Lozikeyi Dlodlo, sometimes Lozigeyi (died 1919) was a queen of the Ndebele people.

Background

Lozikeyi was one of the favourite wives of

Lobengula Lobengula Khumalo (c. 1845 – presumed January 1894) was the second and last official king of the Northern Ndebele people (historically called Matabele in English). Both names in the Ndebele language mean "the men of the long shields", a refere ...

, and a senior queen, until 1893. She had no sons, only daughters, yet even so was influential in the attempt to have the son of a co-wife serve as her husband's successor. She was known for her outspokenness and for her defiance of the white settlers in what would later become

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

. When her husband disappeared, she served for a time as ''de facto'' regent of the kingdom. Her place of retirement in the Bembezi River was an island which came to be known as the "Queen's Location". Lozikeyi died at Nkosikazi in

Bubi District Bubi is a district in Matabeleland North in Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, ...

of influenza; her grave in the vicinity may still be visited, although its condition has been described as "neglected". Nearby is a school for which she lobbied and which she opened; it still serves students, although it has not been modernized. She was the subject of a biography, ''Lozikeyi Dlodlo Queen of the Ndebele: "A Very Dangerous and Intriguing Woman"'' by Marieke Faber Clarke and Pathisa Nyathi, published in 2013. Four photographs of her are in the collection of the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, which featured her in an exhibit during the construction of a new wing.

Queen of the Ndebele

Queen Lozikeyi took over leadership of the Ndebele nation due to the constitutional precedent among the Nguni people. Queen Lozikeyi was not the first woman to lead in this capacity. But rather was a part of a collection of strong influential royal woman in Nguni society. Queen

Labotsibeni Mdluli Labotsibeni Mdluli, also known as Gwamile (c. 1859 – 15 December 1925), was the Queen Mother and Queen Regent of Swaziland. Early life She was born at Luhlekweni in northern Swaziland around 1859, the daughter of Matsanjana Mdluli. At the tim ...

was queen mother of Swaziland from 1889 to her death in 1925.

Anglo-Matabele war of 1896

Lozikeyi Dlodlo played an important role in the Anglo-Matabele war of 1896. She was in charge of the King's army, thanks to her Dlodlo powers. Together with her twin brother, Muntuwani, she ensured that the army had enough ammunition ahead of the 1896 war by using the weaponry her husband did not use in the first Anglo-Matabele war of 1893.

References

1919 deaths 19th-century rulers in Africa 20th-century rulers in Africa Women rulers in Africa Deaths from Spanish flu Infectious disease deaths in Zimbabwe People from Matabeleland North Province Ndebele Year of birth unknown {{Africa-royal-stub