The concession to mine gold at Tati was granted to a British
baronet, Sir John Swinburne, by Lobengula, last king of the
Matabele. Although called by colonial imperialists as a "savage
king" and a "native despot", Lobengula was "exceedingly well-made
(in height about 6 ft 10 inches), corpulent, with a commanding
presence and, when in a good temper, having a kind heart and a full
appreciation of humour". The gold at Tati, which was discovered by
the geologist Carl Mauch, was actually on the site of pre-historic
diggings that had been mined there 400 years previously by the
Makalanga people. Tati lay on the missionary road to the north,
used by Livingstone and Moffat, and it was part of Cecil Rhodes's
dream of a continuous tract of British imperialism from Cape to
Cairo. The annexation of Bechuanaland was a direct result of the
conflicts between the tribes within the area and the threats from
President Kruger and from Germany which had recently colonised
Angra Pequena. Gold from the early diggings here found its way to
Great Zimbabwe and the famous golden rhinocerous from Mapungubwe
was probably fashioned from gold mined at Tati. This forgotten
corner of the sub-continent encapsulates a chapter of our history
involving five countries, powerful men, much subterfuge, a botched
invasion, a rebellion, land annexation, prospectors, hunters,
traders and adventurers. It is a story begging to be told.
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