Mthwakazi

Name of the Ndebele kingdom in Zimbabwe Mthwakazi1840–1893CapitalBulawayoCommon languagesNdebeleGovernmentConstitutional MonarchyKing-Inkosi • 1820–1868 Mzilikazi• 1868–1894 Lobengula• 2018–present Bulelani Lobengula History • Established 1840• First Matabele War 1895 Area• Total152,000 km2 (59,000 sq mi) Preceded by Succeeded by Rozwi Empire Company rule in Rhodesia Today part ofZimbabwe (Matabeleland) Mthwakazi is the traditional name of the Northern Ndebele people and their kingdom in what is now Matabeleland, Zimbabwe. The kingdom was located between the Sanyati and Limpopo rivers. Additionally, Mthwakazi is widely used to refer to inhabitants of Matebeleland Province in Zimbabwe. Etymology The word Matabele is an anglicised term that was used by the British, a spelling that is still common in older texts, because they found it difficult to pronounce the word amaNdebele. Moreover, in the early 19th century, the Ndebele 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", so the British explorers, who were first informed of the existence of the kingdom by Sotho