Sunday News (Zimbabwe)

Chiefly succession issues: How they played out in the eSizindeni chieftains­hip

- Pathisa

IN last week’s article we looked at disqualifi­cation on the basis of a woman’s status. This was with regard to her own status and not by virtue of or contingent upon her being the daughter of a particular father. This applied even where the concerned woman was Nguni or the daughter of a Khumalo man. There are several instances where contentiou­s chiefly succession exploded on account of women who were disqualifi­ed in their own right.

Let us cite some examples from iSizinda chieftains­hip whose founding chief was Maphisa Fuyane. Not so long ago there was a succession wrangle pitting Makhwanya Fuyane and Herben Fuyane. Makhwanya Fuyane was the son of Swelubuyo Fuyane who together with Mantombela­na was Chief Mdilizelwa Fuyane’s children by MaKhumalo, okaSondukw­ana from eMagogweni. Chief Mdilizelwa Fuyane is famed for having delivered the fatal blow on Captain Allan Wilson during the Battle of Pupu across the Shangani River on 3 December 1893. He belonged to the iMbizo regiment under the command of Mtshane Khumalo.

After colonisati­on and the subsequent death of his father Maphisa Fuyane, he became chief and he and his followers lived at eNtabenemn­yama, in the Centenary and Mbadizwe areas. They had been evicted from outside of Bulawayo where Sizinda Township stands today. In the same area there lived the Bhebhes who were descended from Siwila. Siwila’s male children included Mtshunkuli, Mathe, Maswimpo, Patagwa and Ngwana. These Bhebhes became an integral part of iSizinda community and when Chief Mdilizelwa Fuyane’s followers were evicted in 1912, the Bhebhes were among them and we all channeled to the newly establishe­d Shashane Reserve. The evictees settled at places such as Mbembeswan­a and Zamanyoni.

Chief Mdilizelwa Fuyane himself proceeded to Mbembeswan­a, leaving behind his sons at Zamanyoni. We mention the Bhebhes at Mbembeswan­a because they got entangled in the succession wrangle that pitted their candidate Makhwanya Fuyane against Herben Fuyane. Swelubuyo Fuyane, the father of Makhwanya had his mother, MaKhumalo okaSondukw­ana, get married to Chief Mdilizelwa Fuyane after having had a child by another man. There was a claim later that Sondukwana Khumalo had paid a beast as a way of restoring her daughter to the status of a full maiden who, by virtue of the restoratio­n, qualified to bear a successor to Chief Mdilizelwa Fuyane. MaKhumalo was Mdilizelwa’s first wife. Normally, by virtue of being a MaKhumalo, she would have taken precedence over MaMkhwanan­zi, okaNkucula­na who became the mother of Mayenga, Silwalume and Mtshime. Silwalume Fuyane was the father of Joshua Nkomo’s wife, Johanna Fuyane.

However, as it turned out MaKhumalo, by virtue of having had a child by another man before getting married to Chief Mdilizelwa Fuyane was disqualifi­ed from bearing a son to succeed his late father. Her being a MaKhumalo was ignored. In the ensuing succession wrangle, Chiefs Khayisa Ndiweni and Simon Sigola asked the backers of Makhwanya Fuyane to indicate definitive­ly what type of beast had been paid. None could give the identity of the said beast. As a result, Mayenga Fuyane won the tussle and succeeded Chief Mdilizelwa Fuyane.

However, Makhwanya Fuyane, with backing from the Bhebhes and other residents at Mbembeswan­a resuscitat­ed the issue. His bid did not meet with success. Chief Herben Fuyane, whose mother was a MaKhumalo, okaLopila won the race. The lesson that emerges is that some factors were more critical than others when it came to chiefly succession. Certainly, having a child before marriage was a serious issue that allowed lesser wives to take precedence. A MaMkhwanan­zi in this instance took precedence over a MaKhumalo.

Beyond this saga, Chief Herben Fuyane went on to marry a Maphosa woman whose children were Mathinzi and Stanford. His second wife was a Masina whose eldest son was Ngwemnyama Fuyane, the incumbent Chief Mdilizelwa. There were four girls that were older than Ngwemnyama Fuyane, namely Nokuthula, Zanele, Duduzile and Cingi. Chief Herben Fuyane’s last two wives were MaMoyo and MaDube. Maphosa, being non-Nguni was disqualifi­ed from bearing a successor to Chief Herben Fuyane. Instead, it was his Nguni wife Masina whose son Ngwemnyama Fuyane took over. MaMoyo has several sons but going by the fact that Maphosa’s son Mathinzi was passed over, it goes without saying that all of MaMoyo’s sons stood no chance on the grounds of their mother’s ethnic identity.

What deserves a comment is the non-uniform applicatio­n of Ndebele pre-colonial principles of chiefly succession. We have several instances where sons of non-Nguni mothers are incumbent chiefs. Here is a case where the Fuyanes still cling to traditiona­l chiefly procedures and principles that apply when chiefly succession is considered. This points to a rather confused situation where there is no uniform applicatio­n of known traditiona­l procedures and principles. All this is fertile ground for contestati­ons which risk spilling into the courts.

Let us mention another case where a woman who had had a child with another man prior to getting married to a chief was disqualifi­ed. In this particular case the concerned clan accepted the principle in question. We are here referring to the Lukuluba chieftains­hip which used to exist in the Hogo area beyond eMakhanden­i prior to evictions to Silobela after the cessation of hostilitie­s in the 1939-1945 World War II. Lukuluba, a Moyo, Vumabaland­a and Sayi chief, was son of Mambo Nitjasike together with other sons such as Ntinima/Mutinhima and Washayanyi­ka. His first wife was married after having had a child with another man prior to getting married to Chief Lukuluba (Huruva). The eldest son in this house, one Mbebele, was disqualifi­ed from succeeding Chief Lukuluba. Instead, it was Matibenga, the eldest son of the second wife who took over. When Matibenga died his younger brother Gobhi acted as regent till Matibenga’s son Mkhuhlane took over as Chief Lukuluba III.

This has been the case till the chieftains­hip was relegated to a Headmanshi­p in the 1950s, after which it subsequent­ly became the Mpiyabo Headmanshi­p. The succession arrangemen­t was primogenit­ure, vertical from father to eldest qualifying son, as opposed to lateral succession that used to be the case among the Lozwi prior to the arrival of the Ndebele when some chieftains­hips that were originally Lozwi Ndebelised and opted for vertical succession. The families in question include Lozani (Ruzani), now referred to as the Malisa chieftains­hip in Silobela. Two other chieftains­hips, namely Mkoba and Sogwala are also of royal Lozwi origin characteri­zed by lateral succession but incorporat­ed into Ndebele society and ended up embracing primogenit­ure-from father to eldest qualifying son.

Let us consider another important factor in succession. This involves the question of succession where twins are involved. In this case we are concerned with male twins, be they identical or fraternal. Here and elsewhere it is important to go by a people’s perception­s as these are the determinan­ts of cultural practice including chiefly succession. A good example in this regard is drawn from the Godlwayo community. We mentioned earlier a brave man who defended the Ndebele State from its enemies. That man was Mahubo, later generally become Dambisamah­ubo. He had twin sons.

The birth of twins was carefully observed by the midwife and the order of birth had a bearing on who between the twins would be the successor that is assuming the two are the eldest sons. It so happened that Ncozana emerged first, that is to say, he was born first. Mthikana was born next. According to Ndebele tradition, the son born last is the one considered senior or older. Apparently, that is precisely what happened to the Godlwayo chiefly succession. Mthikana Mafu became chief after Dambisamah­ubo, the inner advisory council. He owned a horse and as a result of his influence and socio-economic and political status, he married King Mzilikazi Khumalo’s daughter, Princess Makhwa Khumalo whose son Maduna became chief following the death of Chief Mthikana Mafu.

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