The Hwata dynasty ruled part of what is now Zimbabwe, beginning with Shayachimwe Mukombami, the founding father of the Hwata Mufakose people, who ruled from 1775 to 1820.
Origin Three brothers, Shayachimwe, Nyakudya, and Gutsa, who were of the Shava Dynasty and the Museyamwa totem, migrated northwards from Buhera (Va Hera) in the south of Zimbabwe in the late eighteenth century. Legend has it that Gutsa was a volatile warrior who killed some relatives for abuse of power and women, and the three brothers ran away together between 1760 and 1780. The three brothers were invited by elder brother, Chief Seke Mutema to settle in the Harava area. Later, Gutsa was introduced by Seke to Chief Mbare of the Shumba Gurundoro totem, who resided in the present-day city of Harare, as a skilled iron-monger. Chief Mbare settled the three brothers on the Barapata hill. For a while, Shayachimwe, Gutsa and Nyakudya lived under Chief Mbare, but a plot was hatched by Chief Seke, and the Va Hera brothers killed Chief Mbare and took his lands, which stretched to the south of modern-day Harare.
In due course, the three brothers moved north and defeated Chief Zumbo at Mazoe. The Zumbo people nicknamed Shayachimwe Hwata because he had long legs and walked like a hwata, the secretarybird.
These northern Va Hera did not form a single dynasty, but instead formed a confederacy of two units which reported to Seke. The Hwata Dynasty was founded by Shayachimwe Mukombami about 1760 and the Chiweshe dynasty was founded by Nyakudya's son Nyamhangambiri. The Hwata dynasty became more dominant and stretched from present day Harare, past the Mazoe Dam (then commonly known as pagomba) to modern day Glendale and to the heads of the Mazoe, Tateguru and Murowodzi valleys. Gutsa, the youngest brother, did not form a dynasty of his own. Shayachimwe and Nyamhangambiri abandoned their praise name of Museyamwa. Hwata Shayachimwe assumed the new praise name of Mufakose which means (I have lost both ways) while Chiweshe Nyangambiri assumed the praise name of Mutenhesanwa. Hwata Shayachimwe established his capital at Barapata Hill on the modern Mufakose suburb in Salisbury now called Harare, capital city of Zimbabwe.
First Chimurenga (1896–1897) The first half of the nineteenth century saw a considerable rise in the prosperity of the Va Hera who settled in the area around present day Harare between 1760 and 1780. The Hwata dynasty took control of the Shawasha gold fields and a succession of Hwata rulers, the sons of Shayachimwe, dominated trade with Portuguese from the East. This prosperity attracted attention, and the Va Hera were raided and defeated by the Ndebele from 1861 to 1864. Hwata Gwindi travelled to King Lobengula in 1864, to discuss end of hostilities so that they can face common enemy, the British South Africa Company which was occupying parts of the country and taking over their mines and lands.
On 12 September 1890, white settlers of British extraction led by a hunter, Selous, hoisted the British flag in the territory of Hwata, in present-day Harare in Mashonaland, Zimbabwe. They claimed the land as a British discovery in the name of the Queen of Great Britain. They called the country Southern Rhodesia.
Hwata Chiripanyanga who became Chief Hwata in 1892, played a leadership role in the First Chimurenga war of Southern Rhodesia in June 1896. He worked with Nehanda Nyakasina to organise resistance by the Hwata people against British settlers who had invaded their lands at PaGomba in Mazoe valley. Hwata lost the lives of 100 fighters in guerrilla type battles with British settlers. He surrendered together with Mbuya Nehanda for their participation in the war. Mbuya Nehanda is referred to as Nyanda in most early history records. Other families that have branches from Hwata Dynasty include Mhasvi, Gotora, Nyariri, Mhembere, Katambarare, Ziwange, Mabvurambudzi; Meda; Warambwa; Garwe, Kanengoni, Chivero, Mandaza, Gomera, Goredema, Muringai, Chidamba, Chiverere, Ndewere, Chakuchichi, Mandizha, Mutambirwa, Matsvetu, Ngoshi, Kaseke.
Battle of Mazoe (June 1896) In June 1896 Chief Mashayamombe led a rebellion against white occupation in the Mhondoro-Hartely (now Chegutu) area. Hwata Chiripanyanga and Nehanda Nyakasikana Ambuya Nehanda also referred to as the witch Nyanda in British records of that period, heard this news and organised uprising against the British settlers from their lands at Mazoe. (A film in which Stella Chiweshe played the role of Ambuya Nehanda, died 1896, has been made.)
Hwata Chiripanyanga, the grandson of Shayachimwe Mukombami and son of Guvamombe, became Mambo (King) of the Hwata people in 1892. Succession of Hwata Mambos and their subjects had bought guns over the years from Portuguese traders in exchange for gold from the Mazoe and Chishawasha mines. The guns were used for hunting and protecting themselves against Ndebele invasions. When the news of the Mashayamombe rebellion reached Mazoe, Mambo Hwata summoned all his subjects and asked them to bring their guns (zvigidi). Mambo Hwata then asked the family spirit medium, Charwe Nyakasikana Known as Mbuya Nehanda to consult the ancestors. Mbuya Nehanda gave the assurance to the Hwata people that they were fighting a good cause and that the spirits of the forefathers (masvikiro), would protect them in the same way that they had led them from Buhera through many conquests.
War strategy A British South Africa Company policeman called Mhasvi son of Gotora from one of the Hwata houses leaders named Hiya, deserted the British to join the rebellion at Mazoe. He was made commander of the army and trained the Hwata men on how to shoot with guns. Mambo Hwata gave orders to cut telephone lines and gave his men letters to take to all British families in the area, with the instruction that the men should attack and kill all British men who came out to receive the fake letters. This news reached the British families in the area and they sought refuge at Mazoe Mine. An initial army of 20 villagers attacked a British convoy of 6 British men (Faull, Cass, Dickensen, Pascoe, Fairbairn and Stoddart) who had left Mazoe mine driving a donkey cart towards Salisbury. They had left their wives at Mazoe Mine.
The villagers shot and killed Cass, followed by one Dickenson. Shortly after, the Hwata soldiers attempted to ambush the remaining four British men by pretending to be friendly Mashona. The four became suspicious of their knobkerries, and started to open fire. The donkey kart was hastily turned around, with one Pascoe and Faull scrambled in front, and a Fairbairn and Stobbart following behind. After travelling a hundred yards, the Hwata shot at Faull, and his body slumped to the ground. Fairbairn returned fire and killed a Hwata youth. There was an exchange of fire between the Hwata villagers and the remaining two British men, who fled to the mine after Fairbairn's gun jammed. Meanwhile, Blakiston, Darling, Spreckley and Hendrik who had remained at the mine decided to accompany the three women on a wagonette to Salisbury. They were attacked by fifty armed villagers, and they immediately returned unharmed to the mine. Later, Blakiston persuaded Routledge to accompany him to the grass thatched hut to send a rescue telegraph to Salisbury.
They managed to send a message that read: "We are surrounded. Dickensen, Cass, Faull killed ... for God's sake ..." and "We are surrounded, send us help, this is our only chance. Goodbye". Blakiston, standing in the doorway of the pole and dagga hut scanning the grass and bush, shouted as he saw the villagers swarming their line of retreat.
Off they set, with Routledge on the saddle and Blakiston running at his side. Bullets whistled round their heads as the natives swarmed towards their line of retreat, but they managed to cover half the journey in safety until they were in full view of their colleagues at the mine. Suddenly the horse was seen to fall and Routledge was thrown to the ground; he rose and made for cover, but was shot. Blakiston gained cover of the bush hotly pursued by the villagers; shots were heard, and Blakiston was never seen again. Six British men had been killed at Mazoe in a day. What needs to be corrected is that the Settlers tried to downplay the strength and power of the Hwata Dynasty by coming up with a false narrative that Mhasvi was a rebel policemen from Salisbury from the Harava clan and not from the Hwata clan, this is NOT true. Mhasvi was a son of the Hwata Dynasty.Beach, D. (1998). An Innocent Woman, Unjustly Accused? Charwe, Medium of the Nehanda Mhondoro Spirit, and the 1896-97 Central Shona Rising in Zimbabwe. History in Africa, 25, 27-54. doi:10.2307/3172179
Judson rescue party On 18 June 1896, concerned about the safety of the party at Mazoe Mine, the Administrator for Harare, Judge Vincent, organised Dan Judson and four men (Honey, Godfrey King, Hendriks, Guyen and Stamford Brown) to travel from Harare to Mazoe to rescue the besieged inhabitants. Judson's party left Harare just after sunset and followed the old Mazoe road via Marlborough. They were joined by another five men at Mount Hampden, going past the Salvation Army farm where the late Cass lived. A mile later, they came under fierce gun attack from dense bush. Niebuhr was shot in the hand and his horse died. Rawson's horse was also shot dead and the two got rides from Judson and Hendrik. They rode through the bush, where horses were shot and Niebuhr was injured seriously. Three villagers were killed. The Judson party survived the hail of gunshots and arrived safely at Mazoe mine. However, the mine remained under heavy attack. Rawson acknowledged in his report that Mhasvi managed to keep up a steady fire with great accuracy. There were no further casualties at the mine on this day. However, later that evening, Charles Annesty, a prospector who was returning to the mine from Chipadze kraal riding a donkey, was shot dead by the locals. The assault on the mine resumed at dawn on 19 June 1896 with barrages of gunfire which continued until midday.
Nesbitt Mazoe patrol Meanwhile, in Salisbury, Judge Vincent dispatched another patrol of 13 men to assist Dan Judson at Mazoe mine. They left at 10.30 pm under the command of Captain Nesbitt. Their departure was noticed by Africans who sent their traditional fire messages at hilltops that warned others of approaching danger. Captain Nesbitt's party endured gun attack from the Hwata people and suffered injury of only one man and his horse. They arrived at the mine safely at dawn on 20 June 1896. The party of 30 men and 3 women departed from Mazoe for Salisburyat midday on 20 June 1896 with a wagon of 6 horses and 12 men on foot. The Hwata people commenced attack from both sides of the road after just half a mile but with no injury. The gun attack intensified when the party reached Chomukoreka near Vesuvius Mine. Every tree or rock appeared to hide a Hwata man and they were invisible because of the tall grass.
At this spot, Troopers McGeer and Jacobs were shot dead, together with the horses belonging to Captain Nesbitt and Trooper Edmonds. Pascoe decided to sit on the roof of the wagon to look out for the enemy, and survived, except for a bullet that went through his hat. Bullets continued to hail on the sides of the wagon which was protected by metal sheets. There were about 50 Hwata men in pursuit with a wide variety of guns which included Lee-Metfords, Martini Henry's, and muzzle loaders into which they crammed nails and stones. The grass swarmed with black people, and Trooper Van Staden died after his head was blown off and Ogilvie and Burton were wounded. Another bullet ripped through the face of Burton and fell into the wagon to be tendered by the women.