55-641: Tsholotsho , originally known as Tjolotjo , is a district in Matabeleland North province in Zimbabwe . Its administrative centre is at Tsholotsho business centre which is located about 98 km north-west of Bulawayo . Districts around Tsholotsho include Lupane , Hwange , Umguza , and Bulilima . The Manzamnyama River separates Tsholotsho from Bulilima District, whilst the Gwayi River separates it from Umguza and Lupane districts, and
110-529: A boardroom removal of President Mugabe. It was the location of a mass killing in 1983, as part of Robert Mugabe 's " Gukurahundi ". Moyo, who twice served as lnformation Minister in the ZANU-PF government, was elected as an Independent MP for Tsholotsho in 2005. The first MP of the area between 1980 and 1985 was John Nkomo who represented one part of the district that was combined with Bulawayo's Luveve Constituency while David Kwidini represented another part that
165-467: A few of his elite warriors. The BSAC moved into the remains of koBulawayo, establishing a base, which they renamed KwaBulawayo, and then sent out patrols to find Lobengula. The most famous of these patrols, the Shangani Patrol , managed to find Lobengula, only to be trapped and wiped out in battle. The British were vastly outnumbered throughout the war, but their superior armaments, most notably
220-788: A nine-day battle, they destroyed eGabeni and other Matabele camps along the Marico River. Mzilikazi—realizing that the Ndebele, like the Sotho, did not stand a chance against the Boers, who were heavily armed with guns and rifles—decided to retreat with his regiments and loyalists from the Marico Valley. He moved to present-day Matabeleland South where the amaNdebele people overwhelmed the indigenous Rozvi people and Kalanga people —who were already crumbling due to leadership squabbles after
275-778: A rival nation. Mzilikazi and his allies continued on to raid and occupy the chiefdoms of the Sotho people and the Southern Ndebele , who had been significantly weakened by the Dutch–Afrikaner settlers (Boers) from the Cape Colonies. This happened during a turbulent period of civil conflict in Nguni and Sotho–Tswana history, known as the Mfecane ("the crushing" or "the scattering"). Mzilikazi's regiments moved north-west to
330-604: A treaty with Mzilikazi. Mzilikazi died on 9 September 1868, near Bulawayo. His son, Lobengula , succeeded him as king. Lobengula established a state that held sovereignty over the region between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers to the north and south and between the desert of the Makgadikgadi salt pans to the west and the Save River to the east. In exchange for wealth and arms, Lobengula granted several concessions to
385-485: A turnoff to the Seventh-day-Adventist -run Nemani Mission. Most of these roads link in places forming a surprisingly sophisticated web for a district generally regarded as poor. Tsholotsho is a well known "battle ground" of Zimbabwean politics with the latest event being the so-called Tsholotsho Declaration of 2005 involving leading ZANU-PF members and Jonathan Moyo , in which they were accused of mooting
440-639: Is 113 km by this road as compared to 72 km when using the main road. Another road leaves the Tsholotsho Business Centre in a westerly direction later branching about four times. The first branch is a road to Plumtree passing through Ehampeni, Mhlahlo, Emlotheni, Dinyane, Mbamba, Bubude, Matshangane and other villages. Another branch heads as far as Phelandaba passing through Magotsha Somgqibe Mazibisa Dlamini Mswigana Somlotha and other notable villages. Yet another branch goes beyond Butabubili, passing through Mgodi Masili and having
495-428: Is broken down into 10 administrative provinces , which are divided into 64 districts and 1,970 wards . Northern Ndebele people The Northern Ndebele people ( / ˌ ɛ n d ə ˈ b ɛ l i , - ˈ b iː l i , - l eɪ / ; EN -də- BE(E)L -ee, -ay ; Northern Ndebele : amaNdebele ) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa . Significant populations of native speakers of
550-484: Is linked to Bulawayo and Lupane by tarred roads and Plumtree by a gravel road and other roads lead through very heavy Kalahari sands (itshebetshebe) into the Gwayi Tribal Trust areas and beyond into the forest reserves. The soils around the precincts of the village are regosols derived from Kalahari sands and shallow rocky basalt-derived pockets are to be found in the district. There is a belt of alluvium along
605-497: Is prone to flooding as in the case of Mahlaba and waterlogging as in the case of Shakiwa (Matemaule). The red clay soils can be found in the south-eastern areas of Tsholotsho right from Somgqibe through Mapulubusi, Madona and right up to Ngqoya. Tsholotsho is home to hardwoods such as the teak, these being found in the Kalahari sands. The clays are home to the thorn acacia and extensively covered grassland areas. Being located next to
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#1732801599891660-547: Is situated about 65 kilometres west of Nyamandlovu in the former Gwayi Tribal Trust land. It has been an administrative centre for the trust land for many years and fell under the jurisdiction of the Native Commissioner for Nyamandlovu who first assumed responsibility in 1909. Prior to this date the area fell under the jurisdiction of the Superintendent of Natives at Bulawayo. The District Service Centre
715-475: Is spoken and understood by practically everyone in the district. The main economic activity in Tsholotsho is farming. The soils are bad for cultivation except the black clay soils along Gwayi River. The Kalahari sands are surprisingly good for cattle rearing though they need massive investment in terms of reliable water provision and disease prevention. Alternatives to farming and cattle raising are few, often
770-622: Is the main road from the Business Centre to the Bulawayo - Victoria Falls highway which is now a tarred double lane road. The road passes through Madona, Dumbo,Mapulubusi,Nembe, Jimila, Tshino, Mcetshwa, Sipepa Business Centre, Gwayi Siding all the way to the Bulawayo – Victoria Falls highway. This road branches at Nembe; with a dirt road branching to the northwest later joining the main road at Sipepa business centre. The distance from Tsholotsho Business Centre to Sipepa Business centre
825-779: The African National Congress of South Africa), and the South West Africa People's Organization ( SWAPO ) fighters was a major threat to Zambia's internal security. Because ZAPU's political strategy relied more heavily on negotiations than armed force, ZIPRA did not grow as quickly or elaborately as the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), but by 1979 it had an estimated 20,000 combatants, almost all based in camps around Lusaka, Zambia. The Gukurahundi ( Shona : "the early rain which washes away
880-589: The British South Africa Company (BSAC) in 1889. As part of the agreement, BSAC would pay Lobengula 100 pounds a month, 1,000 rifles, 10,000 rounds of ammunition, and a riverboat. Lobengula had hoped that the Rudd Concession would diminish European incursions. However, as white settlers moved in, BSAC set up its government, made its laws, and set its sights on more mineral rights and territorial concessions. The social organization of
935-600: The Maxim gun , proved too much for the Ndebele. In an attempt to reach a peace accord with the British, a band of Lobengula's warriors brought a large sum of gold to two BSAC soldiers to be delivered to their superiors. The two soldiers instead decided to keep the gold for themselves, and the incident went undiscovered for many months. Lobengula chose to escape; he was last seen crossing the Shangani River . In March 1896,
990-890: The Northern Ndebele language (siNdebele) are found in Zimbabwe and as amaZulu in South Africa . They differ from Southern Ndebele people who speak isiNdebele of KwaNdebele . The Northern Ndebele language spoken by the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe is generally the same as the isiZulu language spoken by the Zulu people of South Africa with a few pronunciation and word meaning differences. Northern Ndebele spoken in Zimbabwe and Southern Ndebele (or Transvaal Ndebele) spoken in South Africa are separate but related languages with some degree of mutual intelligibility, although
1045-595: The chaff before the spring rains" ) refers to the civil suppression by Zimbabwe's 5th Brigade in the predominantly Ndebele-speaking region of Matabeleland, most of whom were supporters of Joshua Nkomo and ZAPU. Robert Mugabe , then prime minister, had signed an agreement with North Korean President Kim Il Sung in October 1980 to have the North Korean military train a brigade for the Zimbabwean army. This
1100-406: The British, the most prominent of which was the 1888 Rudd Concession , which permitted British mining and colonisation of Zimbabwe and prohibited all Boer settlement in the country. This concession gave Cecil Rhodes exclusive mineral rights in much of the lands east of his main territory. As gold was already known to exist in that area, the concession enabled Rhodes to obtain a royal charter to form
1155-555: The Fifth Brigade lasted until September 1982, when Minister Sekeramayi announced training was complete. The first commander of the Fifth Brigade was Colonel Perrance Shiri . The Fifth Brigade differed from all other Zimbabwean army units in that it was directly subordinate to the prime minister's office and not integrated into the regular army command structures. Their codes, uniforms, radios, and equipment were incompatible with other army units. Their most distinguishing feature in
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#17328015998911210-600: The Gwayi river which has led numerous prospectors in the search of minerals and precious and semi-precious stones. An industrial school was founded at Mavela in 1921 by H. S. Keigwin, who also had a hand in establishing a similar institution at Domboshawa in Mashonaland the following year. The original course was designed by E. D. Alvord, who was then an agricultural missionary at Mount Selinda , where he had started instructing African students on similar lines in 1920. The school
1265-599: The Hwange National Park separates it from Hwange District. The area was a favourite of the elephant herds and had attracted early ivory hunters. The area was occupied by the Bakalanga and San people before Mzilikazi and his Ndebele people arrived here. The name "Tsholotsho" (old spelling "Tjolotjo") being derived from the San word "Tsoro o tso" meaning the head of an elephant. Among the pre-Mzilikazi chiefs of
1320-515: The MDC winning the former in the 2008 harmonised elections. In 2013 Rosemary Sipepa Nkomo of MDC beat Moyo to become the new MP for Tsholotsho North only to lose it two years later when the MDC suffered a split. Tsholotsho South went Madodana Sibanda of Zanu PF while Moyo bounced back as Tsholotsho North MP (this time as a Zanu PF candidate) in a by-election boycotted by all major parties in 2015. Districts of Zimbabwe The Republic of Zimbabwe
1375-568: The Marico River, and eGabeni (Kapain), where they also built a sizeable settlement. During the Great Trek of 1836–1838, voortrekkers (Boers) arrived in Transvaal and found Mzilikazi the king of the region, and a threat to their advancement. They fought with him, losing in the first battle. In the second battle in 1837, the Boers (led by Potgieter, Maritz, and Uys) launched another attack on Mzilikazi's military stronghold at eGabeni at dawn. In
1430-684: The Matebele revolted against the authority of the BSAC in what is now celebrated in Mthwakazi as the First War of Independence. After a year of drought and cattle sickness, Mlimo, the Matebele spiritual leader, is credited with fomenting much of the anger that led to this confrontation. An estimated 50,000 Matebele retreated into their stronghold of the Matobo Hills near KwaBulawayo, which became
1485-523: The Matebele stronghold and persuaded the leaders to lay down their arms. This final uprising thus ended in October 1897; Matebeleland and Mashonaland were later renamed Rhodesia . In 1963 a subset of the main rebel group, Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), split off and formed the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU). Though these groups had a common origin, they gradually grew apart, with ZANU mainly recruiting from
1540-544: The Northern Ndebele kingdom. Mzilikazi called his new nation 'Mthwakazi', a Zulu word which means 'something which became big at conception' ( Zulu : into ethe ithwasa yabankulu ). Europeans called the territory 'Matebeleland'. Mzilikazi organized this ethnically diverse nation into a militaristic system of regimental towns and established his capital at Bulawayo . In 1852, the Boer government in Transvaal made
1595-707: The Northern Ndebele language people was rigidly controlled by rules of service and hierarchy inherited from Shaka's reforms among the Zulu. Other subject peoples, such as in Mashonaland , were treated harshly; their lives and property were subject to the King's control and could be disrupted at any time by raids or exactions of tribute. This scene was presented to the British Pioneer Column when they arrived in Mashonaland in 1890. In August 1893, Lobengula sent warriors to Fort Victoria to raid cattle from
1650-685: The Shona people. Although Lobengula's armed warriors won, the British South Africa Company (BSAC) took the opportunity to attack Lobengula in the guise of protecting the Shona. During this confrontation, a fight broke out between BSAC and Matebele, beginning the First Matebele War. Hoping for a quick victory, Leander Starr Jameson sent his BSAC forces to attack the capital koBulawayo and capture Lobengula. Rather than fight, Lobengula burned down his capital and fled with
1705-646: The Shona regions and ZAPU mainly recruiting from Ndebele regions. The Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) was a primarily-Ndebele anti-government force, led by Joshua Nkomo and ZAPU. ZIPRA trained and planned their missions in Zambian bases; however, this was not always with full Zambian government support. By 1979, the combination of the ZIPRA forces based in Zambia, the Umkhonto we Sizwe (the armed wing of
Tsholotsho District - Misplaced Pages Continue
1760-710: The Wonderboom Mountains on the Apies River, just north of present-day Pretoria . Another was Dinaneni, north of the Hartbeespoort Dam , while the third was Hlahlandlela in the territory of the Fokeng near Rustenburg . Mzilikazi and his allies also conquered and occupied the BaHurutshe , whose capital, Mosega, became their military headquarters. They built military strongholds at Tshwenyane,
1815-573: The area were Tategulu, Makulukusa, and Madlangombe. It was part of the Kingdom of Butua and the king or mambo madlimbewu or dlimbewu was based at Khami at the time. Most villages in Tsholotsho have pure Bakalanga names. Later it became part of the Rozvi Empire . When the Matabele arrived in 1838 they adopted the name "Tsholotsho". Mzilikazi loved the vast grazing land and left it under
1870-523: The breed is identified; their most characteristic feature when mature, being the lyre-shape. Tsholotsho is located in an area which once used to be a waterlogged basin over 250 million years ago. This basin can be traced as far north as Hwange and is responsible for the formation of the coal deposits in Hwange. Tsholotsho has two principal rivers which are Manzamnyama and Gwayi. The rivers are relatively wide being over 100m in places but usually only flow during
1925-486: The breeding of indigenous Nkone or 'Nguni' cattle. These animals which originally came from Eswatini and Zululand were brought by the Matabele during their northward migrations in the first half of the 19th century. These cattle are believed to have originated from a shorthorn-sanga cross. The name sanga was applied to the giant horned cattle of Abyssinia. The head and horns form the principal conformational features by which
1980-668: The daughter of the Ndwandwe chief Zwide and sired a son, Mzilikazi . The Ndwandwes were closely related to the Zulus and spoke the same language, Nguni , using different dialects. When Mashobane did not tell Zwide about patrolling Mthethwa amabutho (soldiers), Zwide had Mashobane killed. Thus his son, Mzilikazi, became the leader of the Khumalo. Mzilikazi immediately mistrusted his grandfather, Zwide, and took soldiers to join Shaka. Shaka
2035-441: The death of Changamire Dombo —and eventually carved out a home. During the migration, numerous raided indigenous clans and individuals (such as the Southern Ndebele , Swazi , Sotho–Tswana, and Rozvi ethnic groups) were absorbed into the Ndebele tribe, adopting the Ndebele language and culture. When Europeans arrived in the area, they found Mzilikazi settled with his people. Thus, they called the area Matabeleland , which encompasses
2090-525: The early 19th century, the Ndebele invaded and lived in territories populated by Sotho – Tswana peoples, who used the plural prefix ma- for certain types of unfamiliar people (or the Nguni prefix ama- ). British explorers—who were first informed of the existence of the Northern Ndebele people by the Sotho–Tswana communities they encountered on their trip north—would have been presented with two variations of
2145-512: The field was their red berets . After several ZIPRA forces in Lupane and Matopos refused their tools, the Fifth Brigade conducted public executions of ex-ZIPRA soldiers, families, and supporters in the Lupane , Tsholotsho , and Matobo districts. Victims were often forced to re-initiation camps, but those who refused were executed and buried in mass graves. The initial number of executed Ndebeles
2200-456: The former is more closely related to Zulu . Southern Ndebele, while maintaining its Nguni roots, has been influenced by the Sotho languages . The Northern Ndebele, specifically the Khumalo (amaNtungwa) people under Mzilikazi , were originally named Matebele in English. This name is common in older texts because it is the name the British first heard from the Sotho and Tswana peoples. In
2255-510: The gold mines and farms of South Africa offer the only solution, hence the massive migration to South Africa from this district. The district has a food poverty prevalence of 45%. An industrial school was founded here in 1921 but was relocated to Esigodini in 1941 and the old buildings taken over by the Matopos Research Station where cattle breeding is researched. Beginning in the 2010s, efforts have been make to exploit
Tsholotsho District - Misplaced Pages Continue
2310-612: The massive Hwange National Park, Tsholotsho is home to basically all the animal species found in Zimbabwe, these being the elephants, buffaloes, lions, kudus and hundreds of other species. Tsholotsho is home to three ethnic groups, these being the Ndebele , Kalanga (along the Manzamnyama river) and the San (closer to the Hwange national park. The principal language is Ndebele which
2365-569: The name: the Sotho–Tswana pronunciation ( Matebele ) and the Ndebele pronunciation ( Ndebele or amaNdebele ). Under British rule, they were officially known as the Matebele . They are now commonly known as the Ndebele or amaNdebele . The Khumalos were caught between the Ndwandwe led by Zwide and the Zulus led by Shaka . To please the Ndwandwe tribe, the Khumalo chief Mashobane married
2420-467: The native wildlife via ecotourism. Tsholotsho District has a relatively expensive road network system. Most of the roads are however unusable due to the extensive Kalahari sands covering the district. The road from Bulawayo to Tsholotsho District's main business centre is a tarred strip road for 103 km of its 117 km length . Upon reaching the Business Centre it branches into three main branches which further subdivide into smaller roads. Of note
2475-466: The plumes on Mzilikazi's head and presented him with one of two ivory axes, the other being kept by Shaka. The Khumalos returned in peace to their ancestral homeland. This peace lasted until Shaka asked Mzilikazi to punish a tribe to the north of the Khumalo, belonging to Raninsi a Sotho. After defeating Raninsi, Mzilikazi refused to hand over the cattle and land to Shaka. The history of the Ndebele of Zimbabwe began through that refusal and attempt to create
2530-511: The present-day provinces of Gauteng , Mpumalanga , North West , and Limpopo . A skilled military and political tactician, Mzilikazi attacked or subjugated the local tribes he found along the way, including the Khoi, Batswana, Bapedi, and the Ndebeles of Mpumalanga. In their land, between 1827 and 1832, Mzilikazi built three military strongholds. The largest was Kungwini , situated at the foot of
2585-506: The rains. Tsholotsho is composed of mainly three types of soils. The Kalahari Sands cover over 70% of the Tsholotsho land area. These are located on the North Western areas of Tsholotsho from Korodziba through Dlamini right up to Jimila. The Kalahari Sands can also be found in the North-Central areas like Sipepa and Kapani. The rich black Clay soils are found in a 4 km wide belt stretching about 2 km either side of Gwayi River in what can be called "The Gwayi River flood plain". This area
2640-445: The scene of the fiercest fighting against the white settler patrols, led by legendary military figures such as Frederick Russell Burnham , Robert Baden-Powell , and Frederick Selous . Hundreds of white settlers and uncounted Matebele and Mashona were killed over the next year and a half. The Matebele military defiance ended only when Burnham found and assassinated Mlimo . Upon learning of Mlimo's death, Rhodes boldly walked unarmed into
2695-452: The watchful eyes of one of his trusted paramount chiefs, Maqhekeni Sithole, when he moved to Matopo to meet up with the rest of the Ndebele group. Chief Gampu Sithole, the great-great-grandson of Maqhekeni is one of the five reigning chiefs today. The area has vast grazing lands there and people in Tsholotsho usually take their cattle for fattening in some of the popular grazing lands and they call it ukulagisa. The district centre of Tsholotsho
2750-423: The west and southwest region of Zimbabwe. Mzilikazi who reigned from 1823, chose a new headquarters on the western edge of the central plateau of modern-day Zimbabwe , leading some 20,000 Ndebele, descendants of the Nguni and Sotho of South Africa. He had invaded the Rozvi state and raided some of the Rozvi people (mostly women); the rest became satellite farming communities and were forced to pay tribute to
2805-487: Was 2,800 in 1987; however, some recent politicians estimate 20,000. The largest number of dead in a single killing occurred on 5 March 1983, when 62 young men were shot on the banks of the Cewale River, Lupane; seven survived with gunshot wounds, the other 55 died. The Fifth Brigade also killed large groups of people by burning them alive in huts, as they did in Tsholotsho and Lupane. They routinely rounded up dozens, or even hundreds, of civilians and marched them at gunpoint to
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#17328015998912860-427: Was combined with the neighbouring Wankie District. Between 1985 and 1990 the district was represented by Amos Mkwananzi. Cain Mathema was the last Zanu PF MP before the advent of the MDC from 1990 to 2000. Cain Mathema lost the seat to MDC's Mtoliki Sibanda in 2000. The district was then divided into two constituencies of Tsholotsho South and North with Moyo (independent) narrowly retaining the latter while Maxwell Dube of
2915-403: Was moved to Essexvale (Esigodini) between the years 1941 and 1944 and renamed "Esikhoveni Agricultural Institute". It is fitting that Mr. Alvord's son D. L. Alvord should have been appointed the principal of the college. After the college was transferred to Essexvale, the vacated land was used as an experimental substation of the Matopos Research Station, where the work is primarily concerned with
2970-492: Was overjoyed because the Khumalos would be helpful to spy on Zwide and the Ndwandwes. After a few battles, Shaka gave Mzilikazi the extraordinary honour of being chief of the Khumalos and remaining semi-independent from the Zulu, if Zwide could be defeated. This caused immense jealousy among Shaka's older allies, but as warriors, none realized their equal in Mzilikazi. When Zwide was defeated, Shaka acknowledged Mzilikazi's essential contributions of intelligence. Shaka himself placed
3025-399: Was soon after Mugabe had announced the need for a militia to "combat malcontents." Mugabe replied by saying Matabeleland dissidents should "watch out", announcing the brigade would be called "Gukurahundi". This brigade was named the Fifth Brigade, and its members were drawn from 3,500 ex-ZANLA troops at Tongogara Assembly Point, named after Josiah Tongogara , the ZANLA general. The training of
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