DSO (1861-1947), an American scout and world travelling adventurer is best known for his service to the British Army in Colonial Africa and for teaching woodcraft (i. ... Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB (February 22, 1857 - January 8, 1941) was a soldier, writer and founder of the world scouting movement. ... Frederick Courteney Selous on safari in Africa. ... National motto: Sit Nomine Digna (Latin: May she be worthy of the name) Official language English Capital Salisbury Political system Parliamentary system Form of government Constitutional monarchy (until 1970) Republic (March 2, 1970) - Last President John Wrathall - Prime Minister Ian Smith Area  - Total  - % water 390 580 km² 1% Population  - 1978...

Rhodes decreed in his will that he was to be buried in Matobo Hills, so when he died in the Cape in 1902 his body came up by train and wagon to Bulawayo. His burial was attended by Matabele chiefs, who asked that the firing party should not discharge their rifles as this would disturb the spirits. Then, for the first and probably the only time, they gave the white man the Matabele royal salute "Bayete". Rhodes is buried along side Jameson and the 34 white soldiers killed in the Shangani Patrol.

In recent years, the population of the Ndebele in Zimbabwe has been diminishing, primarily due to the Gukurahundi, a genocide that was carried out by the Zimbabwean government on the Ndebele. Other causes are migration to other countries, especially South Africa in search of jobs, after-effects of the Gukurahundi, and the economic crisis that has gripped Zimbabwe since 2000. Gukurahundi is a traditional term in Shona (one of Zimbabwes native languages), which means the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains. The chaff, i. ...

Footnotes

References

• Scouting on Two Continents, by Major Frederick Russell Burnham, D.S.O.. LC call number: DT775 .B8 1926. (1926)
• Migrant Kingdom: Mzilikazi's Ndebele in South Africa, by R. Kent Rasmussen (1978)
• Mzilikazi of the Ndebele, by R. Kent Rasmussen (1977)
• Historical Dictionary of Zimbabwe, by Steven C. Rubert and R. Kent Rasmussen (3rd ed., 2001)