Soshangane

Soshangane was a General of the Zulu King Shaka who broke away from Shaka's hegemony and carved out a Nguni empire of conquest (Gasa or Gaza) in what is now modern-day Mozambique. Allied with the rival Ndwandwe in 1819, Soshagane fled after defeat by Shaka. He moved north into Mozambique, absorbing or conquering numerous followers that include Ronga and Ndau people. A punitive expedition sent by Shaka to liquidate his rival was seen off in 1828, and Soshagane consolidated his empire. When Soshangane settled in Gaza, he then established his own language, better known as isiShangaan, derived from his name.^[1] Shoshanganes army overran the Portuguese settlements at Delagoa Bay, Inhambane and Sena,^[1] and he extracted tribute from the Europeans. After the death of Soshangane around 1856, Soshagane's empire was embroiled in succession disputes. The final ruler Ngungunhane, (in the Portuguese colonial writing, Gungunhana), was defeated by the once tributary Portuguese in 1895, and the Nguni Gazan empire collapsed. Soshagane is one of a number of outstanding figures that rose to prominence during the Mfecane.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} The Cambridge History of Africa. Vol. 5

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