The First Chimurenga in Zimbabwe(1894–97)

   Zimbabwe is a small landlocked country that is found in Southern Africa. During the 1890s there was an uprising called the Chimurenga which is a term in Shona language that means a revolutionary war. The uprising was sparked by a number of incidents which happened concurrently both in Matebeleland and Mashonaland provinces. Cecil John Rhodes who was a South African business magnate had some interest in the country so did the  Portuguese colonists who had already colonized  Mozambique and wanted to expand their sphere of influence to Zimbabwe. 

   After learning about Zimbabwe’s rich minerals, cheap human labour and fertile lands Cecil John Rhodes the Founder of British South Africa Company set out to colonize Zimbabwe. He got help from John Moffat, son to Robert Moffat, a missionary who founded the Inyati Mission in Matabeleland, Rhodes duped King Lobengula into signing the Moffat Treaty on February 11 1888. The treaty was written in English to confuse the illiterate King and his Indunas to unknowingly give away land from Limpopo to Zambezi valley to the British. This move was fast paced by Rhodes to disinterest the Portuguese who also had interest in the region.

                                        

                                        The Ndebele king Lobengula (left) and Cecil John Rhodes (right) 

        Rhodes next planned move was to make the King sign another agreement called the Rudd concession which gave the white invaders all power to mine gold and other minerals in the country. So he sent his fellowman John Rudd again to King Lobengula to sign the Rudd concession. King Lobengula without knowledge signed the document. After noticing that he has been duped, the Ndebele king Lobengula tried to contest the agreement but this did not daunt Cecil Rhodes from fraudulently getting control of all the land. All moves by Rhodes were unnoticed by the locals.          Around 1890 after colonizing Mashonaland, Leander Jameson who was Rhodes partner marched with an army called the Pioneer Column to Matabeleland from Mashonaland with about 980 white soldiers in quest to conquer the whole province. Mashonaland was occupied in 1890 and the invasion contributed to resistance by the local people who realised their standard life had been disturbed. After occupying the Mashonaland province. Each pioneer column soldier was granted was granted 3 000 acres or 1 320 hectares of free farmland.         

A pioneer soldier and a ndebele fighter

 The land issue, which was extremely sensitive and controversial, pushed paramount chiefs and spirit mediums to rise up against the British settlers. The local people were pushed or forced out of their land to unfertile, disease infested and low-rain fall areas where they were crowded. Normal life supporting activities such as hunting of wild animals for the purposes of feeding the family were now outlawed and termed poaching. Both the Shona and Ndebele tribes united and fought against British with arrows, traps and spears which did not kill most of the white men. In a move that also incited the black majority, Mlimo, the spiritual leader also attributed droughts, locust plagues and cattle disease to the presence of whites in the country as they had disturbed the way of life.The pioneer column soldiers used guns which could penetrate animal hides which were used by the locals to shield from bullets. More locals died than white soldiers.