Ndebele of Musi

I may not tell you with precision as to of which wife of Mabhoko was King Nyabela born. I am not clued up with his family lineage and history beyond himself. But I can safely make as statement to you that King Nyabela himself is my grandmother’s maternal grandfather. I am the fourth direct descendent of King Nyabela from my mother’s side.

1. Nyabela (my greatest grandfather)
2. Nondindwa Elizabeth Mahlangu-Sithole (my great grandmother)
3.Maliwa Sithole-Ntuli (my grandmother)
4.Nomvula Ntuli-Mahlangu (my mother)
5. Mkhuze Mahlangu (Myself)

The last surviving daughter of king Nyabela was my mother’s direct grandmother. She passed on in March 1987 – I know her. We unveiled her tomb in May 2016. Her name was Nondindwa Elizabeth Mahlangu-Sthole. She rests peacefully at Maruthobolong Cemetery next to Mashiding (Dr. JS Moroka Municipality). Co-incidentally I happen to share the same surname with my maternal great grand mother. Her clan name was Mgwezane and my clan name is Lamula. Yes of course I am proud but I don’t mean to brag to you. I can safely make a statement to you that I have a gene of his Excellency King Nyabela Mahlangu.

The oral history has it that my greatest grandmother was around 10 -15 years of age when Nyabela was arrested. Unfortunately I never had time to talk to her. I saw her once in my life and that was around 1977. She is said to have passed on at the age of 110 years. May her Soul Rest in Peace.

WHY WAS KING NYABELA ARRESTED.

Sorry I nearly forgot to answer your other question. I think I know the answer. But first let me take or two steps backwards into history. Please bear with me while I articulate it for you per your question. Remember, one cannot articulate the Ndebele History independent of the Pedi History. One has always have to make a comparison because the Ndebele’s lived side by side with the Pedis for a long time.

OK. Primarily Nyabela himself did not have anything per se to fight for, except for the fact that he had some chronic fights with the Boers’ regime over territory and Hut Tax. Prior to his tenure the boers promulgated the Law that demanded of the Kings to collect Tax from their subjects and submit it over to the central government of Transvaal Republic.That was during the tenure of president Maartinus Pretorius (the son of the Great Trek leader Andries Pretorius) and during the presidency of President Thomas Fracois Burger after whom Burgerforth (in Limpopo) was named. I guess these presidents governed during the tenure of King Mabhoko concurrently with king Sekwati (Sekhukhune and Mampuru’s father). Remember Sekhukhune’s grandfather was King Thulare. A contemporary of king Magodongo and the like.

OK, King Nyabela inherited a chronic legacy of argument between kings and boers regarding the Hut Tax and census. The hut-tax Law demanded of each household leader to pay tax according to the number of huta they had. For example for 1 hut it was £1.00, two huts would cost £2.00 etc. It was also mandatory for the kings to keep register of their subjects and furnish the boers with it as compliance to Law of census.

At once Nyabela was ordered to supply President Thomas Burger or Paul Kruger with census of his subjects but he denied and denied to collect Tax from his subjects citing the reason that peole built the huts with natural resources such as wood and grass, so why should they pay tax to a white man?

Paul Kruger ruled immediately after King Sekhukhune humiliated president Thomas Burger at the fierce fight in the mountains of Burgerforth in 1877. The whites labeled Thomas Burger as a failure hence Paul Kruger who was a former Army General took over. He promised the white folk to sort out the blacks and retrieve those who were fighting from inside the caves such as Nyabela and Sekhukhune.

To an extent – Paul Kruger lived up to his promise. He inflicted an everlasting damage in the kingship of Bapedi and Ndebeles which saw Sekhukhune being defeated and jailed for 7 years.

On the 26 September 1861 king Sekwadi does. He had passed the throne over to his son by the junior wife – Sekhukhune. Sekhukhune was coronated duly In terms of the Pedi customs – for the blessings from father Sekwadi and endorsed by common society. Mampuru fought Sekhukhune on the basis of the fact that the throne belonged to him by virtue of being born of a senior wife. Some say he was born of a young women called Setima Mollo in Peru custom.

Nevertheless the boers were every black man’s common enemies – Sekhukhune had an added enemy and that was Mampuru – his brother by another wife of Sekwati. Sekhukhune like Nyabela, Bhambatha, Makhado, Moshoeshoe except SoBhuza who was the English and the Boer pappet, Sekhukhune advocated for the independent Republic of Lebowa Kgomo totally independent of Transvaal Republic. He boycotted Tax and census like Nyabela and Bhambatha. In a way, Mampuru did not support the idea of independent Lebowa. So he became the bestan in the eyes of the Boers and the English hence they arrested Sekhukhune and crowned Mampuru a paramount chief of the Paris. He was coronated by English leader Sir Garet Shepstone after whom Port Shepstone was named in Northern KZN.

Oops! Mampuru was never a king in terms of the Pedi custom even if he was born of a senior wife. Mampuru’s descendents lost the Court battle plus an Appeal at the Constitutional Court in Bloemfontein after the ruling of Nhlapho Commission duly appointed by President Thank Mbeki. So, tell me why is the hall named after Mampuru?

OK. While Sekhukhune was serving an imprompru sentence in the present day Kgosi Mampuru Prison. The English under the leadership of Sir Garett Shepstone coroneted Mampuru as the paramount chief of Bapedi. Upon Sekhukhune’s release Mampuru denied to get off the throne and then assassinated king Sekhukhune on the night of the 13th August 1882.

HERE IS NOW WHY NYABELA WAS PRIMARILY ARRESTED:

But first (strangely) Sekhukhune was the fierce enemy of whites, but I fail to understand as to why did the Boers seek to hunt and capture Mampuru after assassinating Sekhukhune? After Mampuru assassinated king Sekhukhune, Sekhukhune’s supporters chased him after. He sought assylum with chief Marishane Masemola. They chased him further and he ran away to chief Makhani, one of King Nyabela’s sub-kings. They deposed him and finally he got into the headquarters of King Nyabela – eRholweni.

Strangely, the governmany of President Paul Kruger summoned Mampuru to present himself before the Judge in Pretoria to be prosecuted for assassinating King Sekhukhune. Mampuru defied that summons. Paul Kruger eavesdropped that Mampuru had resumed assylum with King Nyabela and king Nyabela was harbouring him. Kruger asked Nyabela to present Mampuru to the government to face the charge of murder but Nyabela defied that call with contempt.

Paul Kruger sent an expedition led by his trusted army general, General Piet Joubert. He assembled the commandos from as far as Rustenburg, Standerton, Lechtenburg, Belfast etc. An army of nearly pop strong men matched to Nyabela’s headquarters at at Mabhoko Caves (eRholweni).

Piet Joubert left Pretoria by oxe wagons for Eastern Transvaal to hunt for Mampuru. They travelled down the present day N4 Highway up to Middleburg. They branched and took R555 Steelpoort road. When they were at the mountain pass Bothasberg, they camped. Jounert dispatched a semi naked soldier holding a white flag aloof to Nyabela to ask for Mampuru. Nyabela said “tell Piet he must come over here. I wont release Mampuru. Tell him I have swallowed him. If he wants him, he must open my stomach.” The soldier went back and delivered the message. Piet advanced to the present day Laersdrift Police Station next to Stoffberg. He then went the soldier once more with an ultimatum. He said, “tell Nyabela to release Mampuru otherwise we are advancing.” Nyabela said, “tell him to come over here I shall slaughter him an ox, he won’t get him.” That was in October 1882.

Thence the war insued! Nyabela killed 2 trusted soldiers of Piet Joubert who answered to the names of Stephanus Roos and Frederick Senekal plus some 19 other soldiers. History has it that some were stroke by lightning. Piet Joubert sufferd some 20 casualties at the beginning. They fought throughout the Festive of 1882, the whole summer time until in the Autumn of 1883 in April.

One day out of a blue one of Mampuru’s companions popped up from The cave. He was pale from starvation. He told Piet Joubert that the man back in the cave has run out of army supplies and well as food supplies. He divulged the whole state of affairs back in the cave. Piet Joubert stopped fighting and camped around the cave further subdueing Nyabela with starvation.

In July 1883 Nyabela succumed to hunger and released Mampuru over to Piet Joubert. Paul Kruger ordered Piet to arrest Nyabela’s generals too plus Mampuru and his companions. That was on the 8th July 1883.

Piet Joubert tied Nyabela and Mampuru hand to hand and escorted them to Pretoria on foot over 300km so the way from the present day Roossenekal which was named after Stephanus Roos and Frederick Senekal who were killed by Nyabela and the crew. One wonders how Sekhukhune and Nyabela managed to fight the Boers. These men had dangerous guns that they sourced from the Mozambican Portuguese. As for Sekhukhune used to steal the cattle of the Boers and exchange them with a cach of guns. This is how the geographic name Steepoort came into being. Sekhukhune used to steal the cattle and keep them in that port.

Arriving in Pretoria the Boers organized a feast called Karnaval or Carnival. Clean horses were made to parade. Beautiful girls and handsome boys paraded the strèets of Pretoria in Church Square celebrating the victory of Piet Joubert after almost a year of struggle with Nyabela to get Mampuru.

On the 17 or 21 September 1883 Mampuru was tried and sentenced to death. On the 22nd September 1883 Nyabela was tried and sentenced to death too but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment with hard Labour. On the 22 November 1883 Mampuru was exercuted by hanging in public execution. The boers built a special soccer poles-like structure outside the traditional gallows outside in the loans. They forced Nyabela to stand and watch how Mampuru died. Some 200 whites watched the grusome spectacle and Pretoria celebrated the day like gala. Various newspapers of 1883 exclaim how much Nyabela cried when Mampuru fell from the rope he was strangled with. The rope broke but he was hoisted once more for the second time before he succuum to death. Nyabela seebed 15 yrs in the present day Kgosi Mampuru Prison. He was released in 1899. He died on the 19 December 1804 in the vicinity of Pretoria North in the hands of one Msiza family who are traced in Klipgat Hammanskraal. How could any one who named the jail after Mampuru could have overlooked the role played by Nyabela and carried on to name the street leading to the same jail so overwhelmingly after Mampuru ignoring the role played by Nyabela?

NOW LET’S ANSWER YOUR QUESTION

1. The primary reason for Piet Joubert to leave Pretoria was to hunt and arrest Mampuru for killing his brother King Sekhukhune.

2. After Mampuru killed Sekhukhune he sought assylum with King Nyabela.

3. President Paul Kruger overheard that Nyabela harboured Mapuru. He then appointed Piet Joubert to go retrive him from Nyabela’s headquarters – eRholweni.

4. Nyabela denied with him and defied the order of Paul Kruger via Piet Joubert.

5. So, nevertheless Nyabela had chronic grudges with the Boer regime such as boycotting tax law, hut-tax, census etc. That alone could not have plunged him into jail.

6. The main cause of Nyabela’s jail was the instability of the kingdom of the Padis. He harboured a man who had killed his brother over kingship throne. We all know that.

7. Ask yourself if the prison deserves to be called (Kgosi) Mampuru. To menit may be called Mampuru but not (Kgosi). The title “King” is being abused as per the ruling of the Court. The Court nullified his kingship. Justice Dikgang Moseneke presided over the case, to affirm the findings of The Commission in Traditional Affairs viz Nhlapho Commission.

8. What is the significance of commemorating an annual feast at Malone in Limpopo using Nyabela’s name if his name is not used in the intertwined manner in the naming of a jail and a street to prove what they celebrate at Mamone yearly. It will only make sense an day one of the infrastructures (jail or it’s strèet) is named after King Nyabela. Then Mamone Commemoration will make sense. And then the solidarity of Nyabela and Mampuru may be calibrated side by side.

ooOoo