BRENNA MATENDERE
THE recent reference by President Emmerson Mnangagwa of himself as King Munhumutapa is bizarre as it minimises his position as a national leader since the Mutapa State was only consigned to the northern part of modern-day Zimbabwe.
Despite his long-held fixation with the historic Shona state that was not only small but largely regional and known for exploitation of its people by its Portuguese puppet leaders through slavery.
Addressing a public gathering of Zanu PF supporters and government officials in Mutare, Mnangagwa declared that he will step down and retire at the end of his second term in 2028, contrary to accusations that he wants to extend his rule to 2030.
He then proceeded to say the next leader of the party must “walk in his footsteps” because he is Munhumutapa.
Before making comparisons that show Mnangagwa is nowhere near the title Munhumutapa, it is important to demystify the subject.
In living history, Munhumutapa is derived from a combination of two words Mwene or Munhu meaning Man, and Mutapa meaning conqueror.
It is a royal title for kings of the Mutapa State.
In essence, the Mutapa State was a southern African kingdom located in the north of modern Zimbabwe or Dande to be specific, which flourished between the mid-15th and mid-17th century CE.
A king of Mutapa State would only preside over the small state in the north. Mnangagwa is President of the whole country.
Historian Dr Takavafira Zhou, who has lectured at Great Zimbabwe University, said it is therefore degrading on the part of Mnangagwa for him to be emulating the title of a regional leader.
“It is unfortunate that a whole leader of a country would want to be seen like a regional leader. Mutapa State did not cover all the parts of Zimbabwe. It was just a small state in the north. What it therefore means is that Mnangagwa will be saying he is a regional and not national leader,” Zhou said.
“By referring to himself as Munhumutapa, he is actually degrading himself. What it implies is that Mnangagwa is saying he is the leader of a small area in the north and has nothing to do with people in Masvingo, Midlands and Matabeleland.”
Zhou added that besides that fact, only two of the Munhumutapa State kings were popular.
“It was only Nyatsimba Mutota and his successor who were good. The rest were puppets installed by Portugal and they oppressed their subjects. So it’s shocking for President Emmerson Mnangagwa. He was required to sign a treaty of vassalage to the Portuguese crown. a modern-day leader to want to be seen as that. It was going to be better if he had said he is Changamire Dombo who drove away the foreigners and liberated his people from oppression,” he said.
Negomo Chirisamhuru, one of the kings of the Mutapa State who ruled between 1560 to 1589, was granted a coat of arms by the King of Portugal, which illustrates how deep a Portuguese puppet he was.
Mnangagwa wants to be seen as such, Zhou queried. Mwenemutapa Mavhura Mhande (Dom Felipe) ruled from 1629 – 1652 after replacing Nyambu Kapararidze as a Portuguese vassal.
In the treaty of vassalage of 24 May 1829, Mwenemutapa Mavhura Mhande sold out to the foreigners.
He agrees that he received his throne in the name of the King of Portugal whose authority he acknowledged.
He agreed to all the Dominicans converting his subjects and to treat converts with great respect while expelling all Muslims from his territory within one year with another condition that any still remaining may be killed and their property confiscated by the Portuguese.
He also agreed to allow Portuguese ambassadors contrary to local custom to enter his dzimbahwe in full armour and that they could speak to the Mutapa seated from a chair without clapping their hands.
This Munhumutapa agreed that Portuguese citizens at his dzimbahwe would be given a kaross to sit on rather than a chair and to show great respect to the captain at Massapa who “will in future live at the Mutapa’s dzimbahwe rather than at Massapa.
He virtually agreed to be a deep puppet of the Portuguese going as far as mortgaging land and minerals to the King of Portugal.
It is therefore shocking that Mnangagwa would liken himself to Munhumutapa and want the nation to believe that bestowing himself such a title is a great honour. It is not right to misappropriate history.
When the statue of Mbuya Nehanda was erected along Julius Nyerere Way in Harare, it was said by the Mnangagwa regime that the spot was where Mbuya Nehanda sourced her drinking water. But in essence, we know Mbuya Nehanda was a spirit.
Leaders like Mnangagwa must be custodians of history and not be seen to be twisting it for political scores.
