Mtshana Khumalo
General Mtshana Khumalo was a revered commander of King Lobengula's Imbizo Regiment that defeated the Allan Wilson Patrol at the Battle of Pupu in 1893, as the first shots of colonial resistance were fired. He is set to be honoured by the government of Zimbabwe.[1]
Background
General Mtshana Khumalo, was commander of the crack Imbizo regiment. He defeated Allan Wilson and his troops. Allan Wilson was honoured and the legacy is there for all to see. But our own Mtshana Khumalo the victor was not. Now Government has honoured him with a National Hero status.[2]
Battle of Pupu in Lupane
On 4 December 1893, King Lobengula's army led strategist Mtshana Khumalo, killed Major Allan Wilson and his men at the Battle of Pupu in Lupane, blocking the attempted capture of the King by the colonialists. He was supported by other regiment commanders like Maqhekeni Sithole and Fusi Khanye. The whites grudgingly acknowledged Chief Mtshana as an astute military strategist who engineered the death of Allan Wilson and his patrol squad.
National Hero Status Conferment
President Emmerson Mnangagwa posthumously conferred National Hero status on revered military tactician, General Mtshana Khumalo ahead of the unveiling of a monument at the site where the commander won his most famous battle. The unveiling of Pupu National Monument in Lupane in Matabeleland North Province was set for the first week of December but the exact date was yet to be confirmed.
During the 2020 Heroes Day virtual address, President Mnangagwa announced that Gen Khumalo would be honoured alongside Queen Lozikeyi, Mgandane Dlodlo and Mbuya Nehanda whose statue is being erected in Harare. Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe visited the Khumalo family on 29 November 2020 to officially notify them of the conferment, which the President did in terms of Section 3 of the National Heroes Act.[3]
