A STORIED ACCOUNT OF MUJOKWANE KANJEKWANE AND HIS NGUNI PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA..


A busy market and area named after a Nguni Warrior
There is a very famous market in Chipata City, East of Zambia called Kapata market. The name comes from a Nguni warrior who descended from the larger Zwangendaba Nation. His most common name was 'Kapatamoyo' and yet his foremost name which is a Zulu one, is MUJOKWANE. 

Who was Mujokwane? 
Mujokwane was one of the notable sons of a decorated Induna of Zwangendaba called Njekwane. Njekwane commanded the Zimpofu regiment and trekked with the Mphezeni Nguni group after the division of the larger Zwangendaba Nation. 

But who again was Njekwane? 
Authors have been divided on the clan name of Njekwane. But what is certain is that, Njekwane came from the house of Hlasthwayo Jele's cousin, Mpange. Prince Mpange had married Manyuwazana. It is in this same house, that a Nguni warrior was born. His name was Njekwane.

Principal Wife of Njekwane
When he was of age, Njekwane married MtongaJojo and through her, he fathered the following children; Kapatamoyo, Sondwani, Hoye, Chafumela, Chulu, Mene and Mazwe. As has-been said already, Njekwane commanded the Zimpofu regiment and he led this decorated regiment during the November 1835 crossing of the uGwembe river.

Death of Njekwane at Mpinduka hill

Njekwane wandered with Zwangendaba from his base in the St Lucia Bay area upto the time of his death in 1845. Then during the succession wrangles that engulfed the Zwangendaba Nation in 1849, Njekwane sided with Mphezeni Jele and they trekked the South West Route into the land of the Bembas. 

Again when Mphezeni decided to move, Njekwane was right behind him. The movement took this Nation to present day Mozambique and whilst camped at the Mpinduka hill, the now aged Njekwane went to sleep with his forefathers, the year was 1868. 

Mujokwane establishes his empire
After the Angoni-British War of 1898 and following the return of King Mphezeni to his base after his exhile in the Vubwi valley, most sons of the King and decorated Indunas were recognized as Makhosi under the overall King, Nyandezulu Mphezeni. The bloodline of Njekwane was also picked to be elevated to this status. 

It was 'Kasambulopa' KaNjekwane, an elder brother of Mujokwane, who was pointed to be accorded the Inkosi status. However, Kasambulopa, another warrior son of Njekwane in his own right, had gotten fond of the Mthenguleni area where he was an established Hunter. He thus declined to move to another area where he would be an Inkosi, suggesting instead that his young brother, Mujokwane who had also been nicknamed 'Kapatamoyo' by the Chewas to instead be crowned as an Inkosi. 

Kapatamoyo was given to Mujokwane by the Chewas because of his daring fighting antics that clearly risked his life. The name became his signature name, overshadowing the Zulu name that he was given at birth. And that was the name that he would adopt once given the seals of an Inkosi. Thus Mujokwane, who had five wives, reigned as the first Inkosi Kapatamoyo. 


Attached picture; Ndlondlo Levy Jele (middle) reigns as the current Inkhosi Kapatamoyo. On his right is Inkhosi Misholo Jele of Edingeni Kraal (correct is Mihlolo) and on his left is Inkhosi Saili Jele of Chimphinga Kraal.

Comments

  1. Jele kaMjokwaneJanuary 29, 2024 at 5:16 AM

    Kindly revisit this article as there is no ancestor called Njekwane in eThandweni. Further, Mjokwane was a first cousin of Zwangendaba and his father Mphange was a young brother to inkosi Hlatshwayo kaMagangatha Jele. Inkosi Kapatamoyo 1 was Nthonga kaMjokwane Jele not Mjokwane himself.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

30 UNIQUE NGUNI NAMES FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

Image
Looking for a fancy Nguni name for your child? Well, let's look at some 30 attractive  Nguni  names and their meanings. 1. Amandla: this name can be given to either a boy or a girl and it means 'strength or power'.  2. Amile: this is a name for a boy. It is has to do something keeping a structural holding making sure things are balanced in life.  3. Bhekizizwe: a male name, this means 'look after the nations' in the   Ngoni /  Zulu   tongue.  4. Buchule: A Xhosa  name meaning "skills; cleverness", the name applies to both boys and girls.  5. Bonginkosi: a Zulu name for a boy meaning 'thanksgiving'.  6. Butho: looking for a name that associates with a strong character for your boy, well this is the right name as it means 'Soldier' in the  Ndebele  tongue. 7. Cebisa: another fancy Xhosa name for a female is Cebisa, it means 'advice'.  8. Dela: a rare female Zulu name but one that is unique, it means to become whole, complete or satisf
Read more

THE BEGINNING OF A NGUNI STORY THAT SHAPED SOUTHERN, CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICAN KINGDOMS.

Image
The glorious and unrivaled Northern trek of King Zwangendaba from   kwaZulu-Natal  in  South Africa  is well documented, yet the world has for a long time remained divided on who he really was. Different clans or indeed Nations have indeed claimed 'ownership' of the sung hero of the Northern Nguni Kingdoms which has grown in mighty to encompass different   Nguni    States such as the  Zulu ,  Swazis , and those from the  Mthwakazi  kingdom. It has thus been a disappointing journey for most researchers and historians who have ventured into this area of discovering the roots of Zwangendaba as they have been left with more questions than answers.                                            An artistic impression of King Zwangendaba as a Youth as gotten from a Malawian Nguni artist.   After researching for more than seven (7) years by reading different kinds of information sources on this vital matter, Zambian Nguni Historian, Gumbi Kaziguda Jele, agrees with the findings of the Ncw
Read more

THE SITE OF PRINCE NSINGO JELES DEATH

Image
                                  The historical Mubanga Tree where Mphezenis first born son and crown Prince took his last breath .  This is what has now remained of the Mubanga Tree where Nsingo Jele son of King Mphezeni and Queen Lupoko Phakathi, was tied and summary shot dead in February 1898.  His grave is just 25 meters from this Mubanga Tree. A primary school and Museum have since been erected in his honor. Although it was a public execution, his father did not witness him being gunned down as he was still into hiding.  The Socialist Party of Dr Fred Mmembe remains the only political organization and institution that officially celebrates and remembers Nsingo as they have a 'Nsingo Day' which falls on the 4th of February every year.  His other son, Yakufu was also gunned down at the royal compound after the European backed soldiers did not find King Mphezeni after taking control of the capital.  Photo Credit: Richard Francis.
Read more