Mpande's - University of Zululand Institutional Repository

-87-
Athi zaphel' izinkomo nguMswazi.
[Saying Mswazi devours cattle]
Lalelani low' omemezayo,
[Listen to the one yelling]
Umemeza sengath ' uyakhala,
[Yelling as ifhe is crying]
Sengath' ukhal' isililo:
[As if he is mourning]
Umalambule banoSidubelo,
[Malambule and Sidubelo]
Banonina kaPhenduka,
[with Phenduka's mother]
Bamemeze behlez' eMfihlweni,
[They yelled seated at Mfihlweni]
Bathi godl' ekhwapheni ""
[Saying hide it under the elbow]
The Izinyathi (Buffalo) ibutho of Mswati was feared among the local
clans, but proved unable to withstand the Zulu amabutho, invariably
retreating into the cavernous precipices and mountain strongholds of its
land. The Zulu onslaught forced the Izinyathi to flee to the caves and
gorges." The reason was that the Zulu discipline and tactics proved to be
highly effective and could not be neutralised by traditional Mswati
offensives.
IsaNgqu, the only Zulu ibutho of many in the force which remained
unexhausted, proceeded to raid the cattle of Fabase, an inkosi ofthe Sotho
clan. This was also recorded in Mpande's praises:
" C.S.L. Nyembezi: Izibongo Zamakhosi, p. 75.
R. Cope: "The Zulu Kingdom, 1824 - 1879" Paper given at a conference on the
Anglo-Zulu War, University ofthe Witwatersranc!, 1979, pp. 2 - 5.