By Elliott Siamonga

THE so-called Kalanga storm where President Robert Mugabe made off the cuff remarks on how some Kalangas were involved in petty crimes in South Africa has dominated social media and the print media.
But strangely, most people who are contributing to this debate are neither Kalangas nor understand the context of the President’s statement.
Ironically those embroiled in this raging debate seem to know very little about the origins of local languages and totems in the southern part of the country after the arrival and creation of the Ndebele State and its massive influence on surrounding indigenous tribes.
Some were swallowed and lost their identities.
One tribe that was affected was the BaTonga.
They were a non-violent people who would take instructions without any questions.
King Mzilikazi quickly took them into his class system as amaHole.
Ever since, the BaTonga have suffered an identity crisis.
While they have their own language, customs and traditions, their efforts to protect themselves hit a brick wall as most of them were incorporated into the Ndebele state and took on Ndebele names.
For example, the Mnsaka and Mnkuli became the Ndlovus, Muleya became Chuma, Mzamba became Ndebele, Mwinde became Nkomo, Mupande became Sibanda, Mudimba or Mchimba became Ncube while the Mutale became the Ngwenya, among other names.
In Binga today it is common to find names such as Chuma/Tshuma, Moyo, Dube or Ncube which are alien to the BaTonga tribe.
And just like the Shona or Rozvi groups who were incorporated into the Ndebele social system by Lobengula, they fiercely defended being ‘Ndebele’ in order to be recognised and to benefit in the Ndebele State.
However, with the fall of the Ndebele State most reverted to their original surnames, but those who had rubbed shoulders with the Ndebele royalty retained the surnames until today.
One reason was to assume leadership roles among the Ndebele groups they worked for as well as acquire wealth in the form of cattle.
It was easier for a ‘Nkomo’ to inherit as much cattle as he could than a ‘Mwinde’ who was regarded as a Hole among the Ndebele social class system.
Interestingly, these BaTonga and other Shona people who were incorporated into Ndebele culture are today the first to cast the first stone in defence of the Ndebeles.
The issue of the existence of slaves in the Ndebele State becomes an issue in early colonial law records, including instances of the Ndebele keeping as slaves people captured on the Zambezi (BaTonga) as well as disputes concerning the slaves brought into the Ndebele state by the Gaza queens who were married by King Lobengula.
Up to today, the BaTonga who retained their surnames are regarded as the best herdsmen and domestic workers among Ndebele communities.
The refugees and captives of earlier decades and those who were acquired in the southwest now coalesced into a nation, broadening the influence of the Ndebele State.
Some of them assumed powerful positions as chiefs and commanded a lot of respect from the king.
Under the Abenhla (those from the North) social status that formed south of the Limpopo River, there emerged a third additional social strata of Amahole.
Amahole were those people who were assimilated into the Ndebele State within the Zimbabwean plateau.
They were the latest entrants into the Ndebele society.
The top and proud Abezansi (those from the South) who left with the king from Zululand became a minority only identifiable through their Nguni isibongo (surname) such as Mkhize, Gatsheni, Khumalo, Mkwananzi, Sithole and Gumede.
Below the royalty were the Abezansi (those from the South) who consisted of those people who left with Mzilikazi from Zululand in the 1820s and their descendants.
This group of people in the Ndebele society formed an aristocracy and claimed a number of privileges and rights far above other groups with the exception of the royalty.
There was the Abenhla group within the Ndebele society who comprised the Sotho and Tswana people and occupied a position below the Abezansi.
Mzilikazi incorporated these into the Ndebele state before crossing the Limpopo River.
They had suffered with the king since they accompanied the king up to Matabeleland.
Below the Abenhla were the Amahole group, which consisted of the Kalanga, Rozvi, Nyubi, Nyayi, Birwa, Venda, BaTonga and other indigenous people of the southwest who were incorporated into the Ndebele state mainly in the 1840s.
The Hole were subordinated to the Abezansi and Abenhla groups socially and politically. 
After all, they were the largest group in the Ndebele society.
By the 1890s, up to 60 percent of the inner Ndebele State was of Hole origin.
The Ndebele practised capturing of individuals as well as groups to incorporate into the Ndebele society.
The captives were first of all brought and paraded before the Ndebele king in the capital.
The Ndebele king had the duty to distribute the captives.
The females who were old enough to be married were distributed among their captors, especially chiefs.
The king took a percentage of well-selected captives to reside in the capital and to work as royal servants.
These selected captives remained at the capital as servants of the king received the best treatment, which led them to be fanatical supporters of the Ndebele king.
It is also historically interesting to note that even some captives enjoyed being Ndebele to the extent of voluntarily translating their totems from Shona to Sindebele.
Examples of the Shumbas who changed to Sibanda, Nyangas who changed to Nkomo, Gumbos who changed to Msipa, Shiris who changed to Nyoni, Dzivas who changed to Siziba, Shokos who changed to Ncube and the Moyos to Nhliziyo are very common in Matabeleland today.
These are today respectable Holes, now able to move closer to the Ndebele chiefs and become richer than relatives of chiefs.
These Holes just like the ‘converted’ BaTonga are more comfortable in the Ndebele imaginary Mthwakazi nation and enjoy the privileges previously enjoyed by King Lobengula, and are the ones who now fan tribal discontent in Zimbabwe by name calling and are quick to comment on anti-Ndebele sentiments.
The Ndebele State servitude left an indelible mark still displayed by most of these BaTonga converts who are quick to defend an imaginary non-existent Ndebele State instead of participating in nation building programmes that could benefit the nation and their children.