[centreforelites]

Traditional religion had always put a great influence over the Shona.

 

• The priests of the Mwari-Mlimo cult inspired a revolt among the Ndebeles and the Shonas against White rule.
• When the BSAC gave a lot of Ndebele land to white settlers the British government appointed a land commission in 1894 to ensure that land was left for the Ndebele.
• The commission created two Ndebele reserves at Gwaai and Shangani. Gwaai area had no water, while Shangani was tsetse-fly infested.
• Most of the Ndebele became squatters on European farms as a result of the inhospitable conditions of the two reserves.
• White farmers forced the Ndebele and the Shona to work for them in slavery conditions of service
• The Whites grabbed the Ndebele cattle and distributed them among themselves.
• The Ndebele monarchy was abolished together with the power of the Indunas.

• The upper Ndebele were also forced to work for white men.
• The powers of the Shona chiefs were also undermined.
• Shona land was also grabbed by White settlers.
• Shona people were punished by Whites without consulting their chiefs.
• The BSA Company grabbed the gold trading rights from the Shona.
• in 1894 hut tax was introduced for Blacks. All these taxings made both the Ndebele and the Shona to be bitter against White rule.
• The Ndebele and Shona were brought together by the Mwari-Mlimo traditional religious cult to bury their differences and face their white enemy.
• The Ndebele leadership was provided by Umlugulu, their Chief Priest and Mkwati.

• The Shona leadership was provided by religious leaders like Bonda, Nehanda and Kagubi.
• Under their leadership the Ndebele and the Shona revolted in 1896 after taking advantage of die failure of the BSA Company’s Jameson raid on the Boer homeland of Transvaal in 1895.
• The Ndebele and the Shona fought bravely but in the end, they were defeated, and the Ndebele surrendered first, later the Shonas also surrendered.
• Many Shona chiefs were tried and then hanged, while many Ndebele died in tire war.

• The whites won the war because they had better weapons and were well organized than the Blacks.

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