Mokopane , formerly known as Potgietersrus , is a town in the Limpopo province of South Africa .
51-559: The town name was changed to Mokopane in 2003 in honour of a local Ma Nrebele leader, King Mghombane Gheghana, who ruled the area before being conquered by the Voortrekkers . Mokopane is the Northern Sotho form of the king's name and is hence erroneous, even though the majority language in the area is Northern Sotho. Five kingdoms in the vicinity of the town are Kekana (Moshate), Langa (Mapela), Lebelo (Garasvlei), and Langa (Bakenburg). It
102-456: A c [ǀ] are made by placing the tip of the tongue against the front upper teeth and gums, the centre of the tongue is depressed and the tip of the tongue is drawn backwards. The resulting sound is similar to the sound used in English to express annoyance. Some examples are cina (end), cela (ask). The five clicks spelled with a q [!] are made by raising the back of the tongue to touch
153-514: A central place, such as a school or a borehole, where they would beat the civilians with sticks and force them to sing songs praising ZANU. These gatherings usually ended with public executions. Those killed included ex-ZIPRA guerrillas, ZAPU officials, and civilians perceived as dissidents Northern Ndebele language Northern Ndebele ( English: / ɛ n d ə ˈ b iː l iː / ), also called Ndebele , isiNdebele saseNyakatho , Zimbabwean Ndebele or North Ndebele , associated with
204-460: A few of his elite warriors. The BSAC moved into the remains of koBulawayo, establishing a base, which they renamed KwaBulawayo, and then sent out patrols to find Lobengula. The most famous of these patrols, the Shangani Patrol , managed to find Lobengula, only to be trapped and wiped out in battle. The British were vastly outnumbered throughout the war, but their superior armaments, most notably
255-762: A nine-day battle, they destroyed eGabeni and other Matabele camps along the Marico River. Mzilikazi—realizing that the Ndebele, like the Sotho, did not stand a chance against the Boers, who were heavily armed with guns and rifles—decided to retreat with his regiments and loyalists from the Marico Valley. He moved to present-day Matabeleland South where the amaNdebele people overwhelmed the indigenous Rozvi people and Kalanga people —who were already crumbling due to leadership squabbles after
306-750: A rival nation. Mzilikazi and his allies continued on to raid and occupy the chiefdoms of the Sotho people and the Southern Ndebele , who had been significantly weakened by the Dutch–Afrikaner settlers (Boers) from the Cape Colonies. This happened during a turbulent period of civil conflict in Nguni and Sotho–Tswana history, known as the Mfecane ("the crushing" or "the scattering"). Mzilikazi's regiments moved north-west to
357-587: A treaty with Mzilikazi. Mzilikazi died on 9 September 1868, near Bulawayo. His son, Lobengula , succeeded him as king. Lobengula established a state that held sovereignty over the region between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers to the north and south and between the desert of the Makgadikgadi salt pans to the west and the Save River to the east. In exchange for wealth and arms, Lobengula granted several concessions to
408-515: A unique character. There are also ancient caves, the "Big Five", San rock paintings , curios, bushveld food and drinks such as biltong (dried meat) and mampoer (a potent alcoholic drink), tropical gardens and traditional dancing. In the adjacent township of Mahwelereng , traditional lifestyles, set against the spectacular Waterberg , can be observed. Mokopane also offers outdoor activities ranging from hiking, camping, and 4 × 4 trails to birding , angling , and game viewing. The economy of Mokopane
459-680: Is rich in minerals with the mining of platinum , diamond , and granite . Mokopane lies 1,150m above sea level. Its climate is a local steppe climate with little rainfall throughout the year. Köppen and Geiger classified this location as BSh. The average temperature in Mokopane is 27.3 °C | 81.14 °F. The annual rainfall is 495 mm | 19.5 inches. Precipitation is the lowest in July, with an average of 1 mm | 0.0 inch. Most precipitation here falls in January, averaging 94 mm | 3.7 inch. January
510-694: Is spoken in South Africa, are separate but related languages with some degree of mutual intelligibility , although the former is more closely related to Zulu. Southern Ndebele, while maintaining its Nguni roots, has been influenced by the Sotho languages . Many consonant sounds may result in depressed (or breathy) allophones. Alveolar consonants, t , d , and n , may have dentalized allophones of [t̪ʼ, d̪, n̪] . Consonants k and h can result in allophones of [ɣ, ɣʱ] and [ɦ] . Ndebele /t͡ʃ/ generally correspond to Zulu /ʃ/. In Northern Ndebele, there are fifteen click consonants . The five clicks spelled with
561-473: Is still referred to as Potgietersrus or "Potties". Two hours from Gauteng by road, the town acts as a getaway destination and as a stop-over for travelers "en route" to Botswana , Zimbabwe and Kruger National Park . The area is typical bushveld with many Vachellia and Senegalia trees (formerly part of the acacia genus) as well as aloes , which blooms in June and July. The Zebediela Citrus Estate, 55 km to
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#1732856068664612-478: Is the hottest month at an average temperature of 23.4 °C | 74.1 °F. June is the coldest month, with temperatures averaging 13.0 °C | 55.4 °F Northern Ndebele people The Northern Ndebele people ( / ˌ ɛ n d ə ˈ b ɛ l i , - ˈ b iː l i , - l eɪ / ; EN -də- BE(E)L -ee, -ay ; Northern Ndebele : amaNdebele ) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa . Significant populations of native speakers of
663-742: The African National Congress of South Africa), and the South West Africa People's Organization ( SWAPO ) fighters was a major threat to Zambia's internal security. Because ZAPU's political strategy relied more heavily on negotiations than armed force, ZIPRA did not grow as quickly or elaborately as the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), but by 1979 it had an estimated 20,000 combatants, almost all based in camps around Lusaka, Zambia. The Gukurahundi ( Shona : "the early rain which washes away
714-570: The British South Africa Company (BSAC) in 1889. As part of the agreement, BSAC would pay Lobengula 100 pounds a month, 1,000 rifles, 10,000 rounds of ammunition, and a riverboat. Lobengula had hoped that the Rudd Concession would diminish European incursions. However, as white settlers moved in, BSAC set up its government, made its laws, and set its sights on more mineral rights and territorial concessions. The social organization of
765-584: The Maxim gun , proved too much for the Ndebele. In an attempt to reach a peace accord with the British, a band of Lobengula's warriors brought a large sum of gold to two BSAC soldiers to be delivered to their superiors. The two soldiers instead decided to keep the gold for themselves, and the incident went undiscovered for many months. Lobengula chose to escape; he was last seen crossing the Shangani River . In March 1896,
816-856: The Northern Ndebele language (siNdebele) are found in Zimbabwe and as amaZulu in South Africa . They differ from Southern Ndebele people who speak isiNdebele of KwaNdebele . The Northern Ndebele language spoken by the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe is generally the same as the isiZulu language spoken by the Zulu people of South Africa with a few pronunciation and word meaning differences. Northern Ndebele spoken in Zimbabwe and Southern Ndebele (or Transvaal Ndebele) spoken in South Africa are separate but related languages with some degree of mutual intelligibility, although
867-578: The chaff before the spring rains" ) refers to the civil suppression by Zimbabwe's 5th Brigade in the predominantly Ndebele-speaking region of Matabeleland, most of whom were supporters of Joshua Nkomo and ZAPU. Robert Mugabe , then prime minister, had signed an agreement with North Korean President Kim Il Sung in October 1980 to have the North Korean military train a brigade for the Zimbabwean army. This
918-406: The British, the most prominent of which was the 1888 Rudd Concession , which permitted British mining and colonisation of Zimbabwe and prohibited all Boer settlement in the country. This concession gave Cecil Rhodes exclusive mineral rights in much of the lands east of his main territory. As gold was already known to exist in that area, the concession enabled Rhodes to obtain a royal charter to form
969-548: The Fifth Brigade lasted until September 1982, when Minister Sekeramayi announced training was complete. The first commander of the Fifth Brigade was Colonel Perrance Shiri . The Fifth Brigade differed from all other Zimbabwean army units in that it was directly subordinate to the prime minister's office and not integrated into the regular army command structures. Their codes, uniforms, radios, and equipment were incompatible with other army units. Their most distinguishing feature in
1020-737: The Makapan Cave attack that took place four years prior. He was the eldest son of the Voortrekker leader Andries Potgieter. The memorialised town name was later shortened to Potgietersrus. As the years progressed, many factors, such as malaria and hostility between the Voortrekkers and the Ndebele people, caused the trekkers to abandon the Potgieterus settlement in 1870. Later, the site was re-occupied from 1890 onward. The historic and archaeologically significant Makapansgat caves are 15 km north of
1071-557: The Marico River, and eGabeni (Kapain), where they also built a sizeable settlement. During the Great Trek of 1836–1838, voortrekkers (Boers) arrived in Transvaal and found Mzilikazi the king of the region, and a threat to their advancement. They fought with him, losing in the first battle. In the second battle in 1837, the Boers (led by Potgieter, Maritz, and Uys) launched another attack on Mzilikazi's military stronghold at eGabeni at dawn. In
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#17328560686641122-659: The Matebele revolted against the authority of the BSAC in what is now celebrated in Mthwakazi as the First War of Independence. After a year of drought and cattle sickness, Mlimo, the Matebele spiritual leader, is credited with fomenting much of the anger that led to this confrontation. An estimated 50,000 Matebele retreated into their stronghold of the Matobo Hills near KwaBulawayo, which became
1173-510: The Matebele stronghold and persuaded the leaders to lay down their arms. This final uprising thus ended in October 1897; Matebeleland and Mashonaland were later renamed Rhodesia . In 1963 a subset of the main rebel group, Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), split off and formed the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU). Though these groups had a common origin, they gradually grew apart, with ZANU mainly recruiting from
1224-532: The Northern Ndebele kingdom. Mzilikazi called his new nation 'Mthwakazi', a Zulu word which means 'something which became big at conception' ( Zulu : into ethe ithwasa yabankulu ). Europeans called the territory 'Matebeleland'. Mzilikazi organized this ethnically diverse nation into a militaristic system of regimental towns and established his capital at Bulawayo . In 1852, the Boer government in Transvaal made
1275-741: The Northern Ndebele language people was rigidly controlled by rules of service and hierarchy inherited from Shaka's reforms among the Zulu. Other subject peoples, such as in Mashonaland , were treated harshly; their lives and property were subject to the King's control and could be disrupted at any time by raids or exactions of tribute. This scene was presented to the British Pioneer Column when they arrived in Mashonaland in 1890. In August 1893, Lobengula sent warriors to Fort Victoria to raid cattle from
1326-661: The Shona people. Although Lobengula's armed warriors won, the British South Africa Company (BSAC) took the opportunity to attack Lobengula in the guise of protecting the Shona. During this confrontation, a fight broke out between BSAC and Matebele, beginning the First Matebele War. Hoping for a quick victory, Leander Starr Jameson sent his BSAC forces to attack the capital koBulawayo and capture Lobengula. Rather than fight, Lobengula burned down his capital and fled with
1377-628: The Shona regions and ZAPU mainly recruiting from Ndebele regions. The Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) was a primarily-Ndebele anti-government force, led by Joshua Nkomo and ZAPU. ZIPRA trained and planned their missions in Zambian bases; however, this was not always with full Zambian government support. By 1979, the combination of the ZIPRA forces based in Zambia, the Umkhonto we Sizwe (the armed wing of
1428-677: The Wonderboom Mountains on the Apies River, just north of present-day Pretoria . Another was Dinaneni, north of the Hartbeespoort Dam , while the third was Hlahlandlela in the territory of the Fokeng near Rustenburg . Mzilikazi and his allies also conquered and occupied the BaHurutshe , whose capital, Mosega, became their military headquarters. They built military strongholds at Tshwenyane,
1479-650: The daughter of the Ndwandwe chief Zwide and sired a son, Mzilikazi . The Ndwandwes were closely related to the Zulus and spoke the same language, Nguni , using different dialects. When Mashobane did not tell Zwide about patrolling Mthethwa amabutho (soldiers), Zwide had Mashobane killed. Thus his son, Mzilikazi, became the leader of the Khumalo. Mzilikazi immediately mistrusted his grandfather, Zwide, and took soldiers to join Shaka. Shaka
1530-441: The death of Changamire Dombo —and eventually carved out a home. During the migration, numerous raided indigenous clans and individuals (such as the Southern Ndebele , Swazi , Sotho–Tswana, and Rozvi ethnic groups) were absorbed into the Ndebele tribe, adopting the Ndebele language and culture. When Europeans arrived in the area, they found Mzilikazi settled with his people. Thus, they called the area Matabeleland , which encompasses
1581-521: The early 19th century, the Ndebele invaded and lived in territories populated by Sotho – Tswana peoples, who used the plural prefix ma- for certain types of unfamiliar people (or the Nguni prefix ama- ). British explorers—who were first informed of the existence of the Northern Ndebele people by the Sotho–Tswana communities they encountered on their trip north—would have been presented with two variations of
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1632-504: The field was their red berets . After several ZIPRA forces in Lupane and Matopos refused their tools, the Fifth Brigade conducted public executions of ex-ZIPRA soldiers, families, and supporters in the Lupane , Tsholotsho , and Matobo districts. Victims were often forced to re-initiation camps, but those who refused were executed and buried in mass graves. The initial number of executed Ndebeles
1683-401: The former is more closely related to Zulu . Southern Ndebele, while maintaining its Nguni roots, has been influenced by the Sotho languages . The Northern Ndebele, specifically the Khumalo (amaNtungwa) people under Mzilikazi , were originally named Matebele in English. This name is common in older texts because it is the name the British first heard from the Sotho and Tswana peoples. In
1734-604: The name: the Sotho–Tswana pronunciation ( Matebele ) and the Ndebele pronunciation ( Ndebele or amaNdebele ). Under British rule, they were officially known as the Matebele . They are now commonly known as the Ndebele or amaNdebele . The Khumalos were caught between the Ndwandwe led by Zwide and the Zulus led by Shaka . To please the Ndwandwe tribe, the Khumalo chief Mashobane married
1785-629: The natives that were colonized by the Matabele were assimilated into Mzilikazi's kingdom to create a version of isiZulu. The Matebele people of Zimbabwe descend from followers of the Zulu leader Mzilikazi (one of Zulu King Shaka 's generals), who left the Zulu Kingdom in the early 19th century, during the Mfecane , arriving in present-day Zimbabwe in 1839. Although there are some differences in grammar, lexicon and intonation between Zulu and Northern Ndebele,
1836-644: The noun class of the subject and the object: While subject-verb agreement is obligatory, object marking is not, and only appears when the object is given in the discourse. The object marker attaches closer to the verb root when it occurs (with the following notations: A - augment vowel; 1 - class 1 nominal prefix, etc.; 1s - class 1 subject agreement, etc.; FUT - future; 1o - class 1 object marker, etc.): U-Thabani A - 1 Thabani u -za- yi -pheka 1s - FUT - 9o -cook i-nyama A - 9 meat U-Thabani u -za- yi -pheka i-nyama A- 1 Thabani 1s -FUT- 9o -cook A- 9 meat "Thabani will cook
1887-466: The plumes on Mzilikazi's head and presented him with one of two ivory axes, the other being kept by Shaka. The Khumalos returned in peace to their ancestral homeland. This peace lasted until Shaka asked Mzilikazi to punish a tribe to the north of the Khumalo, belonging to Raninsi a Sotho. After defeating Raninsi, Mzilikazi refused to hand over the cattle and land to Shaka. The history of the Ndebele of Zimbabwe began through that refusal and attempt to create
1938-502: The present-day provinces of Gauteng , Mpumalanga , North West , and Limpopo . A skilled military and political tactician, Mzilikazi attacked or subjugated the local tribes he found along the way, including the Khoi, Batswana, Bapedi, and the Ndebeles of Mpumalanga. In their land, between 1827 and 1832, Mzilikazi built three military strongholds. The largest was Kungwini , situated at the foot of
1989-445: The scene of the fiercest fighting against the white settler patrols, led by legendary military figures such as Frederick Russell Burnham , Robert Baden-Powell , and Frederick Selous . Hundreds of white settlers and uncounted Matebele and Mashona were killed over the next year and a half. The Matebele military defiance ended only when Burnham found and assassinated Mlimo . Upon learning of Mlimo's death, Rhodes boldly walked unarmed into
2040-399: The soft palate and touching the gums with the sides and tip of the tongue. The centre of the tongue is depressed and the tip drawn quickly away from the gum. The resulting sound is like the "pop" heard when quickly removing the cork from a bottle. Some examples are qalisa (start), qeda (finish). The five clicks spelled with a x [ǁ] are made by placing the tongue so that the back of
2091-573: The southeast, is one of the largest citrus farms in the southern hemisphere. In 1852, Mokopane was called Vredenburg, which means "the town of peace" thus named by the Voortrekkers , a pioneering group of Boers who had trekked north-eastward from the Cape Colony in the 19th century into South Africa's interior. Later, in 1858, the Voortrekker legacy continued when the town was renamed "'Pietpotgietersrust'" ( Potgieter's last resting place ), in honour of Piet Potgieter , who had been fatally wounded in
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2142-418: The stem. Using the prefixes, nouns can be grouped into noun classes, which are numbered consecutively, to ease comparison with other Bantu languages . The following table gives an overview of Northern Ndebele noun classes, arranged according to singular-plural pairs. umu- replaces um- before monosyllabic stems, e. g. umu ntu (person). Verbs are marked with the following prefixes in agreement with
2193-407: The term Matabele , is a Bantu language spoken by the Northern Ndebele people which belongs to the Nguni group of languages. Ndebele is a term used to refer to a collection of many different African cultures in Zimbabwe . As a language, it is by no means similar to the Ndebele language spoken in kwaNdebele in South Africa although, like many Nguni dialects, some words will be shared. Many of
2244-453: The tongue touches the soft palate and the sides and tip of the tongue touch the gums. One side of the tongue is quickly withdrawn from the gums. Some examples are xoxa (discuss), ixoxo (frog). There are five vowel phonemes, written with the letters a , e , i , o , u . Months in Northern and Southern Ndebele The Northern Ndebele noun consists of two essential parts, the prefix and
2295-553: The town. Recovery of " Homo habilis " habitation has been made at these caves. The remains of " Australopithecus africanus " have also been found in the caves. The Arend Dieperink Museum portrays the history of the town, from the ape-man at Makapansgat, Bushmen paintings and early activities in the area up to the South African War and more recent times. The stunning bushveld environment and influences from North Sotho, Ndebele, Tsonga, Afrikaans, and English cultures give Mokopane
2346-536: The two languages share more than 85% of their lexicon. To prominent Nguni linguists like Anthony Trevor Cope and Cyril Nyembezi , Northern Ndebele is a dialect of Zulu. To others like Langa Khumalo, it is a language. Distinguishing between a language and a dialect for language varieties that are very similar is difficult, with the decision often being based not on objective linguistic criteria but on more subjective, often politicised considerations. Northern Ndebele and Southern Ndebele (or Transvaal Ndebele), which
2397-518: The west and southwest region of Zimbabwe. Mzilikazi who reigned from 1823, chose a new headquarters on the western edge of the central plateau of modern-day Zimbabwe , leading some 20,000 Ndebele, descendants of the Nguni and Sotho of South Africa. He had invaded the Rozvi state and raided some of the Rozvi people (mostly women); the rest became satellite farming communities and were forced to pay tribute to
2448-595: Was 2,800 in 1987; however, some recent politicians estimate 20,000. The largest number of dead in a single killing occurred on 5 March 1983, when 62 young men were shot on the banks of the Cewale River, Lupane; seven survived with gunshot wounds, the other 55 died. The Fifth Brigade also killed large groups of people by burning them alive in huts, as they did in Tsholotsho and Lupane. They routinely rounded up dozens, or even hundreds, of civilians and marched them at gunpoint to
2499-647: Was overjoyed because the Khumalos would be helpful to spy on Zwide and the Ndwandwes. After a few battles, Shaka gave Mzilikazi the extraordinary honour of being chief of the Khumalos and remaining semi-independent from the Zulu, if Zwide could be defeated. This caused immense jealousy among Shaka's older allies, but as warriors, none realized their equal in Mzilikazi. When Zwide was defeated, Shaka acknowledged Mzilikazi's essential contributions of intelligence. Shaka himself placed
2550-507: Was primarily based on agriculture until the opening of Anglo American's platinum mine. Currently, the mine is the biggest contributor to the local economy. Recently, interest has been displayed by other mining companies to start up, but community resistance around mining remains the main reason for the slow growth in mining. The Mokopane area is one of South Africa's richest agricultural areas, producing wheat , tobacco , cotton , beef , maize , peanuts and citrus . The area around Mokopane
2601-447: Was soon after Mugabe had announced the need for a militia to "combat malcontents." Mugabe replied by saying Matabeleland dissidents should "watch out", announcing the brigade would be called "Gukurahundi". This brigade was named the Fifth Brigade, and its members were drawn from 3,500 ex-ZANLA troops at Tongogara Assembly Point, named after Josiah Tongogara , the ZANLA general. The training of
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