REMEMBERING ZAMBIA'S FOREMOST FREEDOM FIGHTER

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 inconceivable happened. Nsingu Jere made one of the most enterprising and gutsy moves against the British in the pages of Ngoni history.

Against the council of his father and without his knowledge, Nsingo acted like his name (sharp like a razor) and encircled Karl Wiese and a party of Europeans that were stationed at Laungeni, ready to attack. 

Despite being armed with guns, the Europeans were greatly outnumbered and the cow horn setup that Nsingu had devised meant the Europeans had no where to run to, total annihilation was certain unless a miracle happened.

When Karl learnt that Nsingu was leading the revolt, he was paralyzed and fear gripped in. This is the man who had for long had a grudge against him and the other Europeans stationed in his father’s chiefdom.

 If the Crown Prince managed to capture their outpost, it would be a massacre. Instinctively, Karl’s intelligence skills kicked in. He needed backup and that support needed to come fast. 

He sent word to Colonel W.H. Manning, His Majesty’s acting Commissioner and Consul-General of the British Central Africa that they were about to be slaughtered by the Angoni Army in Fort Jameson.

For the time being, his approximately over 40 men needed to play a waiting game. All they had to do was to keep Nsingos men off their station until when reinforcements came in. 

The few days before military assistance came in was mentally wounding for Karl and his men. He did not even know the exact number of his attackers. It was sleepless night after sleepless night for the Europeans.

Nsingo and his army tormented their prey by striking their long shields, and hitting the ground so that the sound of the bells attached to their skin would ring to further confuse their foes. The sounds and war cries of the Angoni army at night further exacerbated the horror of the Europeans.

                  A Ngoni impi

Meanwhile, Captain Daly, Acting Administrator of North- Eastern Rhodesia agreed to the operation to send men to relieve the wearing men under Karl Wiese’s men. The B.C.A Rifles commenced to move on the 2nd January,and by the 26th of that same month, 6502 troops with ammunition, rations, field guns and Maxims were in Mpezeni’s territory.

The first company of the B.C.A Rifles to be moved was that stationed at Fort Alston under Mr. Gordon-Cumming which made for Fort Jameson to render it safe from attack.

The author is a Ngoni from Langa village in Senior Chief Nzamane’s Mfumbeni Krall. He was born and started his primary school in Ngoniland before relocating to Lusaka in the late 1990s where he still currently resides.