Online Reporter
Have you ever wondered why the Matebele of King Mzilikazi call the parent of their son or daughter-in-law “ Sebele”?
In my previous thread, I discussed Macheng, King of the Bamangwato, who had been carried off as war spoils in the Matebele
Tswana wars of 1842 and was raised in King Mzilikazi’s court for 16 years, before being released to go back and rule through the assistance of Sechele king of BaKwena (uSitshela Sabakwena), in 1857.
Sechele, a remarkable diplomat, had then sent a delegation back to Matabeleland, to thank King Mzilikazi for looking after
Macheng for 16 years, then releasing him back to the Bamangwato through Sechele.
King Mzilikazi, inturn showed his fatherly nature and diplomacy by giving the Sechele delegation 40 cows, 40 sheep and 40 goats.
But that wasn’t all, to cement the Bakwena-Matebele relationship, King Mzilikazi gave his daughter Khuluma in marriage to Sechele. The Bakwena were now the in-laws (abakhwenyana) of the Matabele.
That cosy relationship was to be disrupted by none other than Macheng, a “war child” ((umntwana wesihlangu ) of King Mzilikazi.
After King Mzilikazis death in 1868, his son Lobengula was made King, a matter that was disputed by a certain Nkulumane, supposedly killed in 1840 on the orders of his father, but he emerged in 1870 marching on Matabeleland with the support of Macheng and the Bamangwato!
Macheng also stopped the flow of trade between Sechele and King Lobengula. Lobengula was furious about Machengs betrayal ( read revenge) that he wrote a letter to Sechele listing Machengs malpractices.
Sechele responded by sending his son Sebele to go to King Lobengula and hear first hand what was going on.
That visit by Sebele was the beginning of the end of Machengs reign as he was quickly deposed by Khama III with the support of Sechele.
Sebele went on to become one of the three celebrated diKgosi, Kings of the Batswana who created the Botswana nation. Could this visit by Sebele, son of the great Sechele of the
Bakwena, son in law of King Mzilikazi, have given birth to the use of the name “ Sebele “ to describe a fellow parent-in-law (
Sebele represented the father of the BaKwena) among the Matebele? Ngu Sebele wami lo!
— Credit Chief Mayisa
