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A team led by Zimbabwean historian Pathisa Nyathi has revealed what it believes to be the final resting place of the famous King Lobengula in a cave in Zambia.

The mission, supported by President Mnangagwa’s administration, presented an alternative view of the Ndebele monarch’s fate. He is widely believed to have disappeared over a hundred years ago after the Battle of Shangani (1983), in which British colonial forces killed around 1,500 Ndebeles.

According to Nyathi, Lobengula, lived on with King Mpezeni’s people in Chipata, Zambia, and upheld Ndebele burial customs by being buried in Sanjika Cave.

“The king never disappeared but crossed the Zambezi River and settled in Chipata after four months, and he lived with the Ngoni people for four years. But even when he died, the exact spot was kept a closely guarded secret but to some of us, that is not a problem. Some cultures will use archaeology, others will use geophysical surveys, and Africans do these things their own way,” Nyathi said.