General Carrington had been sent by the British Government to take over the military command of the Matabeland campaign and all armed men were under his command, despite the fact the BSA Company was paying all the costs. Carrington with a force of about two thousand men fought a number of engagements with the Ndebele, but they failed to dislodge the Ndebele from the rugged granite hills of the Matobo and suffered casualties, but without incurring serious losses on the Ndebele.

At the battle of Intaba Zika-Mambo near Inyati, the Imperial Forces lost ten soldiers killed, with thirteen wounded and later at Sikombo’s, a few kilometres from the first indaba site, seven lives were lost, with eleven wounded.

It was obvious to all that the force was too small to subdue the Ndebele and General Carrington came to the conclusion a force of ten thousand soldiers would be necessary. Rhodes said the BSA Company could not face this scale of expenditure and made up his mind only a speedy peace would help. He needed to send some messages to the rebel Induna’s in the Matobo, but Likuni, one of Lobengula’s brothers refused to go, saying he would be killed. Two of Johan Colenbrander’s men agreed to take messages to Sikombo, but they never returned. 

On the 4^th August 1896 during a raid on Sikombo’s mountain for grain, the Cape Volunteers captured an old Zulu woman who turned out to be Nyambezana “child of tears” one of the few surviving wives of Mzilikazi and the mother of Nyanda, who was with Sikombo. Brought back to Fort Nsezi (later Fort Umlugulu) she was so indignant she would not talk for forty-eight hours before finally agreeing to take a peace message to Sikombo and Nyanda. It was agreed that if the Indunas wanted to continue fighting they would place a red flag under a white one on a stick among some prominent rocks; if they were prepared to meet and talk about peace, the white flag would be displayed. Nyambezana was then taken on a stretcher with native commissioner J.P. Richardson back to Nyanda’s kraal.

John (Jan) Grootboom and James Makunga, the interpreters, along with Richardson used to go and shout across the valley to the Indunas with the distances shortening and Makunga reported that the white flag would soon be seen. A day or two later it was flying from the agreed tree, two of the Cape volunteers, James M’kiza and John Sail actually parleyed face to face with the Indunas. Grootboom and Makunga then said the Indunas had assembled and were ready to talk to Rhodes.

The older Indunas wanted peace as grain being taken by the Imperial Forces meant food was short in the Matopos; but the young warriors were still aggressive.  The Indunas also requested ‘Johwane’ to be with the white people to parley; referring to Johan Colenbrander, who the amaNdebele still trusted with his fluency in their tongue to interpret the right words; they would only come down from the Matopos hills if ‘Johwane’ was present. 

General Carrington was opposed to talking peace until the Ndebele had been defeated, and in the event of peace talks, wanted a covering force of mounted men nearby, but John Grootboom explained the Indunas expected Rhodes to come to them as they were afraid to venture further out of the Matobo hills that same afternoon, Friday the 21^st August 1896, with only three white companions. Hans Sauer hid two revolvers in his riding breeches, as did Johan Colenbrander and Vere Stent, the correspondent of the Cape Times, but Rhodes went unarmed along with John Grootboom and James Makunga. As they rode Sauer reminded Rhodes of the treachery of Dingaan and Piet Retief, but Rhodes replied: “I shall take my chance.”

After riding about seven kilometres they stopped at the designated spot and saw thousands of Ndebele in the kopjes ahead. Colenbrander sidled up to Sauer and said in Dutch: “Don’t let Rhodes dismount,” but Rhodes heard him and instantly dismounted walking to a large ant heap where he sat down and turning to one of the party said; “This is very exciting and is one of the incidents in life that make it worth living.” A procession of forty-four amaNdebele including Indunas and elders preceded by the white calico cloth carried on a stick came towards the ant-heap from the nearby hills. Escape was impossible as the horses were hitched to a nearby tree stump, and there was a tense silence as the amaNdebele approached.  

Makunga and Grootboom led the procession in single file, followed by Sikombo; the assegais, rifles and muskets were left some yards away, and they came to a halt within a few paces of Rhodes. Sauer sat on Rhodes’ right, Stent on his left with Colenbrander a little lower on the left. The white truce flag was planted in the round where it waved over the proceedings, but is not shown in Baden-Powell’s sketch below.

The Induna’s including Somabulana, Sikombo, Umlugulu, Dhliso, Nyanda and Bidi squatted, but not a word was said until Somabulana raised his right hand and said: “baba” (father) Rhodes greeted in Zulu saying “Yes, I see you all” and asked if their “eyes were white” to which they replied: “our eyes are white” meaning “we have peace in their hearts.” Johan Colenbrander addressing Somabulana and Sikombo said: “speak to Rhodes, your father, who has come amongst you with peace in his heart.” Somabulana rose, and in an impressive speech, outlined the story of the amaNdebele nation from the earliest days of Mzilikazi to the present. He spoke how Lobengula had sent messages to the “inkosikaas” Queen Victoria across the sea and although he had not submitted to her, he had “konsaad” (acknowledged) her greatness. He outlined their grievances; how many young white men had come, but Lobengula did not know them, and only desired speech with the Queen. Then came the death of Lobengula and how the indunas, never having wished to fight with the white man, surrendered. Jameson, he continued, had treated them well, and had promised them that only the King’s cattle would be taken from them, and that they should retain their own. This promise they were thankful for, but it had not been kept.

Colenbrander translated for about two and a half hours. Then Sikombo complained about the brutality of the native police, and their cattle and land grievances, and other Indunas added their complaints, requesting the removal of Col. Heyman as Chief Magistrate in Bulawayo as he had not treated the Indunas with respect. They said the native commissioners were harsh, and refused them justice; raided their kraals, captured their women and gave them to their young men – the native police. They named five native commissioners who for the sake of peace should go. Many other grievances were aired and Rhodes said he could make no promises, but they would be looked into at a suitable time and place.

Rhodes asked them why they killed women and children. This was a sensitive topic and the amaNdebele were silent before Somabulana said: “because you did it first” and Colenbrander explained that in a very remote part of Matabeland some prospectors’ cattle wondered onto native gardens and were impounded. The prospectors suspected the villagers of theft, and in driving the cattle away some of the women villagers were killed. Rhodes said he had not heard of this crime, to which they replied many things had been done for which they did not blame him. They also referred to the gold sovereigns sent by Lobengula to Forbes’ Column as a peace offering which were handed to two troopers of the Bechuanaland Border Police, Wilson and Daniel, who kept the sovereigns and made no mention of the peace offering to anyone. 

As the sun started to go down Rhodes promised the Chiefs protection and the removal of their grievances saying:” Tell them, I have listened to all that; that is past and done with. Such things will not happen again. What I want to know now is; is it peace or war?” Induna Somabulana flung down a stick at Rhodes feet saying:” There is my assegai, here is my rifle; I lay it at your feet.” Sikombo did the same and when Colenbrander asked: “have you peace in your hearts?” they all replied:” we have peace in our hearts; you have the words of Somabulana, of Babiaan, of Dhliso, Chiefs of the House of Khumalo. ”  

Then Rhodes said: “tell them all these things are past. I will hear all their grievances in detail later. If they say is peace, let them come down with their wives and women into the valley. I shall be here. I shall move nearer to them up the [Mzingwane] river, and they may speak to me when they will. I will send tonight for the captain of the white impis [Carrington] and tell him it is peace between us, but the men in the forts must remain there.”

Somabulana replied: “it is good, let them remain there and we will pass them.” Concerning the Bulawayo – Tuli road, he said: ”It is open; no one shall be molested upon it. Go yourselves today and see. We will send word to the captains of the impis. We are the eyes and ears of the amaNdebele nation, what we speak is law. Dhliso is here, I am here, Nyanda (the King’s brother) is here, Umlugulu and Sikombo are here. It is peace, you have our word. Once the amaNdebele declare peace it is so, and there is no war. We are the nation. We have submitted to you, our father and great chief. Only remain in the country to look after us and do not come and go.”

There was a sudden rush by the Indunas to the whites and they feared the worst remembering the massacres of Piet Retief and his party; but Sauer had offered some tobacco to Babiaan and Rhodes fearing someone might pull out a revolver, said quickly; “it’s all right, they only want tobacco.”

The Indunas raised their right hands saluting Rhodes and said: “Hamba gashle! Inkos, Baba” [go in peace, Chief, Father] and he replied; “Shalala gashle, Manduna” [remain in peace, Indunas]

The second Indaba took place six days later on Thursday 27^th August 1896 at the foot of the kopje on which William Usher had his farmhouse and about 1.6 kilometres from Fort Usher; with Rhodes were Johan and Mollie Colenbrander and her sister Mrs Smith, Chief Native Commissioner Taylor, J. Grimmer, J. G. McDonald, FitzStubbs and the Mangwe Native Commissioner, Bonar Armstrong. Colonel Plumer with Lieut Moncrieff and Tpr Laurie, together with Vere stent and Mr Witt of the Bulawayo Chronicle were also present. Most of the Indunas were present including Dhliso, Babayane, Sikombo, Somabulana and Mtshana, along with 350 young men, all armed, but Colenbrander refused to start the Indaba until all weapons were left at a safe distance. Once again Rhodes had tied up his horse as a symbol of trust and seated himself on a boulder within a few metres of the amaNdebele indunas and their followers.  

The main issue of the Indaba was if it was to be peace or war. The young men seemed eager to continue the fight, continually interrupted the proceedings with insolent remarks and complained bitterly about Chiefs Faku, Gambo and others who had sided with the Europeans. Rhodes refused to listen to these complaints and when they continued loudly with their complaints Induna Dhliso reprimanded them. It was evident that there were those prepared to continue the fight. All this time, the Maxim gun up on the lookout tree at Fort Usher was loaded and trained in their direction and the garrison with horses saddled was ready to ride to the Indaba site at a moment’s notice.

Fortunately things calmed down as Dhliso and the other Indunas said they favoured peace, but must consult the nation. At the end of the Indaba Johan Colenbrander took Babayana “the ears of the nation” to one side and asked him to use his influence for peace.

Perhaps the real hero at these indabas was Johan Colenbrander who had previously led a band of mainly black irregulars against the Ndebele in the Matopos. Those present at the indabas were in awe of Colenbrander’s eloquent use of the native Ndebele tongue, with the usual indigenous phraseology and flowery use of idiom, or quip. Gerry van Tonder maintains this was Colenbrander’s finest hour. He diffused a still belligerent atmosphere, leaving the now convinced amaNdebele Indunas to refer to him as umhlala n’yati – the tickbird (white egret) that removes irritations (from the skin of a buffalo)

The third official Indaba on the 9^th September, also at Fort Usher, at which Queen Victoria’s representative, Sir Richard Martin and Earl Grey, the Administrator were present, also Rhodes, Colenbrander, Rev. D. Carnegie, Father Barthélemy, Chief Native Commissioner Taylor, Col. Plumer, Major Robertson, Lady Grey and her daughter and Mollie Colenbrander. Sir Richard Martin had twelve mounted lancers as an escort who carried the Union Jack. The Chiefs included Sikombo, Dhliso, Nconcobela, Sikota, Ntweni, Nhluni, Mabesa, Nyanda, Babayana, Nhlukoniso and Kaal Khumalo. 

Colenbrander told the Chiefs that Earl Grey had come to take Jameson’s place and that Queen Victoria had sent Sir Richard martin as her representative. Earl Grey told them that they should come out of the Matobo Hills to rebuild their houses and cultivate their gardens and that they should give up their weapons and that murderers would be punished. Sir Richard Martin addressed them and said much the same, and was followed by Rhodes who said they should all make peace. The Chiefs said they were afraid, but were reassured by Rhodes who said he would stay and listen to their grievances.   

After this Indaba was finished informal talks between Rhodes and the Chiefs continued at his camp at the foot of the Matobo and day after day they came in twos and threes to talk and receive gifts of flour, tobacco and clothing from Colenbrander on behalf of Rhodes. In between Rhodes took long horseback rides in the Matobo Hills with everyone who visited remembering the excellence of the meals provided by Tony, Rhodes cook.

I have drawn the suggested path on the map of Google earth above through the kopjes, rather than west of them in the more open ground, because Sykes says: “proceeding on their way, leaving a huge castellated kopje on their right, they entered a pass about one mile from the camp. Following a narrow footpath bounded on either side by kopjes, they arrived at length very near the one [kopje] on which Major Kershaw met his death on 5^th August.(1)” The more direct westerly route is in open ground and does not have kopjes.

(1)    The Sikombo (Tshingengoma) battle site is 2.5 KM away in a direct line; not exactly very near.

He then makes a few observations about the Indaba site: “On reaching a point within 100 yards of some kopjes (2) where a number of natives were seen standing about, they dismounted from their horses, and took up their position upon a large ant-heap, arising from the middle of an old mealie garden, and with at most a clear fifty yards (3) all around. Within a hundred yards (4) on the immediate front a huge kopje, rugged and bushy, and covered with caves, rose at least 300 feet high; to the rear was dense bush, on the left lay a path along which they had come and to the right a rugged and impassable valley.”

(2)    The base of the nearest kopje to the east is at least 250 metres away.

(3)    The ground is flat and open on all sides as can be seen from the cultivated fields today.

(4)    The kopjes to the west of the site which fit this description are 250 metres away