BULAWAYO — Mhlahlandlela, the old royal capital of the Ndebele nation, was anything but silent on Saturday as thousands gathered to celebrate King Mzilikazi Day, a commemoration that has become one of the most powerful expressions of cultural identity in Zimbabwe.
The open plains outside Bulawayo shook with the rhythm of drums, ululation, dances and praise poetry. Old men in leopard skins, women in traditional beads, schoolchildren waving miniature spears, and foreign visitors mingled in a spectacle that transformed the usually tranquil site into a living monument.
Mzilikazi kaMashobane, remembered as the warrior-king who broke away from Shaka Zulu and forged a new kingdom in 1823, remains revered as the founder of the Ndebele nation. His state stretched across much of present-day Zimbabwe and beyond, uniting diverse groups into one powerful polity. After his death in 1868, he was buried at Entumbane in the Matobo Hills — a sacred shrine that still draws pilgrims.
Though Zimbabwe’s rulers have long been wary of traditional kingships — seeing them as relics of “tribalism” or even seeds of separatism — the commemorations have never been banned. That quiet tolerance reflects both the resilience of Ndebele identity and the delicate balancing act of a state dominated by central authority in Harare.
The contrast with Great Zimbabwe is striking. While the stone ruins in Masvingo are promoted as the defining symbol of national heritage, complete with heavy state investment and tourist marketing, Mhlahlandlela exists largely because ordinary people insist on remembering. Its custodians are not government departments but communities who return year after year to keep Mzilikazi’s flame alive.
For many, Sunday’s gathering was a personal affirmation. Andrey Ivin, a Russian visitor who stumbled on the event, was struck by the passion on display.
“I had been to Great Zimbabwe, but here I found something different — people deeply in love with their living culture, not just ruins of the past,” he said.
South African poet Sam Ntumbane Mabhena said the event demonstrated Mzilikazi’s enduring vision of unity.
“Here we saw Venda, Sotho, Shangani, Nguni, Kalanga, Tswana, Shona and Ndebele gathered together. Mzilikazi was a nation-builder, not a divider,” he said.
Locals shared the sense of pride. Nkosana Ndlovu of Matopo described the day as a revelation.
“I had never attended before. Today I saw a people remembering who they are,” he said.
Elders, like Isabel Dube, 60, of Kezi, emphasised that the commemorations are not just about memory but inheritance.
“We must bring our grandchildren here. Our history should never be allowed to fade,” she said.
King Mzilikazi’s legacy is inseparable from the resistance of his descendants. His son, King Lobengula, famously resisted British colonisation, and at the Battle of Pupu in 1893, General Mtshane Khumalo’s regiment routed a colonial patrol despite facing Maxim guns. It was one of the last great military victories of an African kingdom before the conquest of the continent.
King Mzilikazi was not only a conqueror but a weaver of nations. His kingdom incorporated Kalanga, Sotho, Tswana, Shona and other groups, creating a layered identity that still defines Matabeleland today.
On Sunday at Mhlahlandlela, that identity was not whispered but shouted — through dance, song, poetry and prayer. It was a reminder that in Zimbabwe, history is not just written in textbooks or enshrined in ruins. It is also carried in memory, in spirit, and in the determination of a people to honour their king, even when the state looks the other way.
Additional reporting Sunday News
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