By Thomas Sibanda – Mzala Tom
The contested coronation of King Lobhengula around 1870 was done in three phases over about three months. This was in line with Nguni customs. The first stage was the welcoming of the new king at his father’s old capital, eMhlahlandlela where his ordination would commence.
On his arrival at the eMhlahlandlela town gate, he was welcomed with a black ox and invited to enter through the north gate. There were around 15 000 soldiers to welcome him at eMhlahlandlela, singing, dancing and parading.
From the gate, he was ushered to the goat kraal, where he was welcomed by a senior inyanga yomuzi who cleansed and purified him as part of an elaborate purification ritual for kings. The vessels to be used in the festivities for his coronation were also purified.
After cleansing, he was ushered to sit at the centre of the main kraal. His arms and legs were ornamented with brass bangles, threaded beads and tufts made from white oxtails.
His shoulders and chest were covered with a tippet of fine hyrax skin. He wore bulky kilts of various animal skins around his waist. Various military regiments gathered around him, singing, dancing and parading for his entertainment and pleasure.
As the sun set the chief of Usaba regiment, Mpukane Ndiweni stood in front of the new king and shouted to the warriors ‘Nansi inkosi yenu!’, ‘I present to you, your king!’. This pronouncement was received with thunderous applause, jubilation and dancing.
That evening the new king departed from eMhlahlandlela heading to his eMahlokohlokweni residence. He was accompanied by his bodyguards and soldiers who were leaping, dancing and singing on the way. The king had to return eMhlahlandlela the next day.
On the second day he chose to wear European clothes. He wore a suit, veld hat with a long beautiful crane feather and black shoes . He was received with jubilation and rejoicing by his subjects. He received counsel and guidance from Mncumbatha Khumalo the regent and other political leaders on his duties as a king.
After that, the new king slaughtered black bulls in honour of the spirits of his departed father and ancestors, dedicating a bull for each ancestor. More cattle were slaughtered. The meat was stored over night for the spirits of the ancestors ‘eat’ their portions.
Early morning, the meat was cooked. Once the cooking was complete, huge plates of meat were taken to the new king at the kraal. The regiments and their leaders were called one by one by the king to come and receive their portions of the meat.
The distribution of the meat by the king to regiment leaders and their acceptance of his gesture was a sign of their loyalty and their acceptance of his leadership as the Commander in Chief.
The last phase of King Lobhengula’s coronation was the building of his new royal capital.He chose a location to the west of eMhlahlandlela. King Lobhengula had initially named his royal capital Gibixhegu.
After the insurrection of Chief Mbiko Masuku which was quashed decisively by King Lobhengula, he then changed the name of his capital to Bulawayo meaning ‘sengingo Bulawayo’- ‘I am the one they want to kill’ referring to Mbiko and his Zwangendaba regiment.
During the first there months of commencing building the new capital, the king was separated from his wives and children. Three temporary huts were built for him and two female relatives would cook for him and take care of his needs. In this period, the king was further purified.
All the clothes he had ever worn before were disposed to be replaced with new royal apparel. Inyanga Yomuzi and his assistants washed him with special herbs and anointed him with various special oils. As part of the rituals, at times he was stripped naked and was painted like a lion, wild dog and at times a leopard.
At the end of this period, hundreds of beehive-shaped huts had been constructed. The last stage of the king’s coronation was the presentation of the state of the kingdom report from Mncumbatha Khumalo. The king was advised on the challenges faced by the nation and the pressing issues that needed the king’s attention.
This was followed by the official handover of the country, the cattle and the people to the new king. He was reminded of his duties to maintain law and order, dispense justice and to administer punishment and reward. The soldiers were in turn charged to be loyal to their king and strive to preserve the unity of the kingdom.
