The Legend of Ophir and the Birth of a Gold Rush

The discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand in the late 19th century ignited feverish speculation that even richer deposits lay further north, in the region of Zambezia—believed by some to be the biblical land of Ophir. This myth had persisted since the 1860s, when explorer Karl Mauch ventured into the area. In 1871, Mauch uncovered the imposing stone ruins of Great Zimbabwe, which he mistakenly attributed to Phoenician builders, theorizing it was the capital of Ophir, modeled after the palace of the Queen of Sheba.

Richard Babb’s 1876 book, The Gold Fields of Southern Africa and How to Reach Them, confidently declared: “Thus, the ancient mystery of Ophir is finally solved.” The legend only grew with the 1885 publication of H. Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines, which fictionalized the exploits of real-life hunter Frederick Selous, further romanticizing the region’s untapped wealth.

Lobengula’s Kingdom: The Bulawayo Stronghold

The gateway to Zambezia was controlled by Lobengula, king of the Ndebele, son of the formidable Mzilikazi. His capital, Bulawayo—meaning “The Place of Slaughter”—was a name that struck fear across the region. Lobengula’s army, numbering 15,000 warriors across 40 regiments, enforced a reign of terror, raiding neighboring Shona, Tswana, Lozi, Ila, and Tonga tribes for tribute.

Lobengula, like his father, distrusted white interlopers. He established military outposts along his borders, where travelers were detained for weeks until granted passage. Missionaries were tolerated for their literacy, useful in correspondence, but received no royal encouragement. Hunters like Selous were permitted limited stays, though Lobengula mocked the young adventurer: “You look like a child—why hunt elephants?”

The Scramble for Concessions: Rhodes, Kruger, and the Great Deception

By the 1880s, European powers and colonial entrepreneurs were circling Lobengula’s kingdom. Paul Kruger of the Transvaal was the first to act, sending Boer intermediaries to secure a treaty in 1887. Meanwhile, Cecil Rhodes, the diamond magnate, orchestrated his own gambit. Through a mix of bribery, deception, and imperial maneuvering, Rhodes’s agent Charles Rudd secured the infamous Rudd Concession in October 1888.

The agreement granted Rhodes’s British South Africa Company (BSAC) exclusive mining rights in Lobengula’s territories in exchange for £100 monthly, 1,000 Martini-Henry rifles, and a river steamboat. Crucially, Lobengula believed he was signing a limited deal—not surrendering his land. When he realized the deception, he protested to Queen Victoria, but his pleas were ignored.

The Pioneer Column and the Founding of Rhodesia

In 1890, Rhodes launched the Pioneer Column, a force of 186 settlers and 500 armed police, to claim Mashonaland. Guided by Selous, they bypassed Bulawayo, avoiding confrontation, and hoisted the Union Jack at Fort Salisbury (modern Harare). Lobengula, wary of provoking Britain after the Zulu War’s disastrous outcome, held back his warriors.

But tensions erupted in 1893. When Lobengula’s impis raided Shona allies of the BSAC, Rhodes seized the pretext for war. The First Matabele War saw Maxim guns decimate Ndebele forces. Lobengula fled, dying in exile in 1894. His kingdom was no more.

The Legacy: Colonial Exploitation and Modern Reckonings

Rhodesia, as the territory was named, became a settler colony built on dispossession. The BSAC’s rule was marked by forced labor, land seizures, and racial segregation—a template for apartheid. The ruins of Great Zimbabwe, once misattributed to foreigners, were later recognized as a testament to Africa’s pre-colonial sophistication, undermining racist justifications for empire.

Today, Zimbabwe grapples with this legacy. Land reforms, post-independence, sought to redress colonial theft but triggered economic turmoil. The story of Lobengula—betrayed by treaties, outgunned by empire—remains a potent symbol of resistance and the costs of imperial greed.

Conclusion: The Shadows of Bulawayo

The scramble for Zimbabwe was a microcosm of Europe’s rush for Africa: a tale of myth, gold, and blood. Lobengula’s fall marked the end of an era, but his defiance echoes in Zimbabwe’s national identity. As historians reassess this period, the question lingers: Was this the birth of a nation—or its theft?