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Umkhosi Wezintaba ('The Regiment of the Hills'), 'Umkosi we Seneneem' ('The Regiment of Gaolbirds'), 'Abas'etsheni' ('The People of the Stone'), the 'Nongoloza' and the 'Ninevites' were simultaneously criminal gangs and resistance movements formed by African men in South Africa between 1890 and 1920.^[1]

Umkosi Wezintaba (The Regiment of the Hills), 1812–1899

Nongoloza (born Mzuzephi Mathebula) also known as Jan Note,^[2] a Zulu man from Natal, worked for two criminals based on the Witwatersrand, Tyson and McDonald, assisting them with robbing passenger coaches or carts carrying miners' wages. Upon leaving his employers, Note sought out the area's Zulu-speaking thieves and criminals, eventually becoming their leader.^[3] Historian Charles van Onselen notes that although Umkosi Wezintaba mainly committed anti-social crimes, the organisation also worked to avenge perceived injustice against its members.^[4]

Abas'etsheni (The People of the Stone) and Nongoloza, 1902–1906

The Ninevites, 1906–1920

The Ninevites were formed by Mzuzephi 'Nongoloza' Mathebula. Nongoloza was the alias adopted by the young Zulu migrant, who had suffered injustice from his past and longed to break away from it to establish a new era. The Ninevites were a gang consisting of other young South African outlaws searching for sources of income through various criminal activities in Johannesburg. The group of bandits grew across South Africa, and for almost two decades the gang dominated. By 1920 the Ninevites were crushed (Nongoloza was sentenced to prison for attempted murder in 1900).

Sexuality

Nongoloza ordered his troops to abstain from physical contact with females, instead ordering older men of marriageable status within the regiment to take on younger males of the gang as boy wives. Nongoloza testified in 1912 that the practice of hlabonga had "always existed. Even when we were free on the hills south of Johannesburg some of us had women and others had young men for sexual purposes." According to Zackie Achmat, Nongoloza did not justify the existence of taking on boy wives based on venereal diseases or tradition, but in terms of sexual desire.^[5]

References

Footnotes

^ Onselen, Charles van (1982), Studies in the Social and Economic History of the Witwatersrand 1886-1914: 2 New Nineveh, p. 172, ISBN 0582643856
^ "Nongoloza: A Prison Gang Legend | Interesting History Facts". Afrikaiswoke.com. 2020-12-05. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
^ Onselen, Charles van (1982), Studies in the Social and Economic History of the Witwatersrand 1886-1914: 2 New Nineveh, pp. 172–177, ISBN 0582643856
^ Onselen, Charles van (1982), Studies in the Social and Economic History of the Witwatersrand 1886-1914: 2 New Nineveh, p. 176, ISBN 0582643856
^ Homosexualities

Sources

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|South African criminal resistance group, 1890-1920}}
-{{more citations needed|date=March 2018}}'''Umkhosi Wezintaba''' ('The Regiment of the Hills'), 'Umkosi we Seneneem' ('The Regiment of Gaolbirds'), 'Abas'etsheni' ('The People of the Stone'), the 'Nongoloza' and the 'Ninevites' were criminal gangs and [[resistance movements]] formed by black men in South Africa between 1890 and 1920.<ref>{{Citation
+{{more citations needed|date=March 2018}}'''Umkhosi Wezintaba''' ('The Regiment of the Hills'), 'Umkosi we Seneneem' ('The Regiment of Gaolbirds'), 'Abas'etsheni' ('The People of the Stone'), the 'Nongoloza' and the 'Ninevites' were simultaneously criminal gangs and [[resistance movements]] formed by African men in South Africa between 1890 and 1920.<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Onselen | first =  Charles van
  | year = 1982
- | title = Studies in the Social and Economic History of the Witwatersrand 1886-1914: 2 New Nineveh"I see you(@-@)"
+ | title = Studies in the Social and Economic History of the Witwatersrand 1886-1914: 2 New Nineveh
  | pages = 172
  | isbn = 0582643856 }}</ref>
@@ Line 8: / Line 9: @@
 ==Umkosi Wezintaba (The Regiment of the Hills), 1812–1899==
-Nongoloza (born Mzuzephi Mathebula) also known as Note, a Zulu African from Natal, worked for two criminals based on the [[Witwatersrand]], Tyson and McDonald, assisting them with robbing passenger coaches or carts carrying miners' wages.  Upon leaving his employers, Note sought out the area's Zulu-speaking thieves and criminals, eventually becoming their leader.<ref>{{Citation
+Nongoloza (born Mzuzephi Mathebula) also known as Jan Note,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-12-05|title=Nongoloza: A Prison Gang Legend {{!}} Interesting History Facts|url=https://www.afrikaiswoke.com/south-african-prison-gangs-history/|access-date=2021-02-03|website=Afrikaiswoke.com|language=en-US}}</ref> a Zulu man from Natal, worked for two criminals based on the [[Witwatersrand]], Tyson and McDonald, assisting them with robbing passenger coaches or carts carrying miners' wages.  Upon leaving his employers, Note sought out the area's Zulu-speaking thieves and criminals, eventually becoming their leader.<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Onselen | first =  Charles van
  | year = 1982
@@ Line 30: / Line 31: @@
 ==Sexuality==
-Jan Note ordered his troops to abstain from physical contact with females, instead ordering older men of marriageable status within the regiment to take on younger males of the gang as boy wives. Note testified in 1912 that the practice of ''hlabonga'' had "always existed. Even when we were free on the hills south of Johannesburg some of us had women and others had young men for sexual purposes." According to [[Zackie Achmat]], Note did not justify the existence of taking on boy wives based on venereal diseases or tradition, but in terms of sexual desire.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GfH6Nc8HHFwC&pg=PA164#v=onepage&q&f=false Homosexualities]</ref>
+Nongoloza ordered his troops to abstain from physical contact with females, instead ordering older men of marriageable status within the regiment to take on younger males of the gang as boy wives. Nongoloza testified in 1912 that the practice of ''hlabonga'' had "always existed. Even when we were free on the hills south of Johannesburg some of us had women and others had young men for sexual purposes." According to [[Zackie Achmat]], Nongoloza did not justify the existence of taking on boy wives based on venereal diseases or tradition, but in terms of sexual desire.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GfH6Nc8HHFwC&pg=PA164 Homosexualities]</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 51: / Line 52: @@
 {{Political history of South Africa |state=expanded}}
-[[Category:History of South Africa]]
+[[Category:Social history of South Africa]]
 [[Category:Defunct social movements in South Africa]]
-[[Category:LGBT organisations in South Africa]]
+[[Category:LGBT organisations based in South Africa]]