Khumalo

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The Khumalo are a tribe that originated in Northern KwaZulu. They were mainly farmers before they became warriors. The Khumalos are part of a group of Zulus and Ngunis known as the Mtungwa. Others include the Mabaso, located between the Ndwandwe and the Mthethwa. The Khumalos in the early nineteenth century would have to lose their neutrality and choose a side - and this they postponed for as long as they could. To please the Ndwandwe Mashobane the chief of the Khumalos at the time would marry Zwide of the Ndwandwes daughter and sire a son Mzilikazi. The Ndwandwes are Mbho Ngunis though all spoke a very similar language.

All Nguni languages are similar, thus Xhosa is similar to Zulu as when an Englishman speaks with a Scotsman, they are arguably dialects of each other. Until the rise of the Zwide and Ndwandwe, life was a simple affair and the Khumalos located at Mkhuze had the best that what would become Zululand had to offer - plenty of water, fertile soil and grazing ground.

They where a people who where stubborn when it came to their freedoms. The Ndebele state to be founded by Mzilikazi would be the most liberal state in Southern Africa for its members. The king's word was not law because of the diversity of the conquered peoples, but because of the stubbornness of the Khumalos themselves.

When Mashobane did not tell Zwide about patrolling Mthethwa amabutho (soldiers), Zwide had Mashobane killed the leadership of the Khumalo and fell under Mzilikazi. Mzilikazi immediately did not trust his grandfather Zwide and took fifty warriors to join Shaka.

Shaka was overjoyed because the Khumalos would be useful spies on Zwide and the Ndwandwes. After a few battles, Shaka gave Mzilikazi the extraordinary honour of being chief of the Khumalos and remain semi-independent from the Zulu, if Zwide could be defeated.

This caused immense jealousy amongst those who had been with Shaka for many years, but as warriors none such as Shaka had realised their equal in Mzilikazi. All intelligence for the defeat of Zwide was collected by Mzilikazi. Hence, when Zwide was defeated Shaka rightly acknowledged he could not have done it without Mzilikazi and presented Mzilikazi with an ivory axe. There where only two such axes - one for Shaka and one for Mzlikazi. Shaka himself placed the plumes on Mzilikazis head after Zwide was vanquished.

The Khumalos returned to peace in their ancestral homeland a few years. This peace lasted until Shaka asked Mzilikazi to test a tribe to the North of the Khumalo belonging to one Raninsi a Sotho. After the defeat of Raninsi Mzilikazi refused to hand over the cattle to Shaka. Shaka loving Mzilikazi did nothing about it. His generals, however, long disliking Mzilikazi pressed for action and thus a first force was sent to teach Mzilikazi a lesson. The force was soundly beaten by Mzilikazis 500 warriors (though Mzilikazi had the cover of the mountains) compared to the Zulus 3,000 warriors. This made Mzilikazi the only warrior to have ever defeated Shaka in battle.

Shaka did not seem to mind, but he reluctantly sent his veteran division (the Ufasimbi) to rid themselves of Mzilikazi as it was becoming embarrassing. Mzilikazi left with only three hundred warriors who were grossly out-numbered, and betrayed by his brother Zeni who had wanted Mzilikazis position for himself.

From there the Khumalos would be scattered across Southern Africa some becoming the Sotho, and others such as the Tswana, but the vast majority remained Zulu and Mthwakazi.　　Mthwakazi is what the Ndebeles actually call themselves. Matabele is from white settlers itself coming from Tebele a name given to all Zulus by the Sotho at that time.