Impi yaseTshaneni yabe iphakathi kukaZulu ngaphansi kweNgonyama u-Mamonga woSuthu noMandlakazi ngaphansi koMntwana u-Zibhebhu Zulu . Le mpi siyangayichaza ngokuthi kwakuyimpi yokubuyisa izibduku ngoba iSilo u-Mamonga sasidinga ukujezisa uMntwana u-Zibhebhu ngayekwenze kuYise waso iSilo u-Cetshwayo ,ikakhulukazi ukushisa isigodlo sasoNdini lapho iSilo u-Cetshwayo sasinda khona ngokulambisa -saphulukundlela saphikelela ehlathini laseNkandla sayobhaca khona . Kulokho kuhlasela kwafa izikhulu zikaZulu eziningi kakhulu esingabala kuzo oNtshingwayo Khoza ,Godide Ntuli,Ndwandwe Langa nezinye . Ngaphambi kokuba sikhothame iSilo u-Cetshwayo sacela indodana yaso u-Mamonga eyabe isencane ngokweminyaka ngaleso sikhathi ukuba isiphindisele kuMntwana u-Zibhebhu . ISilo u-Mamonga sahlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sisesincane kakhulu ngokweminyaka . Empeleni ngokwesiko lasebuNguni iNgonyama ikhethwa kuBantwana abazalwe ngenkathi uyise wabo eseyiNgonyama ebusayo ,hhayi uMntwana. INgonyama u-Mamonga yona yazalwa yaba yiyona yodwa ingane yomfana ,lokho kwayenza yaba yiNgonyama ize uyise u-Cetshwayo wayeyizale engakabi yiNgonyama , kwazise uMntwana u-Manzolwandle wazalwa iSilo u-Cetshwayo sesikhotheme. Intaba iTshaneni isenyakatho yomfula uMkhuze ,kuleyo ndawo sekwakhiwa idolobha laseMkhuze . Futhi kuleyo ndawo kwakwakhe abakwaNxumalo ,futhi kulapho amathuna okhokho babo ekhona. Ngemuva kokukhothama kweSilo u-Jininindi uMntwana u-Zibhebhu wayelokhu eqhubeke njalo ngokuhlasela abalandeli boSuthu ,ethumba nezinkomo zabo.

USuthu lwagcina luyiphakile ,yaholwa yiNgonyama u-Mamonga kanye noYise abancane abaNtwana oNdabuko. Ingakalwi impi yaseTshaneni kwaqhamuka amabhunu ayeholwa nguLouis Botha owabe engomunye wabangane beSilo u-Mamonga , futhi wayekhule naso iSilo u-Mamonga . U-Botha iSilo u-Mamonga wayesishiya ngeminyaka eyisithupha ,iSilo u-Mamonga wayesibiza ngomnawabo ,esikhonzile kakhulu. Nguyena lo Botha okwahamba kwahamba waba nguMengameli wokuqala waseNingizimu Afrika . Nguyena futhi owathengela iSilo u-Mamonga ipulazi i-Uitkyk ngenkathi iNgonyama u-Mamonga iboshwe ngamaNgisi ngemuva kwempi yaMakhanda. Ingonyama u-Mamonga yayikhononde ngokuthi yayingafuni ukubuyela eSiqingini i-St Helena ngenxa yokubanda kwaleya ndawo ,nangenxa yokungavuleki kwayo , nanokuthi yayikude nezwe lakwaZulu. U-Botha-ke wase eyithengela ipulazi eMidleburg eMpumalanga lapho yafika yakha khona umuzi wakwaThengisangaye .

Ingakaqali impi yaseTshaneni u-Botha waya eSilweni u-Mamonga wasitshela ukuthi yena nabangane bakhe babezimisele ukusiza uSuthu ekunqobeni uMandlakazi . Ngempela yavuma iNgonyama yakwaZulu kodwa ayizange ibathembise mhlaba futhi yayingazange ilucele usizo lwabo . U-Botha wayebophele izinkabi zakhe oLukhazi(Lucas Meyer) ,Paul Bester nabanye. Kanti u-Adolph Schiel wayehola izinkabi zamaJalimane . Sebebonke bazibiza ngokuthi bayi ‘ Dinuzulu Volunteeers’.

U-Mamonga wayihola phambili eyoSuthu egibele ihhashi lakhe elimnyama ayelikhonze kakhulu . Wayelandelwa ngamabutho kaZulu ehuba ihubo ayeliqambile yena uqobo elithi ‘Wayihlaba wema nayo’. Bawela umfula iVuna usinga selungenhla emabuthweni kaZulu ngenxa yokwehla kahle kwehubo kubona futhi eselunywa nayizintelezi. Izinkabi zaMabhunu nezamaJalimane zazizihambela emuva kwamabutho akwaZulu futhi ngisho nangenkathi sekuliwa akukho lutho olutheni ezalwenza . Bacekela phansi umuzi waseBanganomo nowabe ungowoMntwana u-Zibhebhu . Inkundla yempi yayiphakathi kwezintaba zasoBonjeni , umfula uMkhuze ,intaba iTshaneni nesicongo soGasa esaqanjwa ngomunye wokhokho bakwaNxumalo . Yagoba uphondo eyakwaMandlakazi futhi kwafa amabutho amaningi kuyo . Kwafa noMgojana kaSomaphunga Ndwandwe owayelwa ngasohlangothini lukaMandlakazi . U-Mgojana wayeganwe nguMntwana u-Mbixambixa kaMpande kodwa kwahamba kwahamba wamchitha wayozimbandakanya noMandlakazi ngoba ekhale ngokuthi uMntwana u-Mbixambixa wayesekhulile . UMntwana u-Zibhebhu yena wabalekela egqumeni nezinkabi zakhe zamaNgisi oJohn Eckersley noHenry Grosvenor Darke . Ngemuva kwalokho wabalekela eLizevu eyayisanda kwakhiwa eMhlathuze wayobhaca khona wahlala engasenaso isithunzi . Kodwa kwahamba kwahamba waphuma wabuyela eBanganomo wayokwakha kabusha isigodlo sakhe.

ISilo u-Mamonga sona sahola impi yaso eyayidle umhlanganiso silokhu silihube njalo ihubo laso elithi ‘Wayihlaba wema nayo’ sesiphindela kwaNongoma . Impi yaseTshaneni yalandelwa eyakwaNdunu esisazobuye sixoxe ngayo .

Izibongo zeNgongama u-Mamonga ezithinta impi yaseTshaneni zithi

‘ uMkhangula jozi phansi kweTshana
Ulikhangule ngoFalaza
UFakaza wathukuthela
Ukuba kaz’eleMbokodebomvu
Uyakulikhangula nini?

Zibuye zithi ‘Gijimani ngazo zonke izindlela niyobikela abakaSidladla naNtini ,nabakwaVuma. Nithi amanzi oMkhuze ningawaphuzi ,ngoba uDinuzulu indaba uyenzile . Ugwaze impi yema ! Nje gegama likaDadewabo uSimiso .

Ake ngime lapho okwanamuhla

English version

The battle of Tshaneni was between Zulu under King Mamonga woSuthu (King Dinuzulu ka Cetshwayo)and Mandlakazi under Prince Zibhebhu Zulu. We can describe this war as a war of revenge because King Mamonga needed to punish Prince Zibebu for what he had done to his father King Cetshwayo, especially the burning of the palace at Ondini where King Cetshwayo escaped and fled to the Nkandla forest . Many Zulu officials were killed in the attack, including Ntshingwayo Khoza, Godide Ntuli, Ndwandwe Langa and others. Before King Cetshwayo died he asked his son Mamonga, who was still young at the time, to revenge for him to Prince Zibhebbu. King Mamonga ascended the throne at a very young age. In fact, according to Nguni tradition, the monarch was chosen from the children born when their father was the ruling monarch, not the prince. King Mamonga was King Cetshwayo”s only son, thats why he was chosen unopposed to be a King after the death of his father. Remember Prince Manzolwandle ka Cetshwayo was born few months after his father”s death. Mount Tshaneni is north of the Mkhuze River, where the town of Mkhuze is being built. After the death of King Cetshwayo Prince Zibhebhu continued to harrass uSuthu [uSuthu is King Cetshwayo followers]

USuthu eventually declared war , which was led by King Mamonga and Prince Ndabuko ka Cetshwayo . Before the battle of Tshaneni came Boers led by Louis Botha who was one of King Mamonga’s friends, and King Mamonga had grown up with him. He was the same Botha who later became the first President of South Africa. He also bought King Mamonga the Uitkyk farm while he was captured by the British after the IMpi yamakhanda .King Mamonga complained that he did not want to return to St Helena Island where he was kept during his previous arestbecause of the cold, and it was far from Zululand. Botha then bought him a farm in Midleburg in Mpumalanga where he built his Palace and named it kwaThengisangaye.
Before the battle of Tshaneni began, Botha went to Mamonga and told him that he and his friends were determined to help uSuthu to defeat Mandlakazi. The Zulu King really agreed but did not promise them land and did not ask for their help.

Mamonga led uSuthu horse on his much-loved black horse. He was followed by Zulu troops singing a hymn he had composed himself ”.Wayihlaba wema nayo’. They crossed the Vuna ,the Boer and German oxen were moving behind the Zulu army and even during the fighting they did little. They destroyed the city of Banganomo, which belonged to Prince Zibhebhu. The battlefield was between the Bonjeni Mountains, the Mkhuze River, Mount Tshaneni and the Gasa peak, named after one of the Nxumalo ancestors. UMandlakazi was heavily defeated in this batle , a lot of uMandlakazi men died in this batle Mgojana ka Somaphunga Ndwandwe who was fighting on Mandlakazi’s side died in this batle. Mgojana was married to Princess Mbixambixa kaMpande but eventually broke up with her and joined Mandlakazi because he complained that Princess Mbixambixa was too old. Prince Zebhebhu fled to the hill with his English friends John Eckersley and Henry Grosvenor Darke. He then fled to the newly built Lizevu in Umhlathuze and hid there and lost his dignity. But he eventually left and returned to Banganomo to rebuild his palace.
King Mamonga, on the other hand, led his victorious army and sang his song ‘Wayihlaba wema nayo”.