Mistaken Identity ~ The desolation of the Hole - Zansi - Enhla class system Written by iFalakhe KaMagaya Golide Friday, 10 October 2014 18:58 font size Be the first to comment! Little has been said or made of the reasons behind the massacres that engulfed Mthwakazi between 1983 and 1987. Political aspirations aside, it does not take a genius to decode that one of the more prominent underlining reasons behind what has been dubbed a military moment of madness was the Zimbabwean states way of seeking revenge for what they believed to have been Shona ill treatment in the hands of the Ndebele nation due to Ndebele social prejudice directed at the Hole class. It is my core believe that its close to impossible for one to fully understand the social dynamics of the Ndebele nation based on the thinking paradigms of this century, let alone use them to justify killing of thousands of innocent people. That is why I frown upon ignorant views such as the one above that are clearly perpetuated by a tribalistic mindset that detects that one can only master complete comprehension of historical accounts rooting from ill conceived facts based on half truths that are taught by teachers who remain largely uneducated on the subject their teaching about. It is not my intention to open up old wounds or to suggest that revising Ndebele history especially the social dynamics is going to solve any problems or prejudice faced by Ndebele people today. Even if the views shared on this article have the potential to evoke such thoughts and similar feelings. It is my intention to fervently state and show that we as the Ndebele nation have been victim of mistaken identity and hopefully that the words that make up this article will serve as an oasis to those who are suffering under the heat of the desert of prejudice in the name of Ndebele social hierarchy either by outsiders who deny them opportunities on account of being Ndebele or from those within the Ndebele nation who believe that one Ndebele is better than another based on a social class. It is only through the use of the hills of Matopo as our vintage point, do we get a birds eye view of the social tendencies of the Ndebele nation and get a true complexion of the mechanisms that were engineered by Mzilikazi over his long journey to Mthwakazi to rule justly over his kingdom. These are the gears whose motion appeared to be so complex, it had numerous American missionaries perplexed and confused by the inner workings of the Ndebele nations social dynamics. This led to a large number of them finding solace in subscribing to the colonial propaganda of the time that painted the Ndebele state as a savage prejudice state instead of investigating the intricate designs that made the Ndebele nations social dynamics tick without a blip. Despite my optimism, the hills of Matopo reveal a spectrum of historians. Some are honestly mistaken whilst others purposely seek to mar Ndebele history. It is due to this callous barrage of insults imposed on the Ndebele nation that many view the Ndebele nation as a senile state not worthy of respect and preservation. Secular historians attempt to tie in together extraneous pieces of evidence whilst maintaining an incredulous attitude towards opposing evidence that make a strong case for unearthing the truths about Ndebele social dynamics before the colonisation of the Ndebele nation. Most of these historians argue that because the Ndebele state had more teen boys and women from other nations within its kingdom, it means they should have been incorporated during raids. Their second point anchors on the harbors of the allocation of Ndebele wealth, they argue that since the wealthiest of Ndebele citizens were from the Zansi class, then the Zansi should have received special favors from the state at the expense of the Enhla and Hole class. Lastly the accuse the Ndebele nation of breaking families apart in order to draft young boys into the army and use the changing of surnames as the cherry on top of Ndebele prosecution of other nations. This article is the Ndebele nation response to these cankers suggestions. As stated above, the premise of all my ideals is the shared accountability between the actions, the environment and the norms of the day the event occurred. It is because of that, that most of my points are framed in a historical context as they desolate this case of mistaken identity. Lets journey together and unearth the true social dynamics of the Ndebele nation and redefine the classes that united us. We start our journey with what would end up being the first recruits into Ndebele nation. Our first meeting makes for a frightening sight indeed. With what had grown into ubiquitous Zulu military presence on the hills of Mntungwa territory,the threat of uFasimba launching a gratuitous attack on Mzilikazi and his people was as real as the air we breathe. For a split second, many within the Mntungwa clan believe they will not live long enough to fully enjoy the gifts of its disenthrallment from Zwides rule. What started as a tiff between two friends was quickly augmented by Dingane and the Zulu council into an apocalyptic quarrel that had Mzilikazi facing complete annihilation in the hands of his mentor. Mzilikazi was a man of a few faults, it is a widely accepted fact that his amorphous response to Shaka attack ranked as his greatest misjudgment as a military commander. Mzilikazi reaction acted as a catalyst not only in magnifying the fear factor that had been long associated with Shaka regiments, but in allowing it to fester and pervade among the Mntungwa people. Naturally, it took less than 72 hours before the entire Mntungwa clan was eager to flee Zululand and try their luck on the lands beyond Sotho borders. In the wild, the buffalo herds defense is like a water wall that has the potential to stomp out the flames of a lions attack. Add fear into the mix, the bulls abandon will this formidable formation and give the lions the chance to sneak in and tear the herd apart. This was the conclusion of Shaka and Mzilikazi game of wits. With uFasimba upon them, a sizable chunk of the Mntungwa clan disembarked what they believed to have been a sinking ship and entrusted their lives with one of the Mntungwa minor chiefs who convinced them that waiting out Shaka lifespan in the safe refuge of the thick bushes that surrounded the white Mfolozi was their best chance at survival. Their fate was similar to that of Zwide and its uncertain if they were relevant enough in the grand scheme of things to be remembered as a legitimate facet of Ndebele history. What is certain though, is the immeasurable amount of gratitude that Mzilikazi had for those who remained faithful in him during one of the most turbulent days of his rule was beyond measure. His never ending favors to the Mntungwa portion of the Zansi class are a true testament to that. With the foundation and the first pillar of the Ndebele nation in place, Mzilikazi initially journeyed north and later angled west where he entered Sotho country. Luck was not kind to Mzilikazi and the Ndebele as his 1822 entry into Traanvaal corresponded with Mfecane at its worst possible stage. This had the Ndebele nation stuck in the midst of the greatest and most savage killing frenzy to have ever infected Southern African. With Mantiwane and Mantatisi fueling the grueling flames of the suffering inflected by Mfecane with their armies that housed over 100 000 savage killers, its nothing short of a testament to Mzilikazi greatness that he managed to concentrate on nation building and not join in the horde killing frenzy and the easy riches that came with it. In a time where by being savage made for an easier life, uMzilikazi opted to abide by the laws of ubuntu and build slow. To completely grasp the idea and the effects of Mfecane, I would like to invite your attention to the norms of the day during this time of suffering. Apart from Mashweshwe, most Sotho settlements were largely abandoned with a large part of Sotho villagers operating within horde like pattern that encouraged looting, raiding and cannibalism at the best of times. Those who were unable to keep up with the hordes we left behind and most of these were vulnerable women and children. Since the hordes operated in an eddies like pattern, most of those who were left behind would willingly linger around in hopes of rejoining their horde later on as it circled the area or join another horde that would not attempt to kill them on first sight. This created a scattered field of vulnerable women and children loitering the countryside, a group of refugees per se. Cannibalism, a country side filled with vulnerable women and children and savage men who operated within the confides of gang mentality. These three ingredients made for concoction that raised the most deficient people when it came to self esteem. Such conditions made wondering around the countryside without a group a dangerous proposition but an unlikely one. People with low self esteem would rather hang around with a bully than to stand on their own. Hence it is no hyperbole to state that the amalgamation of all the hordes made for more Sotho refuges than Sotho statesmen and most of these people were more than willing to joining any group that offered them refuge. Mzilikazi warm welcome to the Sotho refugees made their pathway into the Ndebele nation one of least resistance compared to their pathway into other Sotho hordes. So like moths to a light, they folked in and helped expand the nation. That fact above on its own completely destroys the idea that most of the Sotho Ndebele citizens were a result of Ndebele raids. Mfecane denied Mzilikazi and his adept Ndebele regiments who were well versed in Sotho fighting techniques a chance to test their battle prowess against any Sotho nation. Even if Mzilikazi and the Ndebele wanted to use raiding as their main recruitment source, it was close impossible as all Sotho hordes were in constant movement and their large numbers rendered Ndebele military techniques ineffective. A raid on them would have been fruitless. Those who chose to settle were scattered across Transvaal hiding in bushes, that rendered sending a raiding party with the target of launching a single assault inefficient. In short, raiding required more effort to achieve half of what a warm welcome would have achieved, why would Mzilikazi have chased what he could have attracted? Instead widely accepted Ndebele recruitment model, it was Mfecanes avarice driven systems that led to most of the blood shed in Transvaal and had a huge portion of Sotho natives flocking to Ndebele settlements. This was not to satisfy Sotho hedonistic wants but the only way for them to survive the harsh environment created by Mfecane. The Ndebele armies were only used to reassure the new arrivals of the Ndebele nations ability to protect them better than the hordes, not as raiding parties. A consequence of this was Mzilikazi having the Ndebele nation verged on one side by a sea of Sotho refugees and on the other, rampart Sotho hordes looking to loot Ndebele wealth. This random predicament left Mzilikazi with a rare idiosyncratic conundrum. On one hand Mzilikaiz had a large resource that could use to expand the Ndebele nation and and on the other hand his army was not large enough to offer sufficient protection to the new arrivals and those who were already part of the Ndebele nation. Something had to give, Mzilikazi could not have the best of both worlds. This is one of the main reasons why Boers managed to attack 2 of Ndebele kraals without any resistance during the Boer-Ndebele wars. It was a result of Mzilikazi sending the Ndebele warriors to the north to halt one of the hordes on their march towards his territory. Unless the Ndebele could produce more soldiers quick, Mzilikazi had to maintain the offensive in war to protect his people. Mzilikazi solution was to allow the Sotho refugees to build their kraals within vicinity of his cities. This way he could use them as a cushion if a large horde like Mantatee which had over 50 000 fighters was to attack his city and buy him enough time to plan his next move. Also this would have granted the Sotho people an opportunity to learn about Ndebele culture and hopefully convince them to pledge their allegiance to the Ndebele nation. It is only fair that we make a distinctive differentiation between the Sotho refugees that lived outside Ndebele settlements and the Sotho who were viewed as part of the Ndebele nation. For that I will refer to the Sotho refugees as the Sotho and those who had earned their Ndebele citizenship as the Enhla. It was during this time that the host of American missionaries started to visit Mzilikazi and they could not help but notice the difference between the lives of the Sotho refugees who had settled outside Ndebele cities, the Enhla and the Zansi. Instead of inquiring about these differences, they were quick to assume that it was due to Zansi prerogative that afforded the Nguni people a life of comfort and security whilst their Sotho neighbors appeared to hinge on a desperate existence. This led to their conclusion that the Sotho were viewed as inferior people within the Ndebele nation. The second reason was based on the amount of wealth held by the Ezansi class compared to the Enhla and the Sotho. As far as the Ndebele nation were concern, the Enhla was their responsibility. The nation could not afford to have them destined to poverty so the King would allow them to herd his cattle and as a reward he would give them one calf from every pair born in their care. As for the Sotho, the Ndebele nation viewed their stay in their territory gift enough and felt no obligation to help them build up their wealth. So if all the groups were to be stood side by side, the economic gap between the groups could not be denied. The Zansi had more wealth indeed but that was due to the time they had invested into their military tour. It will save us better to remember that despite Mzilikazi civil attempts to incorporate the Sotho into the Ndebele nation, the Ndebele were a military nation and the main source for gaining wealth for an individual was through military service. The Enhla, who had just being inducted into the state had not been afforded much battle time meaning they would have not accumulated that much wealth during this time in history. With that in mind, the missionaries were right with their assumption. The Zansi class got more privileges went it came to accumulating wealth. Since most were in active duty and the states survival depended on it, it would have been foolish for the state not to reward them more than the other citizens. Yet these rewards were not granted to every jack and Jill in the Zansi class, only to those who had proven themselves in battle. If the brave person happened to be from the Enhla class, then they would have received the same treatment. It was not a game of social class but bravery when it came to state favours. With the only currency being cattle, we can easily see how the Zansi had more cattle than the Enhla at this point in history. Considering the rate of which cattle compound in interest, the law of coherence commands us to believe that after a few years, a superb solider from the Enhla class could easily surpass a mediocre Zansi soldier in terms of wealth within 10 years. Since the law of compound interest states that one with more will continue to amass and reproduce wealth faster than one who has less, it makes the Ndebele cattle reward system to the brave soldier was a great equaliser to the economic gap between the Enhla and the Zansi and give every citizen from the Ndebele nation a chance to be as wealthy as possible. This also shows the lengths the state went to push the Enhla to the same economic levels as the Zansi. In the states attempt to shrink the gap between the Enhla and the Zansi, the Ndebele nation unwittingly expanded the gap between the Enhla and the Sotho. As we will see in a second, this led the missionaries to believe that only those who had ties with the Zansi were afforded a comfortable life by the state. In a polygamous nation like the Ndebele, the man with more wealth will obviously have more females. The laws of lobola increased the likelihood of this being the case. With there being a close to even number between the Zansi males and Zansi females and a greater female bias towards the Enhla females compared to the Enhla males, its natural law that they would be more Zansi male - Enhla female marriages in the Ndebele nation than the reverse. Add to the fact that marriage in the Ndebele nation was only allowed after military duty, its highly unlikely that many Enhla males would have been eligible for marriage at this time considering that most had just in incorporated into the state and were still undergoing military training. This allowed for greater number of Zansi males who eligible for marriage and because of the even number with Zansi females they were forced to marry more Enhla females compared to Zansi females. Now imagine the picture a missionary painted after catching a glimpse of this sight. With most of the Enhla class who were living a comfortable life were married to a Zansi male and those who were hinging on the doors of poverty were not married to a Zansi male. Little did they know that the Sotho leaving just outside the cities were not yet part of the Ndebele nation and the marriages were a consequence of the numbers in the state and that within 20 years, the Enhla males would find themselves marring Zansi females if they had the cattle for the lobola. The penultimate point they make to try and justify an existence of a discriminatory class system within the Ndebele nation is one that states that most Enhla families were broke. Like the previous two points, its based on a half truth and easy to destroy. Yes , it is true that the Ndebele nation went to great heights to draft young men and teen boys into its military system. One of the key ways was to make it a law that every boy who had male siblings was eligible for military duty. Despite what popular option dubs as a Enhla only draft system, this system applied to all within the state. The pain of watching their sons dragged away to battle was shared by all women in the Ndebele nation, be they Enhla or Zansi. They were no exceptions. Lastly we confront the issue of changing surnames. Considering the effects Mfecane had on most Sotho people, it is just to suggest that a large majority of the Enhla class had witnessed atrocities beyond measure and had mental issues ranging from low self esteem to identity crisis is acceptable. Psychology rushes to defend Ndebele influence on the situation as it points out that it is from a victim mentality that one feels the need to redefine them self after they have found a solace in a new group. Numerous NLP studies also point out that most victims of vicious crime like Mfecane are more likely to want to attach and identify themselves with a group that offers them a safe heaven. This follows the same thinking lines as the ones that make it easier for a broke man to embrace Christianity than it is for a self made man to do the same. Back to the Enhla, based on numerous psychological and NLP studies, it is clear that the changing of surnames would have happened regardless of who was offered them refuge. If it had been Tonga then most of them would be carrying Tonga surnames. Plus within Bantu culture, the process of redefining oneself after going through trials and tribulation was a welcome process. We see this with uZwangendaba changing his surname from Jele to Gumbi. If anything, name changing was a beacon used by the people at this time to show the rest of the community that they had walked through hell and had been reborn as that which the name represented. Based on psychological evidence and the traumas of Mfecane, I have no doubts that it was the Enhla who orchestrated the changing of surnames as they were eager to identify with the Ndebele nation more than they were to be identified as members of hordes or victims of Mfecane living among the Ndebele. The fact that the choose to translate their surnames instead of changing them completely shows how deeply the Enhla wanted to preserve their ties with their Sotho heritage. I believe this also shows how liberal Ndebele attitudes were towards the Enhla. The Enhla were viewed as an important part of the Ndebele nation who we valued by their country men, they was no state induced discrimination hence the Enhla felt no pressure to cut their Sotho ties. It is down to this serendipitous coming together of the Zansi and the Enhla that enabled Mzilikazi managed to mold a state that managed to merge two culturally diverse groups of people and forge the first multicultural state in Southern African that did not just manage to preserve both cultures but created a unique Ndebele identity which detected that all citizens were equal. We fast forward a couple of decades later when the Ndebele nation has settled within Mthwakazi. By the time the Ndebele finally settled among the Kalanga, the Enhla class had swollen to encompass all those who joined the Ndebele nation on the down to Mthwakazi. Since the effects of Mfecane we not as dire in Matebeleland as they had been in Transvaal, its illogical to assume that the Ndebele cajoled people into joining the Ndebele nation with as much ease as they did in Transvaal. Matebeleland was a relatively war free zone but the presence of Mnyamazana and Zwangandaba and the off shots of the recently defeated Rozwi state caused enough problems to raise concern within the locals chiefs over their safety. This opened many community leaders at the time to the idea of joining the Ndebele state in a federal like system as that guaranteed them protection without eroding their culture and identity. This process created the Hole class. Most historians argue that the initiation of most of the Kalanga and Tonga was not in form of a federal system but a result of raiding. To them I ask this question, How come the Kalanga, Tonga and Venda facets of the Ndebele yielded their own chiefs when other groups like the Enhla and Zansi were denied that chance of self governance? The large number of Kalanga chiefs still in power today in Matebeleland will vouch for that. Others point to the relocation of a handful of settlements around Mzilikazis cities and settlements. This would have been a worrying thing for equality within the Ndebele nation if their lands and wealth had been given to either the Enhla or Zansi but no, these lands were used as military towns to make the patrolling of Ndebele borders easier and to enable the state to fully protect its new subjects. The issue of wealth has already being solved yet most used the cattle allocation by the state which was more to the Enhla and Zansi as a way to justify the existence of Hole prejudice. But we know that wealth within the opening years of a group initiation into the Ndebele nation was not a reflection of their importance in the state but pointer showing the time they joined the state. Lastly the subject of changing surnames peeps its head out and with an absence of traumatic events, one can easily dismiss psychological reasons when dealing with the Hole class. Im convinced that it was the Enhla who instigated this process. With them having changed their surnames and having no regrets over this process, why would they not encourage the new comers to do the same? The Ndebele nation had no reason or need to discriminate against the Hole class. To understand the full value of the Hole within the Ndebele state look at the sheer volume of words of Kalanga, Venda and Tonga origin that reshaped a Zulu dialect into the Ndebele language we use today. Look at the way most of the Enhla and Zansi embraced eNjelele and observed Kalanga beliefs. Lastly it was from this group that Lobhengula drew a reasonable portion of his army that faced uMasuku during the Ndebele civil war, I doubt Lobhengula would have gambled his throne using second class citizen. Zansi, Enhla and Hole were class systems, I have no doubt about that. But to suggest that these class systems were designed to discriminate and sentence a certain facet of the Ndebele nation to servitude to another is a lie. The classes were the equivalent of tribal names, a way to differentiate and not discriminate. The classes served as a reminder of the ties between the man and his nation of origin whilst at the same time reassuring him that he was now a Ndebele man and no longer part of that old nation. The social systems within the Ndebele state we built around military life which detects that every man is given the same opportunity, whether they rose or fell was down to the effort they put in, not their surname or their origin. I agree, they we some within the Ndebele nation who believed they were better than others. The same way we have thieves today but that doesnt mean our community encourage the science of criminology. The same can be said of those who believed one Ndebele man was better than another based of social class. Yes I agree with the fact that some members of the Ndebele nation recruits were a buy product of war. After a city was sacked, treasures (cattle) and survivors were presented to the king, but I refuse to endorse the idea that this was the Ndebele nation primary method of national growth and that the raiding was the main reason behind all Ndebele wars. It is fair to state that the Ndebele nation was not saint, they participated in deign activities in the interest of national growth, not out of philanthropically motivated obligation. But to say that the Ndebele nation was a self hating prejudice state that oppressed some of its members based on their origins is nothing short of an insult. Like all communities, the Ndebele nation has dark spots that were a result of a moment of weakness. It will be a massive shame if we were to let those dark spots define who we are. I will close with these inspirational words from umaMntungwa, one of my main sources the Ndebele are among the most altruistic people on earth. They are slow to anger, that is not an invitation to test their patience for when they anger; blood will flood the streets. Some nations were introduced to the Ndebele nation through the tip of the spear, this was not because the Ndebele nation were savage or need to raid in order to add to their ranks, it was for contiously poking a sleeping lion with a toothpick. Ngiyabonga.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 17:26:03 +0000
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