adminThe Rhodesia Herald,
20 June 1944
THE death occurred near Bulawayo on Sunday of a man who refused to speak to anyone for the last 15 years of his life.
He was Nguboyenja, the youngest of Lobengula’s three recognised sons.
Educated in England and able to talk English fluently, he returned to Rhodesia 20 years ago to find that the gift of his education, given to him by the Charter Coy, was a curse rather than a blessing.
When he first returned he was unversed in the tongue of the people, and had lost touch with native customs and their way of living.
He expected to return to a position of authority, but was opposed by the chiefs of his clan and eventually became a dependent of the Government and lived a life of seclusion.
He never married and rarely left his house at Loots Kraal, near Bulawayo. He spent much of his time reading English literature, and all efforts to make him speak, which were made by Europeans as well as natives in the last 15 years failed.
The late Mr R. Lanning, a well-known native commissioner recorded that he first saw Nguboyenja as a small boy in 1895.
Before Rhodes’ death, he was sent first to Cape Town and subsequently to England to be educated. He returned to Cape Town when he was about 22 years old, and settled there for some time.
Representation made by the Khumalo clan eventually resulted in the Government bringing him to Rhodesia.
For a time, he lived in a house at the brick-fields, but shortly afterwards moved to the house he occupied until the time of his death.
He died at 9am on Sunday and will be buried at the request of the Khumalo clan near Mzilikazi, at Intumbane, at 3pm tomorrow.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
The mere fact that Nguboyenja was Lobengula’s son, who was among the first black Zimbabweans to study in England, but refused to talk upon return, should excite researchers to find out more about his personality, including his relationship with Rhodes.
Nguboyenja’s historical narrative would be very informative about the Khumalo clan, and about who is who in our society.
When the British colonised Zimbabwe, they sought to weaken them by destroying their way of life — culture.
They introduced an education system which they deemed superior, while they undermined everything indigenous.
Lobengula’s son Nguboyenja was educated in England such that when he returned, he had lost his self-esteem, and became alienated to his own clan.
Online Reporter