THE TSETSE PROBLEM IN NORTH MOSSURISE. 331 



VIT. — Umzila's Experiments in Close Settlement. 

 Earlier History of the District. 



About ninety years ago, following immediately on the invasion of Bulindhlela or 

 lower Gazaland (the Delagoa-lnyambane country) by the Zulu chief Manikusa, what 

 are now the Mossurise and South Melsetter districts became the scene of three 

 invasions. First came tha^ of " the Bulindhlela chiefs, who, though defeated by 

 Manikusa, refused to submit to him. . . . They retired in a north- w^esterly direction, 

 over-ran this country, seized all cattle (then plentiful) and later proceeded north to 

 Matoko's." Secondly, these fugitives were '' followed by Uniaba (alias Mosani) as 

 far as Chiamiti — now the farm Schaapplaats in South Melsetter. Here Undaba and 

 his people settled." Un6aba was a brother of Manikusa's father, Isigode, and he 

 and his people were part of the Zulu invading force under Manikusa. 



" Uncaba became unpopular here, one of the principal grievances being that he 

 would not allow members of his crack regiment, the Amakanda, to marry until their 

 heads were grey. Representations were made to Manikusa and he Avas induced 

 to come up here. Fighting occurred and Uncaba, forsaken by his best fighting 

 regiment (the Amakanda) retired with a following up the Sabi valley, and 

 subsequently in a north-westerly direction " (letter from Mr. W. M. Longden). 

 I do not know whether the view is correct that this '" impi " founded the 

 ^' Angoni " tribe near Lake Nyasa. 



Manikusa (who returned to lower Gazaland) died in 18G1. His second son, 

 Umzila, disputed the claim of his elder brother, Maw^ewe, to the throne and, at first 

 defeated by him, w^ent north and settled in succession at Umpombo's on the Buzi, 

 and Dongonda north of the Lusitu (see Map). Ma we we eventually followed him 

 thither, but was defeated with the aid of the Portuguese, and Umzila took possession 

 of lower Gazaland. He himself remained at his northern capital, which he shifted 

 more than once. From Dongonda he moved to Gandwa, on what is now the ^Titer's 

 farm " Gungunyana " in South Melsetter, and thence, later, to the neighbourhood 

 of the Chinyika River in Gwenzi's country, south of Spungabera. Here he made 

 his longest sta}^ eventually moving to Mwayamuhle's, just south of the Mossurise 

 in Garawha's country ; and here he died. 



His son Gungunyana shifted the headquarters across the Mossurise to the foot 

 of Mount Singuno, but later, in about 1889, he returned to the old southern capital 

 Bileni, near Louren9o Marques. The population of Mossurise and South Melsetter 

 was forcibly collected and taken thither. Soon after — in 1895 — ^the Portuguese 

 Government had to bring Gungunyana to account, and with his capture in the 

 following January (Theale), the Zulu native domination ended. Since then the 

 Mossurise natives have gradually drifted back from Bileni to their old homes, but 

 it is stated on all hands that only a small proportion actually has come back, and 

 that the population of the district does not at all approach its former size. 



In 1893, the land on the British side of the border was occupied and settled by 

 Europeans, that on the Portuguese side, in part depopulated of natives as I have 

 stated, remaining wild to this day. In 1896-7 the rinderpest swept through the 

 country and, missing small areas here and there, decimated not merely cattle, 

 but in particular buffalos, kudus and elands. 

 (737) B 



