Chronicle Editor
Yoliswa Moyo, [email protected]
In one of our many conversations over the years, he said he was tired because he had pulled an all-nighter, researching.
“I don’t sleep, Yoliswa. How can I sleep when there’s so much work to do?” he quipped.
I remember this conversation quite vividly because I felt really challenged. Here was a man who was supposed to be sleeping in, enjoying his retirement but he was burning the midnight oil, working on projects he held so dearly.
And there I was, young and energetic, but not doing half the work he was doing.
As a features writer, the late historian and prolific author, Mr Pathisa Nyathi, had become a key resource person on my contact list.
I would turn to him whenever I needed to make sure I got historical events and facts right. He was the person to ask for verification of names of people and places in history.
Mr Nyathi was never too busy to help. Whenever I called to speak to him about whatever story I’d be working on, he always made the time to talk.
He always gave perspective. He gave fresh ideas. He opened my eyes to angles I had been blind to. When he spoke, you’d be motivated to write about another subject because he would give you the information you needed and more.
He was an engaging historian and visionary story teller.
I should’ve been the one going to him but he never found it inconveniencing to come to me.
“I’m already in town, I’ll pass by seeing you,” he’d say whenever I sought audience with him.
When the security guard at the front door rang the newsroom to say, “Mr Pathisa Nyathi to see Yoliswa”, it felt surreal, that he actually came!
We shared many conversations and I always left his presence quite enriched.
He was one humble man who was always ready to share information. He was a gift that kept on giving. He didn’t research for his own benefit. It was for him, for me, for us, for Bulawayo, for Zimbabwe and the region as a whole.
Sometime in 2014, we spoke extensively about the Matopos National Park being an oasis of cultural tourism.
The park has an extraordinary collection of huge, bare granite moulds with gravity defying boulders scattered all over the countryside creating a unique and distinctly mysterious landscape.
It is one of Zimbabwe’s prime wildlife sanctuaries with a large population of white rhino, the elusive black rhino, a variety of antelope species, baboon, rock hyraxes and a large population of leopard and rock eagle.
The hills were the scene of the famous indaba between Cecil John Rhodes and Ndebele leaders in 1896. Rhodes and several other early white settlers are buried on the summit of Mulindandzimu, the hill of the spirits.
Mr Nyathi spoke widely about the Matopos National Park and the generic Kalanga people.
“Tourists wouldn’t have been attracted to the Matopos National Park had it not been for the nature. It should be seen as an oasis. There is also the aspect of Kalanga spirituality where we can talk of Njelele, the rain making shrine and spiritual centre. There is Mzilikazi’s grave who lies with Nguboyenja and Sidhojiwe,” he said in an earlier interview.
At the time, there were widespread concerns that many aspects about the Matopos National Park heritage had been left out in the tourism marketing gimmick which made wide use of Cecil John Rhodes as the focal point of the hills.
In the Ndebele narrative, it is said Rhodes made himself a hero’s acre on the hill of the spirits of Zimbabwe. The word “indaba” comes from a place called Esidhulini, which was in grave danger because no one was looking after it as it was outside the main camp.
This was the same for King Mzilikazi’s grave, which many felt should’ve been given the same attention as Rhodes’ grave.
Mr Nyathi said in as much as Rhodes’ grave had been the primary focus of the hills, it did not eliminate the fact that the Matopos National Park heritage belonged to Zimbabweans. He said the difference between the graves of whites and those of blacks was that whites can freely make their graves attractions while Africanism upholds the opposite.
“It’s our heritage now, not that of the whites. It’s our money, Rhodes is paying rent. Whites would rather display their graves but black people prefer keeping them sacred,” he said.
More recently, we spoke about the history of general dealers, a subject I found quite fascinating.
He said general dealers had evolved from decades back when they were primarily owned by whites, mainly the Greeks, Chinese and the Jews.
“The whites owned general dealers in the rural areas before black people were evicted so you would see names like Thandabantu, Sizabantu — these were the common names for those shops. Johan Colenbrander had one across the Shangani at Sivalo. These were scattered in many areas and they were serving the African population within native reserves,” he said.
Mr Nyathi said during this time, blacks were developing new tastes and the entry point of new items was the traders.
“These shops were introducing new things such as sweets, petroleum jelly, sugar, fabric, cigarettes and biltong among other items. Later on, there were drinks such as Canada Dry, Lemonade and Fanta. Usually, there would be a tailor who would make clothes from the fabric you would have bought from the traders. These shops changed the material culture of the people. They went from wearing sandals to wearing Tommy shoes among other brands,” said Mr Nyathi.
What was most fascinating was the role these general dealers played during the country’s liberation struggle.
“These stores became critical in providing items like beef to the freedom fighters. It was important for the combatants as part of their strategies to link up with the Zapu structures within the country who would then link them to these businessmen. These traders would not only provide food but clothing items as well. The businessmen had an excuse to get into town as they would say they were going to order stock for their stores. They would then come with denim and combat gear different from what they had come with from the Soviet Union,” said Mr Nyathi.
This is stuff you could never learn from the streets.
Over the years, I have referred many other journalists to him and they have never come back empty handed.
The last strokes of his pen authored his autobiography, Pathisa Nyathi at Seventy: A life dedicated to Arts, Culture and Heritage, a work I look forward to seeing.
About eight months prior, he wrote a book titled Battle of Pupu and Beyond, which details the strategic brilliance of Ndebele warriors under General Mtshane Khumalo during the 1893 Pupu Battle.
Mr Nyathi was a veteran educationist who specialised in teaching Science and Mathematics but despite his area of study, he played a key role in documenting Zimbabwe’s history and culture.
He was known for his intellectual versatility and immense contributions to the reconstruction and preservation of Zimbabwe’s national heritage.
Born in Kezi, Matabeleland South province in 1951, Mr Nyathi did his primary education at Sankonjana Primary school in Matobo District from 1958 to 1962. He went on to do his secondary education at Mazowe High School and later Mzilikazi High School from 1967 to 1970. Mr Nyathi trained as a teacher at Gweru Teachers’ College majoring in Science from 1971 and obtained a certificate in education in 1973.
In 1978, he enrolled with the University of South Africa (Unisa) majoring in Geography and Development Administration.
In 1982, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree and in 1985 a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the same university.
Mr Nyathi was a teacher at a number of schools in Zimbabwe including Loreto Secondary School, Usher, Howard, David Livingstone, St Columba’s, Sobukhazi, Gloag and Nketa High Schools.
He also worked in various capacities such as Education Officer Matabeleland North (1996-2002), Deputy Provincial Education Director Matabeleland North (2002-2004), Public Relations Officer with the Bulawayo City Council (2004-2008), Resource Person Culture Fund of Zimbabwe (2008-2009), Consultant in the Ministry of Water Resources (2010)
He wrote over 50 books on the history of Southern African tribes, culture and Ndebele literature.
His books covered the histories of southern African tribes, their migrations and interrelations and biographies of historical figures.
Mr Nyathi founded Amagugu International Heritage Centre, a project he worked on closely with his son, Butholezwe.
He came up with the “My Beautiful Home Competition” where women would come up with different designs to paint their homes. The competition not only highlighted beautiful house designs but also taught the significance and meaning of the different designs and shapes used to beautify the houses.
Nyathi died on Saturday, November 4 after a long illness. He was buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery on Wednesday. He is survived by three children — Sikhanyisile, Butholezwe and Fikile, and several grandchildren.
It’s a good thing he immortalised himself through his many works but he’ll be sorely missed. Who will we call for those historical and cultural facts? Who will paint the picture and help bring those historical events back to life? Lala ngokuthula Mdluli.
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