Chapter 7 : Electricity

To understand power, mankind needs to understand the shocking nature and depth of electricity. You see we always respected water for being a source of life and our religious anchor to the gods and afterlife but we never knew the power it could generate when manipulated and maneuvered appropriately.Unfortunately for us, the missionaries knew this powerful secret and intended to exploit us for it! Before we knew it, wind vanes and water turbines were flying from the sky and gigantic power cables were laid all over the ground as if they were planting some alien tubes for some projects we couldn't even understand. What had l become? What would be my legacy? Was l a mere puppet king l pondered? But static questions deserve thundering answers and boy did we get them! The Lozi kingdom had three social classes like the Khumalo's of Matshobane Ka Ma Ngethe and young Mzilikazi but the difference was that our middle class could vote! Royals were called Bahulu and this comprised of the king's bloodline and extended family. Then there was the middle-class/Amarotho, powerful families that were not royal but could choose which member to be next in line to rule from the royal family and this was very dangerous! If a coup ever arose, the first culprits to be questioned or at worst to be killed were from this group! However, they were necessary as they saved as the balance to the monarchy. Can you imagine how much we could abuse not only power but people's lives if the monarchs were supreme sovereigns over everything even religion? Last but not least were Omasaka/The have nots! This group was true to its name and only saved the purpose of being soldiers, slaves, workforce and concubines!

Wanilata? (Do yo want me?), the new self made and bribed 'electrical' shamans would body paint themselves with thunder signs, vibrate and throw chicken bones, causing a scene and acting theatrics that only served the foreigners'' agenda. It got to a point were a cult was born for the sole purpose of serving electrical gods that only blessed its followers with spices, rosaries and Bibles! No one condemned these zealots because our tradition allowed all the Lozi the freedom of worship as long as it doesn't lead them to undermine their ancestors, king or encourage them to commit treason! However, this is exactly what Ntombenhle and her crew wanted. A kingdom facing religious turmoil, sacrilege, with ambitious statesmen and a king whose to busy to be everywhere at the same time. So they secretly conspired to overthrow me. They said l clung to the past as if it could save us from the upcoming future! All those that followed me, were like relics of the old age , dinosaurs! Ngezane ka Gebhazi, isivula mnyango, ihawu labamhlophe, ihlosi lamanzi( Ngezane the son of Gebhazi, the door opener, shield of the foreigners and the river cheetah), but they called him Brother Cosmas because they said his birth name and his father's legacy would overshadow the good he was going to do for everyone! Like all the Gebhazites, l had castrated Ngezane because he was the third born son of a traitor and a cunning young man although without a manhood, the kingdom could never endorse a king who was an eunuch and had no clan but what is governing power compared to electrons and atoms?

Believe me l tried my best to kill Ngezane when l heard through my scouts and imikhovu of what they were planning but l failed! If l killed him publicly l would be seen like his father, a cruel and unforgiving king but if l killed him in secrecy, the foreigners would just find another royal puppet to rally behind hence l was caught in limbo! I only had one play left and that was to seek the river gods' counsel but they had disappeared for months and even those that believed in NyamiNyami and Chitapo were starting to revoke their loyalties or question their allegiances! Subordinates are meant to support and obey their superior to the death if need be but that is only true if they are well fed! A hungry tummy only bends to the will of a provider and with no fish from the river, no crops and fruits to properly nourish my kingdom, the white settlers had indirectly and literally taken over! Who could blame them? I was also eating the donated corn in secrecy when Sankara and my trusted general chiefs brought it to the palace. So l resorted to my only option when l got hold of a deciphered message that a mob of royals ,chiefs, general public and white settlers led by Ngezane was on it's way to overthrow and kill me!