Abenguni History

NSINGO JELE:THE 'KING' THAT NEVER BECAME A KING! PART TWO Now despite his anti-British stance, the aging Mpezeni had started losing the grip on power. His Indunas did as they pleased and even started the slave trade without prior approval from their King.  More and more deep-seated Ngonis saw in Nsingu a savior who would reclaim their former glory and reputation as a brave kingdom that feared no one. Clandestinely, they threw their weight behind Nsingu and had already started getting orders from him. After, Deare’s departure, Nsingu knew it was just a matter of time before more like him (Deare) would come to permanently stay in his fathers’ land.  In fact, Karl Wiese’s station already had few BSA company troops. Nsingu knew that the British were using Karl to amass their presence in Ngoniland. He had to act! And he had to act now when he still had the momentum. In December 1897, the same year when Deare perceived his life to be in danger from Nsingo and his allies, the inconce...

The Legend of Nsingu Jele:Part One. Right at the heart of King Mpezeni’s headquarters at Feni village in Chipata, Zambia, is the Nsingo community Museum. Just outside this museum, a vast statue of a warrior like character is erected in front of the entrance.  Anyone who visits Ependukeni palace (correct is Ekupendukeni to mean ‘where change takes place/to turn’) cannot miss this repository of the prestigious historical information on the Ngonis and their culture. But just who was Nsingo Jere, and why is there a museum in his honor and why has he been put on a pedestal? Now, by the end of the 19th century, one major Ngoni faction led by Zwangendaba’s son Nthuto Jere (Mpezeni) had conquered most of their enemies and established a kingdom around present day Chipata.  At last, there seemed peace but this was not the case. Mpezeni’s Ngoni people had a new adversary; the British who were searching for land and minerals in this part of the world. Mpezeni had for long been alert of th...

 # SNAPSHOT IN HISTORY: THE KILLING OF ALICK NKHATA BY SELOUS SCOUTS. ON October 19, 1978, Selous Scouts (a Special Forces Unit of the Rhodesian Army) flew into Zambia using helicopters marked "Rhodesia Air Force" at very low altitudes avoiding Zambian radar. The main target of the Rhodesian raid was Mkushi camp where Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) was training its guerrillas. ZIPRA was the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union ( ZAPU) , and waging a Bush War against the Rhodesian government of Ian Douglas Smith. Raids into ZIPRA camps in Zambia were carried out by specialized Rhodesian military units led by the notorious Green Leader, real name Chris Dixon, who openly ordered the Zambian airforce not to interfere with their operations or face similar action. If the Zambian airforce intervened, warned Green Leader, they would be wiped off the skies. In one video, Greeen Leader can be heard on his radio communicating with the Zambian airport tower and...