History of Ndebele Kingdom Ndebele are distantly related to Zulu tribe. However, they are totally different nation. Ndebele are people of South Africa and Zimbabwe as the kingdom is a union of different tribes including the Northern Ndebele and their not so closely related Southern Ndebele. Northern Ndebele are a bantu speaking group of people, an ethnic group in Southern Africa that shares common culture and language called isiNdebele. The Northern Ndebele were originally known as Matebele, meaning people who are protected behind tall cow hide shields. The history of Northern Ndebele people began when a Abe-Nguni gropu split from King Shaka of Zululand in the early 1970, they were under the leadership of Mzilikazi a former chief and ally to Shaka Zulu under his command Abe-Nguni went to conquer and rule the areas of the Southern Ndebele. Mzilikazi (meaning The Great Road), was a Southern African king who founded the Matabele kingdom (Mthwakazi), Matabeleland, in what became Rhodesia and is now Zimbabwe. He was born ca. 1790 near Mkuze, Zululand (now part of South Africa).This is where the identity and kingdom of Ndebele were chosen at a particularly disturbing period in Nguni and Sotho- Tswana history as the Mfecane. In Zulu, the word means "crushing." Mfecane refers to a period of political disruption and population migration in Southern Africa which occurred during the 1820s and 1830s. Mzilikazi's battalion travelled west towards the present city of Pretoria and found a settlement called Laladela Mzilikazi's soldiers were about 500 in number. Mzilikazi was defeated by the Voortrekkers in 1836. After his defeat he moved into present day Zimbabwe where he and the Ndebele people out grew the local people of Lobi. They created settlement and made the town their own Matabeleland. Its around the west and South-west region country. As the result of new settlement the local group and people were absorbed into the Ndebele nation. These groups includes people who came from the Southern Ndebele Swazi, Botswana, and Lozi ethnic groups. This nation then took the Ndebele language and cultures as it's common language and culture. The Southern Ndebele is an ethnic group native to South Africa which speaks South Ndebele which is different both from the Northern Transvaal Ndebele language as well as the Zimbabwe Ndebele language. The Northern Transvaal constitutes the people of Gegena, while the Zimbabwean Ndebela as the people of Mzilikazi's Matebele Empire. The Southern Ndebele people are the followers descendants of Nzunza and Monala. They are not to be confused with Mzilikazis Northern Ndebele people of present day Zimbabwe, who were group separate from the Zulu nation. Although the Northern Ndebele groups come into contact with each other only after Mafekele, the southern Ndebele people live in the province of Mpumalanga , Gateng and Limpopo. All of which are in the North-East of the country.The leader of the Northern Ndebele clan was a Mzilikazis close a new head quarters on the western edge of the Central Plateau present day Zimbabwe. He led about 20,000 Ndebele people who were derived from the Nguni and Tso Tho of South Africa. Mzilikazi had invaded the Roses date and many of the Rose people joined the Ndebele nation volunteraly because it would offer them protection from enemies. Some other territories were Mzilikazis did not settle, paid tribute to Ndebele Kingdom as a sign to submission and loyalty to him. The new nation was named Mukikazi by Mzilikazi. Mwazwakizi Zulu meaning something which became being it's birth or beginning which European later called it Matebele Land. Mzilikazi organinsed this land, joined with it's many ethnic groups in a military system of town made Bulawayo the capital. He was considered a sensible diplomat by politicians came and he managed a stable culture out of diversed conquered people and towns. In the year 1852, the Boer government in Transvaal had reached an agreement with Ndebele had reached an agreement with Ndebele nation after signing a certain treaty with Mzilikazi. But when gold was discovered in Mashonaland in 1867 the Europeans power became increasingly interested in the region. The society of the Ndebele people was controlled by many rulers of the social ranking heritage from King Shaka as reforms the Zulu people. The other tribes that were subject to the kingdom such as Mashonaland their lives and property were under the kings control and raided for tribule. This is what the British Pioneer column experienced when they arrived in Mashonaland in 1890. Mzilikazi died on 9 September 1868 near Bulawayo. His son Lobengula reined as the king of the Ndebele nation. Lobengula established a kingdom that oversaw the region between Limpopo River and Zambezi River to the North and South. The land also went between desert of the Madage salt pans to the west and shushangene to the east. In exchange for money and arms, Lobengula granted many privileges to rights to the British. One of the most important privilege given to European was the 1888 road concession, which gave Cecil Rhodes the entire right to the mineral resources in most of the lands east of the main Ndebele territory. As part of the agreement the British would pay Lobengula £100 a month also giving him a thousand rifles, 10,000 rounds of ammunition. It was already known that gold was in that area with the privilege of Rudd concession. Rhodes was able to Royal Charter to form the British South Africa Company in 1889. The Rudd Concession of 1888 allowed British Mining Activities and colonisation of Matabeleland, Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. The agreement was also made Rudd Concession would reduce the movement of Europeans into land but more white settles moved into the area because all the establishment was for BSAC. BSAC later set up their own government, madeit's own laws, and made it's desire to have more mineral rights and more territorial privileges known. The Ndebele are well known for their outstanding craftsmanship, their decorative homes, and their distinctive and highly colourful mode of dress and ornamentation. The beautiful tribal women of South Africa: Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu, Basotho, Venda, Tsonga, Tswana. Who killed mashobane? In the 1986 South African TV series, Shaka Zulu, Mashobane was beheaded by Ndwandwe soldiers and his head given to the Sangoma Queen Ntombazi of the Ndwandwe who was Zwide's mother. Ntombazi was a feared wizard..