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The Gaza Empire (1824–1895) was an African empire established by the powerful general,Soshangane , and was located in southeastern Africa in the area of southern Mozambique and southeastern Zimbabwe . The Gaza Empire, at its height in
the 1860s, covered the whole of Mozambique between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers.
History
In the 1820s, during
a period of severe drought, Nguni armies, southern African ethnic groups that speak related Bantu languages and inhabit southeast Africa from Cape Province to southernMozambique , began to invade Mozambique from what
is now South Africa . One Nguni chief,Nxaba , established a short-lived kingdom inland from Sofala , but in 1837 he was defeated bySoshangane , a powerful Nguni rival. Eventually
Soshangane established his capital in the highlands of the middle Sabi River in what is present day Zimbabwe.
Soshangane named his empire "Gaza" after his grandfather. Soshangane
died in 1856 and there was a bitter struggle for power between his sons Mawewe and Mzila . With help from the Portuguese, Mzila eventually gained power in
1861 and ruled until 1884. Soshangane's grandson, Gungunyana , took over the Gaza Empire from his
father Mzila and moved the capital southward to Manjakazi , putting him in closer proximity with
the Portuguese.
The People
The Shangaan are a mixture of Nguni (a language
group which includes Swazi, Zulu and Xhosa), and Tsonga speakers (Ronga, Ndzawu, Shona and Chopitribes),
which Soshangane conquered and subjugated. Soshangane insisted that Nguni
customs be adopted, and that the Tsonga learn the Zulu language. Young Tsonga
men were assigned to the army as "Mabulandlela" (those who open the
road). Soshangane also imposed Shaka Zulu's military system of dominion and taught the people
the Zulu ways of fighting.
Just a simple question: Why do you refer to the language that Soshangane spoke and the military system he used as Zulu while he never lived under Shaka Zulu
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