PICTURE: Nguni spokesman in Chipinge Mr Andrew Mupungu Nxumalo (left) and former Chief Mpungu Mr Lincoln Mupungu Nxumalo (right).
RESPONDING to Chief Mpungu’s claim as a direct descendant of King Soshangana of the Gaza Kingdom whose territory in the 19th century encompassed present day Northern and Eastern South Africa, South-Eastern Zimbabwe and Southern Mozambique, this publication braved the scorching heat of the Lowveld paying a visit to the Mpungu clan to gather more. Represented by Nguni spokesman Mr Andrew Mupungu Nxumalo and former chief Mpungu Mr Lincoln Mupungu Nxumalo, Chief Mpungu accorded us a tender interview.
Starting with their origin, Chief Mpungu said: “We are Nguni people who originated from Zululand. Our great grandfather Soshangana Nxumalo was cousin to King Zwide of the Ndwandwe Kingdom. Upon Zwide’s defeat by Shaka Zulu in 1819, Soshangana refused to be incorporated into the Zulu Kingdom and fled northwards. Zwangendaba and Nxaba also fled Shaka. Along the way, Soshangana defeated and assimilated the Tsonga people starting with the Rhonga who are the original Tsongas. He later integrated the Hlengwe, Bila, Ndzawu (Ndau), Chopi, Ngomane and Shongonono people. So the Ndaus became part of us.”
On how Soshangana become a king, Chief Mpungu said: “Soshangana Nxumalo first settled at Bhiyeni Masiye near the Mozambique border with Swaziland and later moved to nearby Chayimite. Soshangana formed a kingdom in 1824 and named it Gaza after his grandfather Gasa. He called the combination of the Ngunis and the incorporated Tsonga tribes Shangani after his name. By that time King Soshangana, Zwangendaba and Nxaba’s people coexisted in harmony until 1831 when King Soshangana decided to expand his territory. He fought them and with their followers, Zwangendaba fled to present day Zambia-Malawi as Nxaba fled to present day Tanzania.”
The Mpungus agree that when Mzila Nxumalo succeeded his father in 1862 he moved his capital from Chayimite. Where King Mzila moved his capital to is where the Mpungus differ with some scholars. Most scholars say that King Mzila had his capital near Mount Chirinda, now Mount Selinda in Chipinge east at a place called Mzila.
Chief Mpungu argued: “When Mzila Nxumalo became king, he moved his base to Ndungutungu, known as Chingove in present day Mozambique. He had four sons namely Ngungunyanga, Mafemana and Mpungu from his first wife and Papame who is also known as Makheleni from his young wife. He renamed the area Moyawomuhle and called the king’s palace Tshiyipahla. Before the Ndaus were assimilated into the Shangani, Ndungutungu initially belonged to kraal head Chinorema under Chief Garahwa. When King Mzila died in 1884, he was buried in Zululand. His son Ngungunyana Nxumalo took over as king.”
The Ngunis believe that the invasion of the British and Mafemana’s untimely death to tuberculosis made King Ngungunyana relocate to present day Manjakazi in Mozambique’s Gaza province. There he signed a treaty with the Portuguese government.
“When the Portuguese demarcated the Gaza Kingdom’s boundaries in 1895, King Ngungunyana placed his kingdom under the British. This angered the Portuguese that they fought the Gaza regiments and defeated them. King Ngungunyana and his young brother Mpungu Nxumalo were banished to Portugal as prisoners of war,” continued the chief.
“The Nxumalos were kept as prisoners at Sao Tome Island. There, King Ngungunyana married a white Portuguese wife. Since Papame Nxumalo had fled from the Portuguese and took refuge in Chirinda Forest in Chipinge, the Gaza Kingdom eventually collapsed. Although Papame was older to Mpungu, he could not lead due to our culture which recognises only sons of the king’s first wife as heirs to the throne. Ngungunyana or Mpungu could only rule,” affirmed Chief Mpungu.
On how the British reacted to the exiling of King Ngungunyana, Chief Mpungu said: “The British gave protection to Papame during his refuge at Chirinda Forest. Before a year lapsed, Mpungu was released from Portugal probably due to his young age. Upon arrival, Papame informed the British of Mpungu’s return. The British recognised him but reduced him to just a chief, not a king anymore. Like the Portuguese, they also demarcated Mpungu’s land and his capital was set at Makoho in Chipinge South.”
As per Nguni culture, Chief Mpungu Nxumalo is said to have travelled to Kwazulu Natal to get married. He took Mapamu as first wife and Mqiza as second wife. Mapamu had two sons Maphaze and Cleanboy Kambana. Later, Chief Mpungu married a third wife Tshapfupfu and bore Isaac Mhlozi.
The Ngunis claim that the British gave Papame a “formal chieftainship” which officially is just equivalent to a kraal head. Manzvire kraal came out of Papame Nxumalo. Papame was also appointed as Chief Mpungu’s installer a feat which is being observed to this day.
“Whenever Chief Mpungu is being inaugurated, we contact Manzvire who delegates an elder to put in the chief. We are actually one family. Before his death in the 1920s, the British allocated Chief Mpungu a 177 hectare farm at Makoho. It was registered in Cleanboy Kambana’s name,” stated the Nxumalo chief.
The Ngunis claim that upon his death, Chief Mpungu’s elder son Maphaze who was supposed to succeed him didn’t do so. They believe he had already gone to South Africa and had no traces by the time of his father’s death. Eventually, second born Cleanboy Kambana took over the chieftainship till his death in 1974. Cleanboy Kambana’s second born son Majoni Reuben acted as chief throughout the liberation war till he died in 1981. His brother Muchadho Mupungu became substantive chief till his death in 2001. Lincoln Mupungu became acting chief from 2002 to 2006. Muchadho’s first born son, James Mubhopeni took over as substantive Chief Mpungu till his gruesome death in 2012. Richard Mandende became acting chief till 2014 when Happison Mupungu was installed as substantive chief to this day.
The Ngunis in Chipinge have set 24 August as a day to commemorate their culture. Said Chief Mpungu: “Our history is not well documented. We aim at getting a proper record of the Ngunis in Zimbabwe. We have set 24 August of each year as Day of the Ndwandwe-Nguni people in Zimbabwe. All the Ngunis must come forward and celebrate our culture. We want to establish our Nguni cultural village at Makoho.”
Contacted for a comment, Centre for Cultural Development Initiative co-ordinator Mr Hebert Phikela Hasani regarded to the Ngunis as a tourism package in the making. Said Mr Phikela: “We recently considered Chief Mpungu and Chief Garahwa as stakeholders of the Great Limpopo Cultural Fair. At the 2016 edition of the Fair, we shall give the two chiefs a chance to launch a tourism package in Zimbabwe.”
Great Limpopo Cultural Fair is a platform for showcasing cultural tourism products by communities from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland. Each country hosts its own chapter of the fair. The 2015 Zimbabwe chapter was officially opened by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko in August.