Between Tradition and Modernity: Discourses on the Coronation of the Ndebele “King” in Zimbabwe

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorNdlovu, M.
dc.contributor.authorTshuma, L.A.
dc.contributor.authorNgwenya, S.W.
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-23T13:27:47Z
dc.date.issued2019-12-03
dc.description.abstractIn March 2018, the Bulawayo High Court ruled against the installation of an Ndebele King in Zimbabwe. The Ndebele throne was left vacant when the second and last king, Lobengula Khumalo, disappeared in 1893 during the armed struggle against the British imperial forces. Prince Bulelani Lobengula Khumalo, the heir apparent to the throne, was supposed to be crowned as the Ndebele King on 3 March 2018 at Barboufields Stadium in Bulawayo. However, the Court declared the installation unconstitutional, and the police blocked the coronation ceremony. Drawing upon decoloniality and Mamdani’s citizen and subject as theoretical lens, and on critical discourse analysis, this article examines the online discourses that emerged on the Chronicle and Bulawayo24.com news websites. It is concluded that these Ndebele kingship debates are contributing to various understandings on ethnicity, nationhood and citizenship. Moreover, decolonial sentiments are evoked as online discussants justify the installation of an Ndebele king.
dc.identifier.citationNdlovu, M., Tshuma, L.A. and Ngwenya, S.W., 2019. Between tradition and modernity: Discourses on the coronation of the Ndebele “King” in Zimbabwe. Critical Arts, 33(2), pp.82-95.
dc.identifier.issn1992-6049
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir.nust.ac.zw:4000/handle/123456789/20
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherCritical Arts
dc.subjectNdebele king
dc.subjectNdebele coronation
dc.subjectBulelani Khumalo
dc.subjectMatabeleland
dc.subjectcritical discourse analysis
dc.titleBetween Tradition and Modernity: Discourses on the Coronation of the Ndebele “King” in Zimbabwe
dc.typeArticle

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Between Tradition and Modernity Discourses on the Coronation of the Ndebele King in Zimbabwe.pdf
Size:
1.29 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed to upon submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Journalism and Media Studies Publications