Online Reporter
Mzala Tom
White historians have given various definitions of the name Mzilikazi, the king of the Ndebele. The name Mzilikazi is common and is still found across the Nguni-Sotho communities.
Colonial histiographer Peter Becker refers to “the path of blood” which means umzila wegazi in Zulu and IsiNdebele languages. This name is supposed to define Mzilikazi’s confabulated legacy of massacres.
Howcroft a colonial historian, defines the Mzilikazi as meaning ‘the great path’ which is umzilakazi in Zulu/Ndebele.
Correctly, in the Nguni communities, the name Mzilikazi originates from the word ‘umzili’ that comes from the word ukuzila which refers to the custom of ritual abstinence.
Umzilikazi then would describe a person who abstains from sex/food or from any other human activity for a longer time than usual. This name should have been a reference to the habits of his mother or father, not any of the king’s own personal attributes.
