HISTORY OF THE KUCHWENI ISIBAYA.

Above attached photo, Zwelitini Khoti Shawa, currently reigns as Inkosi M'shawa IV of the Kuchweni Isibaya. His father, Khoti M’cmillan Shawa who died in 2002, reigned as the Fourth Inkhosi Mshawa. 

It's important to note that the name 'Kuchweni' appears not to be an Isinguni name like other places like Mthenguleni and Edingeni with meanings that can be verified by Isinguni language experts.

But again the Ngonis from the Mpezeni Nation have for long time called Knobkerries as 'Makuchwa'. So this Isibaya being in Mpezeni territory raises a number of questions of how it came to be called Kuchweni.  So how did this happen and perhaps, how did a Shawa become an Inkosi, a departure from the conversation Jere umbrella? 

It is a public secret that the Mpezeni monarch was a well established and organized traditional ruling setup. Mostly, Mpezeni is in these times being helped to rule by his own children; traditionally. But before these children were born or grew up, Mpezeni had very powerful Indunas who acted as his eyes in the different parts of his Kingdom. 

One of those celebrated Zinduna was Zilewo Shawa. Zilewo Shawa was by far one of the most trusted Induna of Mpezeni such that the care of much of the King's cattle was placed under his care. And he took care of his master's cattle diligently. No one dared do any harm to the cattle lest they would face the wrath of Induna Zilewo, a rule that applied to even wild animals such as lions that roamed nearby the vast bush areas. 

But whilst the humans fully understood the seriousness of this rule and the ramifications of breaking it, it appears the Lions couldn't resist the temptation capturing one of the well endowed cattle of the King or simply ignored the rule putting their stomachs first.

And so the Lions would come and capture the cattle for the King and off they went running away. When this was reported to Induna Zilewo Shawa, he would issue a calling for the men under his jurisdiction to appear before him at once. The sound of the drums was an enough message that the men needed to come armed.

These men under the leadership of Zilewo would then set forth to capture this Lion and enforce justice. Zilewo would instruct them NEVER to spear it as he thought this was a fast death. He wanted them to suffer, thus he would instruct his men to hold the lion by its tail and smash it's head with Makuchwa; not being interested in how many of his men would be mauled in the process.

The same way Mthenguleni got its 'Kwa Gogo' tag is the same way the area under Induna Zilewo got its 'Kuchweni' tag. Zilewo had made an everlasting impression with his methods of ensuring that the King's cattle was safe. 

In a society such as a Ngoni one which rewards royalty and dedication to the King, it was not suprisngly that soon the Mshawa chiefdom was established. All the past Inkosi Mshawas have thus been directly linked to the bloodline of Zilewo Shawa;they baree the Shawa surname.