Chronicle Editor
Mzala Tom
ON 1 November 1893, Cecil John Rhodes’ Pioneer Column conquered the Ndebele kingdom under King Lobengula.
The decisive and last battle was fought at a place called Gadade in Ntabazinduna, about 40 km outside Bulawayo along the Harare road.
Thousands of Ndebele warriors were attacked with the Maxim guns from all directions of the Pioneer Column’s laager.
The gallant soldiers belonged to the Imbizo, Ameva, iSiziba, iHlathi, iNsukamini, and Ingubo regiments.
Over 6000 bodies of the slain troops were buried in a circular mass grave. It was a grim harvest of humans never seen before in the military history of southern Africa. The centre of this mass grave is marked with this stone monument.
King Lobengula escaped from his royal palace and initiated negotiations with Rhodes by sending him gold as a token of peace. However, the white scouts stole the gold and never relayed King Lobengula’s message to Rhodes.
Rhodes instead dispatched Allan Wilson to chase after King Lobengula. Wilson and his troops were vanquished by General Mtshana Khumalo and King Lobengula’s military guard. Thus King Lobengula survived the humiliation of being captured and escaped to Ngoniland.
Every year people gather at Gadade to commemorate the epic battle and honour the thousands of men slain in defence of their land. This year’s commemorations were held on 4 November.
At Gadade the Matabele warriors relaunched their military onslaught on the advancing Pioneer Column. They adopted the bull-horn formation. IHlathi, INsukamini, INqobo, ISiziba and INduba formed the right flank and led the attack.
UMcijo, Amavene, uJinga and INxa formed the left flank. IMbizo and INgubo, the crack Matabele regiments formed the military epicentre of the entire campaign.
They were commanded by Generals Mtshana Khumalo (uNdindikuyasa) and Fusi Khanye respectively.
Dr Leander Starr Jameson, one of the prominent leaders of the invasions was later to express bewilderment at what he had witnessed at Gadade when the colonial invaders clashed with Matabele warriors: ‘The pluck of iMbizo and INgubo regiments was amazing.
No troops anywhere in the world could have fought and withstood such terrific fire as was unleashed for half as long as the Matebele took it, for “an hour after hour they kept coming”.
“The amajaha fought extremely bravely in defence of their land, their king, their sovereignty, their nation, their dignity and pride as Matebele.
They fought until they blocked the nozzle of the Maxim gun with their leather aprons (amabhetshu) after spearing to death the operator of the machine.” (“Alwa amabutho enkosi aze awuvala umlomo wesigwagwagwa ngebhetshu” (Hudson Halimana ZTV, August 1992)
“In any age, in any land, of any men where brave deeds are sung or told; the feats of the Matebele on the plains of the Shangani and Mbembesi rivers will forever shine and glitter with the best and brightest” (Johanness Collenbrander, 3 November,1893). (source: @RealMzalaTom).
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