Иньяти: История деревни в Зимбабве

Village in Zimbabwe

Inyathi (also known as Enyathi, Inyati, UMzinyathi, and Emhlangeni) is a village located in the Bubi District of Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe that grew from colonization by missionaries in the late 19th century. The Mission itself sits upon around of land. and has a number of gold mines that have inspired both corporate (including Rio Tinto and Anglo American) and illegal mining.

Inyathi is the Xhosa word for buffalo; the town was named for the nearby Buffalo River.

Due to colonization, information about pre colonial Inyathi has largely been lost. King Mzilikazi agreed on the terms that they would do so for "non religious reasons", as the Northern Ndebele people were very devoted to their own religious practice. This became the oldest Mission and first permanent white settlement in Zimbabwe, and the first Mission to offer education to the locals. The initial Mission consisted only of a red brick church built by Moffat, who left Inyathi once the necessary buildings were built. The LMS viewed Inyathi as a failure for many years due to the inability of missionaries to convert its people to Christianity. During the last decade of the 19th century, however, the colonizers began seizing power, first by attempting to smother the importance of the iziNduna, then by creating their own police force. Despite having so much of the land, only "150 of the 1070 European farms were actually worked [sic]." Girls were later admitted.

Inyathi's cemetery holds the graves of missionaries' children, white farmers, and prominent church members, having had its first burial in 1860. Among those buried there are Mzingaye Dube, who headed the secondary school, Ndumiso Gumede, Highlanders F. C. executive, and politician Micah Bhebhe.