Book review by Bhekimpilo Sibanda
Book title: King Mzilikazi KaMatshobane
Author: Nthebe Molope
Date published: 2024 (Launched in Zimbabwe September 4, 2025)
Publishers: Madibana Publishers
Pretoria North, South Africa
Rating: ****
The publication of the book King MzilikaziKaMatshobane and its launch in Zimbabwe in September this year, was both timely and very opportune.
September 6, was Mzilikazi commemoration Day in Bulawayo. What a day it turned out to be, as more than an estimated fife thousand people attended.
Young girls (Amatshitshi) stole the lime light. An eight-year-old girl got a standing ovation after delivering her poem. It was a great cultural re-awakening.
By luck and fate, I sat near Nthephe Molope during the festivities, and the book, which has a children's version was snapped up.
The book is meant for everyone, the African and those from everywhere.
The foreword by Pitika Ntuli, a former colleague at the University of Durban-Natal is incisive.
Acknowledgements are precise, collective, generous and humbly.
The book is dedicated to his girls, one of whom witnessed the live broadcast by Skies FM on September 7. The broadcast set the studio alight and set social media popping out of the screens.
One such said; “When great minds cross, a little smoke is expected. Prof Bhekimpilo Sibanda, Samukele Hadebe Nthebe Molope were hosted by the legendary Luke Mnkandla.
The authors were finally dualled by Skies FM. The books are both controversial and best sellers. One microphone caught fire kkkkkk such was the buzz.”
The book starts with a foreword, reviews by scholars. For readability, it is divided into four parts with eight chapters.
Part I (chapters 1 - 2) gives a panorama in Kileodoscope format of great turmoil in the Cape and eastern South Africa stirred by the chance arrival of Jan Van Riebeck in Cape Town, watched in awe by the Khoi and the San people was the earth not flat?
How did they come? They marvelled. Molope drags the Khoisan theme along for a long time until he gets into the Mfencane/Difaqane.
For almost 168 pages (about half the book) he delves into serious discussions about the causes of Mfecane and its aftermath.
He provides fresh information about the Khoi and the San. Molope launches spitfires against colonialism, and leaves us in no doubt that he is not taking prisoners on the issue of colonialism and settlers.
The man is African. He discusses the impact of African migration on the Eastern Cape and the coast areas; and the role played by the various characters: Jama, Zwide, Dingiswayo, Tshaka, Matshobana and thenMzilikazi.
Part 2 (Chapters 3 - 5)
With clarity and nostalgia, like a hungry hyeana, Molope traces Mzilikazi's footsteps as he marched across the Ukhahlamba mountains.
Many readers will be surprised that Mzilikazi"s route to present day Zimbabwe was not a straight line.
The man ran away from Tshaka round about 1824.
For almost 10 years (wayenyukaehla) he wondered up and down around South Africa.
He found himself in present Mpumalanga where he sought refuge from the Manala and Sibindiprinces, sons of Musi.
Even here he was not satisfied, and fled after unwholesome incidents and captured some of the Magondonga children, whom he kept up to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Ironical one of these children (Sivalo Mahlangu) is the one who was given the responsibility to burn down Mvutshwa as James Dawson approached Bulawayo.
Part III (Chapters 6 -7)
Molope narrates and details the turmoil Mzilikazi encountered even after the death of Tshaka in 1828.
Both Dingane and Mpande were always on his tail even though they were far away.
In addition, the Boers were running away from British colonial control, which had taken over the Cape.
Some of the Mpande rumours may have been fannedby Griquas and the Boers.
Indeed Molope discusses the famous clash at Vegkop where from Mzilikazi had to flee.
Even at Ekuphumuleni (Pretoria) he could not rest much. Paul Kruger and his gang were on his back.
He pushed to a new location atEmhlanhlandela. From here he meets Robert Moffat as he is being pushed further south west to Mosega.
He signs a British/Mzilikazi friendship treaty in 1836. The heat was on and this was to be his Achilles heel. Moffat assists him to escape the torment by directing him to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe.
After much turmoil, Mzilikazi splits with his mainly feminine group led by Kondwane, which followed a more direct route to the second Mhlanhlandlela near Ntabazinduna, the flat mountain.
Even if Molope himself was touchy on the subject of "empty lands " described by Moffat, the book, however, confirms that it was Moffat who directed him to the spot.
It should also be noted that there had been wars in Bulawayo between the Swati and the Rozvi and Kalanga.
People fled westwards and the Khoi moved further west into Tsholotsho and the Kalahari Desert.
Mzilikazi himself travelled west through Botswana then east right up to the Zambezi River.
He had skirmishes with the Makololo on the Zambezi before joining Kondwane at Mhlanhlandlela where upon Nkulumane had been crowed King and some of his junior wives re-assigned to other men.
This infuriated Mzilikazi, who had the chiefs responsible killed at Ntabazinduna.
He ordered a Sotho man to kill Nkulumane by twisting his neck until he died. There are various myths as to whether this was done as they claimed or he died in the North West n South Africa.
But at Mhlanhlandlela Mzilikazi lived fairly peacefully.
In 1856 Moffat managed to visit Mzilikazi at Mhlanhlandlela for about six months and even managed to visit the Victoria Falls accompanied by Mzilikazi himself.
King Mzilikazi even gave Moffat land to build atInyathi mission station.
Chapter 7
This chapter summarises the controversial rise and turmoil of King Lobengula. Years of wondering around by King Mzilikazi may have produced a litany of children which made it difficult to clearly an ambiguously point to his successor.
King Lobengula was never at peace, because the Concession hounds were upon him even before he was crowned Baines and Selous even attended King Lobengula's coronation which he drew a sketch of.
So pressured by Concession hunters that he had to honour his father's agreements before he died.Molope uses well beaten literature on this part of the Rudd concession of 1888.
Part 4 Touches on the highlights of the road to Pupu. These were the direct consequences of settlers and Cecil John in particular. Even there is emphasis on the role played by Cecil John Rhodes, it is important to point out this was a global colonial strategy by all the colonial countries: Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, France and Britain.
Molope dishes out spoonfulls of scorn to them all. In the end Bulawayo burns never to rise again by Africans, until the 20th century
A low point in the book concerns the death of King Lobengula, which is an open secret. This was made public in October 1943. his grave was declared a national monument then, it is in Pashu.
But through denialism, the book states the facts and then concludes by saying King Lobengula is buried in Chipata, near the Eastern boarder of Zambia near Malawi. So controversial is the issue that Luke Mnkandla had to pass on the issue when Sibanda raised it during the Skies broadcast. In fairness, Molope qoutes Phathisa Nyathi, who claimed that in his last book, The battle of Pupu and beyond.
Molope ends his book on a high note — he strongly warns Africa against Segregation of any kind, racism, tribalism, xenophobia and neo-colonialism, and we are all agreed.
Africa should fight the new waves of manufacturing a new history by all sides. I encourage readers to buy this stunning book.