Bambata: Last of the Zulu Rebel Chiefs

8/7/2019 Bambata: Last of the Zulu Rebel Chiefs

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SectionE: Bambata:LastoftheZulu RebelChiefsJoHN HENRIK CLARKE

U. S. Correspondenton AfricanAffairs,WorldMutualExchange,InternationalNewsFeaturesHEN CETEWAYO DIED IN 1884,andtheZulu tribewas brokenup into13 sub-divisionswithouta centralhead,theEuropeansin South Africabreathedeasierand said: "At last thepowerofthe-Zulu is broken."They had spokenprematurely.The periodofeasybreath-ingdidnotlastlong. The 13 sub-divi-sions of Zulus, each with conflictingviewsand aspirations,createdmorecon-fusionthanstability.Soon the trekkersfromthe TransvaalintoZululandwereglad to recognizeDinizuluas thepara-mountchiefof the 13 pettychiefswhowere ruling the remainingportionofZululandhaphazardly.Dinizuluwas thesonand rightfulsuccessortoCetewayo.The proclamationof Dinizuluaspara-mountchiefwas followedby a "grant"ofland to the Boerswho soonafterwardestablisheda new republicwithVyrheiras itscapital.Paul Kruger,theBoerleader,wantedthe territoryof St. Lucia Bay and anoutletto the ocean thatwould freetheBoersfromthe heavy dutiesthat theBritishwere placingon theirimports.The recurringhungerfor more landbroughttheBoersoncemoreintoarmedconflictwith the Zulus. The Britishattemptat "peace-making"involvedthemin a warwithDinizulu.Afterbrave and stubbornresistancethe Zulu chiefhad to surrenderand wasexiledto St. Helena Island,along withhis uncles,Ndabukoand Shingane. In1898, theywere allowedto returnanditwas thenthatDinizuluwas appointedchiefoftheUsututribein theNongomadistrictandwasrecognizedas theheredi-taryheadof theZulus.The colonyofNatalwashavingtrou-ble with its East Indiansubjectswho,underMahatmaGhandi'sleadership,wererelentlesslyfightingthe drasticrestric-

tionsimposeduponthemby theAsiaticLaw AmendmentAct.FartherSouth in the countrythat isnowRhodesia,anothercrisishad unfold-ed and endedin defeatand sorrowfor-anotherbranchof theZulutribe.Loben-gula, kingof the Ama-Ndebele,Mata-bele or Abukwa-Zulu,had been over-whelmedbyCecilRhodes'armyofwell-equippedmercenarysoldiers. His coun-try,Matabeleland,his people and hisconqueredsubjects,the Moshonas,hadbeen reducedto vassals. When Loben-gula died in 1893, the EuropeansinSouthAfricaonce morebreathedeasierand said again,"At last,the powerofthe Zulus is broken."Once moretheyhad spokenprematurely.Beforethe Zulu uprisingswerefinallybroughtto an endmoremenand issueshad to be dealtwith-one man in par-ticular,Bambata,chiefof theZondi tribe.Bambatawas bom in 1865 in the re-gioncalledMpanzoValley. His fatherwas Mancinza,sometimecalled Sobuza.A smallandnotparticularlydistinguishedbranchoftheZulus,theZondi tribehadas itschiefMancinza. The Zondishavealso been referredto as theAmazondi-meaningthe "haters."Bambata'smotherwas the daughterof Pakade, a well-knownchiefof theCunutribe.As a boy, Bambata was headstrongand restlesslike mostZulu boys. Hewas fondof fightingand frequentlyne-glectedthe cattlehe was told to watchin orderto engagein fightswithotherboys. He becameanexpertin theuse oftheassegai,thetraditionaltribalfightingweapon.Bambata'sfather,Mancinza,died in1883. Bambatawas tooyoungto ascendto the chieftainshipof his tribe. Atrustworthyuncle,Magwababa,was ap-pointedto the chieftainship.

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CURRENT TRENDS AND EVENTS 89His relationswith the EuropeansinSouthAfricawereneversatisfactory.Un-likemostoftheZuluchiefs,hewouldnotacceptthereducedstatusofhis tribe,in

spiteof the factthatthe Zondis weresmallin numberandhadonlyabouttwodozen riflesbetweenthem.The totalstrengthof thetribeat theendof1905was: 90 hutsin theUmvoti,120 inNewHanover,21 in Umbeniand91 in Lion'sRiver. These divisionsof1,142 in all representeda totalapprox-imatepopulationof 5,000 men,womenandchildren.Lessthana thousandwerecapable of bearingarms. He had onlya fewoddlymixedregiments,not com-parable in strengthor organizationtotheotherZuluclansinandaroundNatal.

This did notkeepBambatafromtry-ingtoavengethepastandpresentwrongsimposedon his tribe. He knewof theZulu'sgreatnessin victoryand in defeat.He wantedto redeemand enhancethename Zulu. He was resentfulof mostEuropeansandfeltnocompunctionsaboutTaidingtheirfarmsforcattle.The BoerWar lastedthreeyearsandtheBritishcolonistswereheavilyin debt.In spite of the fact that the nativeAfricangotnothingout of thewar butsomepromisesthatwereneverkept,theBritishdecidedthattheyshouldhelppayoff thisdebt. Accordingly,a poll taxof $5 was imposeduponeverymale Af-rican. This was in additionto thereg-ularhuttaxof$15 and a dogtax. Bam-bata decided that his small tribe of5,500wouldpayno tax at all.ImmediatelyBambatastartedto searchforallies amongthe otherZulu tribes.The governmentorderedhimdeposedandnamedMagwababa,formerlythe regentof the tribe,to replacehim. Bambata

bad ignoredall the governmentordersand told his tribeto pay no tax. Hethreatenedtokillthedetachmentofwhitepolicemensentto arresthim. LaterhefledintoZululand to see his paramountchief,Dinizulu.OtherchiefssympathizedwithBambataand respectedhis daringwhilelettinghimknow thattheycouldnot committhemselvesto followinghis

courseof action. Someof themhad re-luctantlyorderedtheirpeopletopay thetax.Dinizulu consideredhis positionandbecamecautious. He could not affordto let it be knownthathe sympathizedwithBambata,thoughmuchoftheactionthatfollowedprovedhe did. His mostablegeneral,Cakijana,was slylyandun-officiallyassigned to assist Bambata.They wentsecretlythroughNatal andZululandrecruitingfollowersand stirringup feelingsagainstthetaxand Europeanrule.Bambatafound his strongestally inChiefSignanadaShezi oftheCube tribe.The chiefhad five taxable sons andcouldnot see whytheyshouldpay taxforlivingon land thathad been theirsforcenturies.Signanadawas about95yearsold at the time. In age he wastheseniorchiefamongthe Zulus and akindofelderstatesmanandoralhistorian.He had practicallylivedthroughthe rise

and fall of the Zulu empireand hadparticipatedin most of the importantwarsand eventsthatbroughtthe Zulusgloryand defeat.He hadpersonalknowl-edge of incidentsduringthe reignsofformerZulu chiefs,Chaka, Dingaan,PandaandCetewayo.He hadbeenpre-sentat thedeathand funeralofChaka'smother,Nandi. He had servedin theMkutulshanaregimentof Chaka's half-brotherand successor,Dingaan. As amemberof this regimenthe witnessedthemassacreof PietRetiefandhispartyofBoersettlerin 1838.Signandafoughton theside of Cete-wayo at thebattleof Ndondakusukain1856. Later,he fled to theGraytowndistrictwherehe wasbefriendedbyMan-cinza, thefatherofBambata. Cetewayorecalledhim to Zululandin 1871 andappointedhima pettychief. Becauseofthisbackgroundand Signanada'sfriend-shipwithhislatefather,itwasa naturalturnofeventsforBambatato seekrefugein and assistanceamongtheCube tribeontheeveoftheZuluRebellionof1906.On the8thofAprila detachmentofBritishtroopsunder the commandofColonelLeucharssurroundedand shelled


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90 THE JOURNAL OF NEGRO EDUCATIONBambata'skraal,seeminglynotknowingthatBambataandhis followershadcross-ed the Tugela River and escaped intoZululand.

Bambatawas reportedto have takenrefugein Cetewayo'sold strongholdintlle NkandhlaMountains,whichwereconsideredto be inaccessible,evento theZulus. As thecrisisgrewmoredrastic,C. R. Saunders,CommissionerofNativeAffairs,left Eshowe for Nkandhla.Orderswereissuedto thechiefsof thatdistrictto arm theirpeople and captureBambata. On April14, thegovernmentoffereda rewardof 500 poundsforhiscapture.On April17,ChiefSignanada'stribebrokeout in openrebellion.Din-izulu, fearingthathis indirectsupportof Bambatawouldbecomeknown,senta messageto the Natal governmentas-sertinghis loyaltyand orderedhis chiefleader,Mankulumana,to seek out Sig-nanada.The situationhad becomecriticalandthegravestanxietywasrampant.It wasfearedthat the rebellionwould spreadintoZululand. On April20, offersofassistancewerereceivedfromotherSouthAfricancolonies. Two companiesoftroopsleftforEshoweand one forGin-ginhlove.An irregularcorpsof 500 menwas raisedforspecialservice.Dinizulu,theparamountchief,againofferedtohelpthegovernmentdriveout Bambataandput down the rebellion.His offerwasnot accepted.Therewas a possibilitythat his partin startingthe rebellionhad alreadybecomeknownto'theBritish.His mostable general,Cakijana,was servingveryboldlyat Bambata'sside.

On the 23rd of Aprilthe Transvaalgovernmentofferedto senda completelyequippedcavalryregimentof 500 mento thetroubledarea. The offerwas ac-ceptedbythe NatalgovernmentonApril26, andthefirstcontingentleftJohannes-burgforDundee.The rewardforthe captureof Bam-bata was withdrawnafterhis locationbecameknown. WithChiefSignanada'shelp,he had collectedthreestrongrebel

chiefsand was givena hospitablerecep--tion.On April 28, Colonel McKenziewas placed in commandof the Zulufieldforces.The rebellionwasspreading.Col. Sir AubreyWools-Sampson,ahero of the Boer War, was appointedc-hiefof staffto ColonelMcKenzie.ThewholeoftheZululandfieldforceexceptthoseleftbehindto maintainorderinotherareaswas campedin Dundeewait-ing fortheorderto marchon the rebelsin theNkandhlaForest.Troublewas also smolderingin otherplaces. A detachmentof troopshad tobe senttoHelpmakaar,wherea powerfulchiefnamedKula was suspectedofsedi-tion. At the same timetherewere dis-quietingreportsabout Chief Mehloka-Zulu in theNqutu district.On May 3, the ZululandfieldforceleftDundeewith20 days'supplies.Therewere150 wagonswithtwocolumns.Be-foretheyarrivedat Nkandhla,news wasreceivedof an encounterwiththe rebelsin thevicinityofCetewayo'sgrave.Theserebelswere mostlyfromChief Signa-nada's tribe,thoughBambatawas seenleading them and giving instructionsfroma whitehorse.The battlewas just a littlemorethana skirmish,witheach side testingtheother'sstrength.The rebelsfed backto the protectionof the forest. Moretroopswere broughtinto the area andthebattlestartedagainin thevicinityofCetewayo'sgrave. Beforesundownthreecolumnsarrivedandtooka positionabouta half mile fromthe grave,near thejunctionof the Nkungzanaand Insuzirivers. A heavy thunderstormbrokeoverthecampduringthenight.ColonelMcKenzieled a detachmentoftroopsintoBambata'smountainstrong-

hold,MomeGorge,andthefinaland de-cisivephaseofthe rebellionbegan.Over5,000 well-equippedtroopswere sentagainstBambata'srebelarmy. The am-munitionforBambata'sfewrifleshad longbeen exhausted. Now his men werefightingonlywith ox-hideshields andspears. In spiteof the inequalityofweapons,Bambataachievedsome success


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CURRENT TRENDS AND EVENTS 91in everyencounterwith the Zululandfieldforces.He knewthemountainousterrainandcouldmovehis fightersskillfullyoverit.Mostofthefightingwas donefromam-bush. The AfricansoldiersfightingwiththeZululandfieldforcesworeidentifyingarmbandsof whiteand blackcloth todistinguishthemfromtherebels. Bam-bata put similarstripson his spies andsentthemamongthewhitesoldierstolearntheirplans.

Twentyotherchiefshad joined therebellion. Some less confidentonesdoubted that he could succeedin hisdesperatemissionand refusedto committhemselvesand theirpeople.

The sacrificialbraveryof Bambata'sfollowerscould notstopthelatestmodelmachinegunsin thehandsof well-sea-sonedsoldierswhohad recentlywontheBoer War. The more cautiouschiefswho had failed to supportBambata'srebellionwererightin onecase at least-Bambatadid nothavea chance. He andhismenhadfoughtbravely,butthiswasnot enough.In everyengagementatMkandbla,Oti-mati,Peyana,Insuzi,McCrae'sStoreandnow at MomeGorge,Bambataand hisadherentshad foughtwithcouragebefit-tingthebestpatriotsof anyland. Thedefeat,whichwas inevitable,gave thema strangekindofvictoryand a kindofmartyrdomthatwasnotstrangeat all.

Bambatawas killedin theengagementat MomeGorge. His rebellioncollapsedsoonafterhis death. Twenty-threehun-dred of his 12,000 followershad beenkilled and 4,700 were takenprisoner.

Amongtheprisonerswas Signanada,theaged chiefof theCube tribe,themostremarkableZulu alive at thattime.Hewas bitterand defiantand treatedhiscaptorsas iftheywerehisprisoners. Afewdayslatertheoldwarriordied.The rebellionhad lastedninemonthsandhad costtheNatal governmentfivemilliondollars. Twenty-fiveof thelead-ers were exiled to St. Helena Island.Otherinsurgentsweresentencedto longprisonterms.Dinizulu,paramountchiefof theZulus,was accusedof complicityandwas sentencedtofouryears.Bambata'sfollowersrefusedto acceptthe factthathe was dead, thoughthegovernmentpubliclyexhibitedhis headas proofand a warningto all otherswhomighthave thoughtsof rebellion.Bam-bata'swife,whowasone ofhismostde-voutfollowers,didnotgo intomourning.Like some of his otherfollowers,shestubbornlyand wishfullythoughtthatonlythebodyofBambatawas dead andhis spiritwouldsoonreturnto lead theZulus.The deathof Bambataand the oldchief,Signanada,representedtheend ofan era in SouthAfricanhistory.ThefirstEuropeanssettledin SouthAfricainthe middleof the 17thcentury.TheEuropeanconquestof SouthAfricawasnotcompleteduntiltheend of theZulurebellionin Natal,April1906.

BIBLIOGRAPHYW. Bosman,Natal Rebellionof 1906.J. Stuart,Historyof the Zulu Rebellion.1906.H. C. Lugg, HistoricNatal and Zulu-land. Union of SouthAfrica,1949.E. A. Ritter,ShakaZulu,London,1955.

Bambata: Last of the Zulu Rebel Chiefs

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