Nsingu Day – February 5, the Day of the Ngoni Warriors Featured
On this date – February 5 at dawn – in 1898 commander
in-chief of our Ngoni warriors Nsingu was executed by Cecil John Rhodes’ forces after a mock court-martial the previous day.
Today it is 123 years since that very sad, very painful and barbaric murder of our innocent leader. What was his crime? Refusing to handover our land and minerals to Rhodes and his companies. He was guilty of mobilising an army of 10,000 young Ngoni warriors armed with the asegai to defend our land, our minerals, our heritage, our dignity against Rhodes’ better resourced army – armed with Maxim-guns and Seven-pounders.
After taking colonial possession of this territory, now constituting the Republic of Zambia in 1891, Rhodes felt all our land and minerals were now his and he could prospect and mine minerals in any part of it as he pleased. Rhodes believed there was gold in the Cipeta area occupied by the Ngonis. This was because south of the Cipeta, in a territory under Lobengula, in what is now Zimbabwe, Rhodes had found gold. He believed even the Cipeta should have gold. And he wanted to prospect for and mine minerals in this territory without the consent of the Ngonis. Our people and their leaders decided to defend their land with all they had – their lives.
Today, 12 decades later, we the new Ngoni warriors rise to honour their sacrifices, their courage, their dignity, their patriotism.
If we win the August 12 elections and the new, the 21st Century Cecil Rhodes decide to attack us in December as they did in December 1897, they will find not 10,000 young Ngoni warriors but a whole nation of warriors, of patriots ready to defend their homeland, ready to die standing than to live on their knees.
Our struggle is a continuation of the struggle started by our Ngoni ancestors. It’s their heroic spirits inspiring and guiding our struggles and the work of the Nsingu Elections Campaign Brigade.
Aluta continua! The struggle continues!
Victoria acerta! Victory is certain!
Nsingu lives in us!
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party