Avuxeni,
Xana a wu swi tiva, that?
- Samora Moisés Machel i wa ka Maxele.
- Va ka Maxele originate from va ka Nkuna.
- A Nkuna Princess founded the Maxele and Mahori clans.
- His grandfather, Malengani (or Magivelani) was a close friend of Prince Magigwani Khosa, the leader of the Ndwandwe army of Amashangaane (Nxumayo). Together, they fought against the defender of Vatsonga from Nguni rule, King Xipenenyane wa Bingwana (wa ka Mondlane).
- After the defeat of Xipenenyane wa Bingwana in Bahule, his grandfather was made a Ndhuna (Landlord) by Mdungwazi “Nghunghunyani” Nxumayo, the last leader of the Gaza Kingdom, in a land south of Limpopo opposite the Gaza capital of Chayimiti.
- His grandfather was not 100% loyal to Nghunghunyani. He was an ally of Nkuyu Nxumayo, a Kingmaker who was in favour of Mawewe (son of Soshangane), who opposed Nghunghunyani (son of Mzila) with Princess N’waMucinga Nxumayo, the rebellious Gaza noble.
- The Gaza wars against Vatsonga in the late 1800s cost the life of Magulana, grandfather of Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane, founder of Mozambique’s liberation movement FRELIMO. This drove King Xipenenyane wa Bingwana to take over as regent of the Van’wanati Dynasty of Mondlane and aided the Portuguese to capture Nghunghunyani and bring an end to the reign of the Gaza Kingdom.
- Va ka Mashele, by the time of Samora’s birth were small scale commercial farmers. Samora, just like Mondlane, was educated in Protestant schools. However, he could not get a place in government schools because he refused to be baptized as a Catholic. The Church controlled government education back then. He then went to Maputo and studied as a nurse and worked as such.
- He married in Maputo before he joined FRELIMO. After joining FRELIMO, he had to leave Mozambique enroute to Alexandra Township, then via Botswana to rejoin FRELIMO in Tanganyika.
- After Mondlane’s assassination in 1969, Samora rose through the ranks and eventually became FRELIMO’s president and the first president of independent Mozambique in 1975.
- Samora tried to erect a statue of Nghunghunyani in Ximbhutsu and in Xokwe, but the locals refused.
- After the independence war against Portugal, Samora abolished all traditional rule in Mozambique. He saw it as stumbling block against social justice and development.
“Keep exploring, keep learning, and let the language guide you.“
Ahee!
