Chief Ndwande from South Africa has expressed his regret that his people were unable to attend the Gadade commemorations in Ntabazinduna due to passport issues.
He said he hoped that in the future, passport requirements would no longer be a barrier for South Africans to attend cultural events in Zimbabwe.
On 1 November 1893, Cecil John Rhodes’ Pioneer Column conquered the Ndebele kingdom under King Lobhengula. The decisive and last battle was fought at a place called Gadade in Ntabazinduna.
Thousands of Ndebele warriors were mowed with the Maxim guns from all directions of the Pioneer Column’s lager. The gallant soldiers belonged to the Imbizo, Ameva, iSiziba, iHlathi, iNsukamini, and Ingubo regiments.
Speaking at this year’s commemorations which were attended by hundreds of people including various chiefs from Matabeleland, Chief Ndwandwe
“We wish one day, there will be a king and we won’t have to sort out our passports whenever we want to visit here. As it is ‘Ibutho’ from Zulu couldn’t attend because of the issue of passports, they had no passports but wanted to be here but one day we will attend this event in five buses to celebrate this event and remember the heroes,” said Chief Ndwandwe.
He said due to passport issues, at times they fail to attend funerals of their loved ones in Zimbabwe.
Chief Ndwandwe also reiterated that the Gadade memorial site where there are mass graves should be fenced.
“This place should be fenced because these sites are now our pride, we are only left with this, everything else was taken away from us, including our livestock,” he said.
“We should be united, these borders between us don’t mean anything but these borders were made during the colonial era because they didn’t want us black people to be united.
“Due to politics, if someone goes to Johannesburg from here, they are called ‘kwerekwere’ but when they are with us in KwaZulu Natal (KZN), they know that such thing doesn’t happen, even Ibutho from Mthwakazi are aware of that, they have never been asked for a passport or anything because they are from home,” he said.
