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The origin of Ndebele goes back to the Zulus, who were isolated from King Shaka in the beginning of 1820s. The split came under the rule of Mzilikazi, an erstwhile General in Shaka's army. As the British found it difficult to pronounce Ndebele, they named them the Matabele. Presently Ndebele of Zimbabwe are popularly known as Ndebele or amaNdebele.
During the Mfecane, a disordered period in African history Mzilikazi and his community, of about 500 people at the initial stage, moved towards the West, the area near the present-day city of Pretoria, where they founded a colonization named Mhlahlandlela.
Ndebele Zimbabwe then met the Tswanas, who named them Ndebele. The word 'Tabele' came from tebela, which means 'to chase away'. Thus it can be concluded that Zimbabwe People had lots of ups and downs in their communities.
By 1834 the Ndebeles moved to Zimbabwe, where they had to win the battle with the Shona. In 1868, Lobengula came to the power after his father's death. However with time the British had set up their own government with their own laws and norms. Thus even the territorial rights also went to the British and the Ndebele lost their heritage of ruling.
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