This series of four podcasts presents an account of the destruction of the AmaHlubi chiefdom of Chief Langalibalele kaMthimkhulu Hadebe by the British authorities in the colony of Natal in the 1870s. This account was originally written by African intellectual Magema Magwaza Fuze in a series of articles published in the newspaper Ilanga lase Natal in 1915 and inthe period September 1919 to January 1920.
In these articles Fuze gives a blow-by-blow record of the trial of Chief Langalibalele and of the political upheavals that followed in governing circles both in colonial Natal and imperial Britain. Among other things, he describes the abrupt and tectonic fallout between Bishop Colenso and Theophilus Shepstone, who had been Secretary for Native Affairs in Natal for nearly thirty years. Colenso and Shepstone had been political allies and close friends for a long period. The bitter quarrel between them started when the bishop discovered that Shepstone and other colonial officials had worked in underhand ways to falsely accuse Langalibalele of having mounted a rebellion, an accusation which Colenso publicly refuted.
What is special about Fuze’s account of these matters is that it was written by an African with first-hand experience of them. In these podcasts we present Fuze’s account in his own words.
Episode One: amaHlubi before colonial times
This podcast discusses the backgrounds of Chief Langalibalele Hadebe and Magema Fuze respectively, and then continues with the words of Magema Fuze on ‘The amaHlubi during the reign of the Zulu King Shaka’ (12 & 19 September 1919), ‘Mtetwa’s name changes to Langalibalele’ (19 September 1919) and ‘The Hlubi left the Zulu kingdom and crossed over to Natal, in 1848’ (3 December 1915 & 19 September 1919).
Episode Two: Conflict with the Natal government
In this podcast you will hear the words of Magema Fuze on ‘The amaHlubi start to accumulate guns’ (3 December 1915, 18 April 1919 & 26 September 1919), ‘The authorities are concerned about the proliferation of guns among the amaHlubi’ (10 December 1915, 26 September 1919, 3 October 1919 & 12 December 1919), and ‘The authorities send Mahoiza to summon Langalibalele’ (18 & 25 April 1919, 3 & 10 October 1919).
Episode Three: The trial and defense of Langalibalele
In this podcast you will hear the words of Magema Fuze on ‘Soldiers arrested Langalibalele in Lesotho in late 1873’ (25 April 1919 & 28 November 1919), ‘Langalibalele’s trial and Colenso’s intervention’ (17, 24 & 31 October 1919 & 28 November 1919), and ‘Colenso fights for Langalibalele’s rights’ (8 September 1916 & 31 October 1919).
Episode Four: The exile and death of Langalibalele
In this podcast you will hear the words of Magema Fuze on ‘In August 1874, Langalibalele was exiled to Cape Town’ (8 September 1916, 25 April 1919, 31 October 1919 & 14 November 1919 & 12 December 1919), ‘In 1887 the government of Natal brought Langalibalele back from exile’ (8 September 1916, 14 November 1919 & 26 December 1919), and ‘Langalibalele dies in 1889’ (2 January 1920).
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CREDITS
These podcasts are a product of the Five Hundred Year Archive project based at the University of Cape Town. They were produced by Showcast Media.
The narrator was Sandile Ngidi and the part of Magema Fuze was read by Mwelela Cele. The script was prepared by Sizakele Gumede, Carolyn Hamilton, John Wright, Mwelela Cele and Steve Kotze. The page design was by Vanessa Chen. The isiZulu translations were made by Sizakele Gumede, Sandile Ngidi and Mwelela Cele. The original music for this podcast was composed and performed by Thokozani Mhlambi.
EMANDULO
EMANDULO is an experimental digital platform, in ongoing development, for engaging with resources pertinent to southern African history before colonialism across what is today eSwatini, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, and the Eastern Cape.