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Leonard Ncube/Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu/Patrick Chitumba, Chronicle Writers

CHIEFS from Matabeleland region and the Midlands provinces have showered praises on the late renowned author and historian, Mr Pathisa Nyathi, describing his death as a huge loss to the entire nation as he played a crucial role in preserving cultural heritage, which instilled a sense of national identity and pride based on the country’s rich history.

An accomplished writer who dedicated his life to correcting distorted colonial narratives and his commitment to re-writing Zimbabwe’s history, Nyathi died on Saturday at 73 at a local private hospital, after a long illness.

President Mnangagwa has since expressed his deep sorrow and shock over Nyathi’s death and in recognition of his contributions to Zimbabwe’s historical discourse, granted him a State-assisted funeral.

In separate interviews yesterday, traditional leaders described the late Nyathi as a rare fountain of knowledge from whom they learnt a lot from their interactions with him. They said the void left by Nyathi will not be easy to fill.

The late Pathisa Nyathi

President of the Chiefs Council of Zimbabwe, Chief Mtshane Khumalo of Bubi in Matabeleland North said he and the whole of the region were still to come to terms with the passing on of Nyathi whom President Mnangagwa looked up to for documenting the hidden history of the Ndebele, particularly about the fate of King Lobengula.

“It’s not easy to accept. Losing a person like Pathisa Nyathi who was like a fountain of our history as Zimbabwe and, particularly, Matabeleland, especially looking at his contribution to documentation of Pupu Shrine, is sad,” said Chief Mtshane.

“Ubengayiphumputhi, besithapha kuye imbali lolwazi. He was one of those that were tasked with tracing the history around the demise of King Lobengula and was the only one who narrated this history, and the President was there to listen to this and he heard what Nyathi was made of.”

Chief Mtshane commended President Mnangagwa and Government for recognising Nyathi’s contribution to nation building. “What’s important is that Government recognised him and gave him a State assisted funeral. We are grateful for that as it is an acknowledgement that he was a key historian,” he said.

“As Matabeleland, we have lost, we don’t know if there will be anyone to fill that void, especially about the history of King Mzilikazi and King Lobengula.

“We mourn together with the family although we haven’t met them because of other commitments, as we are busy with the national budget consultation programme, but I will go there as soon as I can,” said Chief Mtshane.

The late Pathisa Nyathi

Chief Dakamela of Nkayi described the late Nyathi as an anchor of society’s heritage as his well-researched history helped enlighten and unite the nation.

Chief Dakamela, who has also started an annual ceremony called “Imiklomelo KaDakamela” in his area where he invites the whole of Matabeleland and parts of Midlands to gather and share experiences in an effort to restore culture, reiterated that the gap will be difficult to fill.

The late Nyathi was one of the speakers at this year’s edition of Imiklomelo KaDakamela in April where he narrated to more than 5  000 people about the findings on King Lobengula’s grave in Zambia.

“This is a huge loss. Silahlekelwe yisiphala solwazi lwemvelaphi yethu. We would consult him about cultural and historical issues as he was an anchor of our society in terms of history,” said Chief Dakamela.

“His death has left us exposed because he was not only a writer but would teach the community wherever he got the platform.

“We, however, find comfort in that he is a celebrated writer of more than 80 books. So, we will be consulting his books, people should buy these books because they are rich,” said Chief Dakamela. He described Nyathi as a hard-worker who was recognised by Government to lead a research team on Pupu and King Lobengula’s grave missions.

President Mnangagwa earlier in the year tasked Nyathi and Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Reverend Paul Damasane, with documenting the heroic Pupu Battle of National Resistance against British colonialism, as well as the final journey of the last Ndebele State King, Lobengula, who fled after the fall of the Ndebele Kingdom in 1893.

The late Pathisa Nyathi

Chief Dakamela said people should find comfort in the knowledge he left with hope that a new researcher would rise and continue with his good work.
Chief Masendu from Bulilima District in Matabeleland South said the country will remain poorer without Nyathi.

“Nyathi played a crucial role in preserving culture and heritage, which is fast dwindling. He worked closely with us traditional leaders,” he said.

“He joined us in several chiefs’ council meetings where he used to share on culture and tradition. He was a fountain of wisdom and there is a lot we got to learn from him through our interactions.

“He was well researched and a fundi in cultural issues, not only the Matabeleland culture but beyond. Nowadays it’s rare to have people who are well versed with cultural issues and who are custodians for traditional values as we are living in a modernised world,” he said.

Chief Masuku from Gwanda District said the gap which has been left by Nyathi will be hard to fill. He said he hoped that other authors will carry on the baton. Chief Masuku said the work, which had been done by Nyathi should not be allowed to go to waste. He urged society, especially youths to take time to read books that have been authored by Nyathi.

“Nyathi’s work explained well how we used to live in the past, how we are living now and how we should live in the future in order to preserve our identity as black people,” he said.

“He did a lot of work in trying to document issues on culture and tradition and we applaud him for that.

“A lot of our traditions and culture have been distorted because it wasn’t being recorded but Nyathi was trying to close that gap,” said Chief Masuku.
“He left us a valuable treasure that we have to put to use and value. I urge people of all age groups to read his material. Some tribes that don’t know their origins have found answers in Nyathi’s work.”

Chief Bango from Mangwe District said it is important for the nation to respect and uphold its traditions and values as they are the backbone of the nation. He said the role played by historians should be valued.

From Midlands, Chief Ngungumbane of Mberengwa expressed shock and disbelief following the passing on of Nyathi.

“First and foremost I want to express my sincere condolences to the family, the clan and nation at large. Nyathi was a fountain of wisdom, knowledge, a cultural expert and was a humble person,” he said. “His passing on came as a shock because we expected him to recover.”

The late Pathisa Nyathi

Chief Ngungumbane said Nyathi leaves a legacy of being a Zimbabwean first, and then a tribesman second.

“We have a problem in that we want to identify ourselves with tribes. Nyathi was Sotho but his academic research was not confined to the Sotho people,” he said.
“He wrote across a plethora of tribes, we have seen his books, we have seen his journals, his articles in the paper, they speak volumes of how he valued being a Zimbabwean first than a tribesman. So, to me that is what he leaves behind that we should not value tribes but being Zimbabwean first.”

Chief Ngungumbane said Nyathi was an excellent orator, adding that as chiefs and custodians of the culture, his passing on leaves a huge void. “We have a big mountain to climb now that he has passed on. He was an Imbongi (poet), a fountain of wisdom,” he said.

Chief Ngungumbane said Nyathi will also be remembered for advocating for traditional governance more than the Eurocentric system of governance. “If you read the book he wrote in 2017 about the Ndebele chieftainship, he chronicles how the Ndebele state came into being, their journey from South Africa and integration in this rich country.

“Nyathi spoke of how some of the problems that are bedeviling our nation and continent could have been resolved if we strengthened our traditional form of government,” he said.

“If we had issues in the region, we would refer to him and his books. He wrote glowingly about traditional leadership. I remember in traditional assembly in Midlands, we made reference to some of his writings and without them it would have been very difficult to succeed,” he said.

Chief Ngungumbane said he equally excelled academically because of Nyathi.

“I am who I am because of him. He challenged me to improve myself academically and some of the works that I have produced have some of his writing. If we don’t tap into Nyathi’s wisdom, we would have failed him,” he said.

“Nyathi was a complete person and we need to carry the cultural and traditional heritage he was transmitting all his life. I say to him rest in peace,” said Chief Ngungumbane.