The greatgrandson of King Mzilikazi has castigated the government for claiming that it has discovered the burial place of the last Ndebele king Lobengula, whose warriors defeated 34 colonialists in Lupane’s Pupu area, Matabeleland North, who attempted to kidnap him.
Leo Zulukandaba Khumalo told VOA Zimbabwe Service in an exclusive interview that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has touched a raw nerve “because in our culture we don’t talk openly about a king’s grave, especially that of King Lobengula.”
Khumalo said, “It’s taboo for Mnangagwa’s henchmen to make such a public pronouncement without contacting the Ndebele royal family. I personally know some of the people who were the last to see the king. They include one of the wives of a respectable commander of the Matabele warriors, Magwegwe Fuyana.
“One would never dare talk to them about what happened to the king and up to today we don’t talk about that knowing that the colonialists have over many centuries wanted to see and perhaps seize his remains. So, for someone like Mnangagwa to ask people to go to Mpezeni area in Zambia where they talked to villagers about King Lobengula’s grave it’s one of the worst ever insults to the Mthwakazi nation.
“We won’t tolerate that kind of thing. Who is he to do such a thing. They (government) should stop talking about the death of King Lobengula and the discovery of his so-called grave. All we know is that the king disappeared. Nothing else,” said an irate Khumalo.
He also pointed out that indications are that the Zimbabwean government has a hidden agenda in roping in historian Phathisa Nyathi and several government officials in carrying out research about King Lobengula’s resting place.
“What are they going to do if they see his bones? Why do they want to see the king’s bones? We have nothing to do with these brainless claims and we won’t bother to consult them because they never asked for our input in the whole thing. Who are those so-called Khumalos who accompanied them to the place they are now calling the burial place of King Lobengula. I’m now 80 years old and have seen many things in this world but not this nonsense. They should not temper with anything to do with the king. No.”
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba and Nyathi were unavailable for comment as they were not responding to calls on their mobile phones.
The state-controlled Herald newspaper reported Wednesday that Nyathi, several government officials and a delegation from the president’s office visited the south-eastern part of Zambia where they were informed that King Lobengula was buried in a cave in 1896. No further details were given about the alleged discovery and death of the Ndebele king.