The 1953 Thyolo Disturbances: Nyasaland Revolts Against The Federation.A Tribute to Chief Ngamwane And The Rioters

The 1953 Thyolo Disturbances: Nyasaland Revolts Against The Federation.

A Tribute to Chief Ngamwane And The Rioters

Mayhem kicked off in Nyasaland when Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was declared on 1st August 1953. Africans started riots protesting the federation. 

Mid August 1953, in Cholo  (Thyolo) one night, a small group of Europeans apprehended 2 natives who had stolen a large quantity of oranges from Tennet's Estate.

The Europeans planned to take the 2  thieves to DCs Office at Thyolo Boma..

But before they were able to do so, a number of armed locals  responded from the cry of the 2 thieves.

The frightened Europeans planters released the 2 thieves and fled, some on foot and some by car.

Reports on the confusion and melee that followed was that,  the natives believed

the 2 bodies of the natives caught were stuffed in the oranges bags.

By morning the next day, rumour had gone around and a thousand natives attacked nearby European residences and the Tennet Estate Office despite intervention of the District Commissioner.

This escalated as the natives connected  the situation....to vent their anger on the Federation.

Later, they cut the telephone wires,,,, blocked the main road.

They organised a sit-in at the DCs office and the main road refusing anything less than the trial and imprisonment of the Europeans who had supposedly killed the citrus thieves.

Police reinforcements arrived midday from Blantyre and the mood of the large crowd grew uglier.

The District Commissioner read the Riot Act to the natives,which  a few heard.

The police charged the crowd with batons and one of them accidentally discharged his rifle killing one of the crowd.

This aroused all the natives who were dormant working in the densely populated surrounding Estates.

They converged at the Boma started stoning Police vehicles injuring 2 European Police.

The Police reacted by tossing tear gas grenades 

Neither the stones nor the tear gas dissolved the stalemate. ...and the stoning continued til evening.

The Police arrested and locked in the leading agitator Ngamwane who was a sub Chief.

Other natives persuaded their fellows to disperse pending their Chief's hearing in court.

The arrest of Ngamwane  aroused anger in the densely populated Cholo central area.

By the morning of 20 August 1953, the natives had regrouped and their initial anger and complaint against the planters had piled up with the arrest of Ngamwane, their Chief.

About 6 thousand armed natives surrounded the Cholo DCs Office and demanded the immediate release of Sub Chief Ngamwane.

The Police had already transferred Ngamwane to Limbe Police.

Upon hearing that Ngamwane has been transfered to Blantyre...the crowd went mad and blocked several roads and re cut the telephone wires.

They attacked the Luchenza Plywood factory and ransacked the Luchenza Train Station, harassed the Seventh Day at Makwasa, attacked Police Patrols.

The DC requested the regional Commissioner of Police to obtain an emergency release on bail of Ngamwane.

Ngamwane returned to Cholo and the crowd dispersed.

The Govt obtained reinforcements of troops from South Rhodesia.

The violence continued for weeks til the trial of Ngamwane on the 27 and 28 of August 1953.

The Nyasaland Govt tried Ngamwane at Cholo and the magistrate dismissed the case due to lack of evidence. 

..Ngamwane did not disperse the natives after the case, and violence prevailed.

The Southern Rhodesian paper reported that ... A Southern Rhodesia Platoon had to blast it's way through a road blocked every hundred yards by rioters.

The natives had also boycotted tax...The police used tear gas and rounded up all tax evaders....many of whom had swelled up the ranks of the rioters.

They arrested tax evaders were tried at the rate of 40 cases an hour.

All in all, several districts were in turmoil against federation til October 1953.

A total of 11 natives lost their lives and over 70 were injured seriously.

Orton Chirwa and Charles Matinga advised the natives to observe 27 Sept as remembrance day for the fallen of 1953.

Ngamwane was demoted by the Nyasaland Govt from Sub Chief to a mere Village headman for his role in the disturbances.

The Hansard report in the United Kingdom HC Deb 21 October 1953 vol 518 discusses the Cholo Disturbances.

 Mr. J. Johnson asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will send a commission of inquiry to investigate the disturbances in Nyasaland.

An Hon Member: Send a warship.

Mr. Lyttelton:  We are talking now about disturbances in Nyasaland, and I am sorry the hon. Member's knowledge of geography should be so tenuous that he imagines a warship could be sent there.

****The disturbances have already been investigated by a Commission of Inquiry appointed by the Governor with the Chief Justice as Chairman and Mr. C. E. Snell and Mr. K. E. Mposa, an African member of Legislative Council, as members. The Commission have already submitted their report to the Governor, and I expect to receive a copy shortly.

Ngamwane lived a quiet life after the 1953 disturbances.

My mother had one time told me that she was related to Ngamwane. Upon interviewing her, she said:

Her clan came from Mozambique to settle in the Thyolo area when the Nyasaland Govt was building the Limbe Nsanje railway in 1908. 

When they arrived one of her aunties got married to Ngamwane, that's when they established their Machemba Village.

At that time an Indian, Kun Raman who fought  WWI bought an Estate at Magombwa 1930-40s Thyolo. He had other estates at Makande. The Indian built his house there and was growing tea and other crops. He owned a small Estate next to Tennets Estate  and decided to marry one of the local girls that's when she was born. The Indian was the father of my mum, and my grand father.

Kun Raman was a very close friend of Chief  Ngamwane. Since my mother was born in 1950, Ngamwane  was like her godfather.

She remembers Ngamwane who was fond of her, his half caste little niece and assisted her at the DCs Office on issues of her upkeep from her father.

Ngamwane suffered as a village headman during the federation and things went worse when Dr Banda arrived in 1958.

There was supposed to be a  mass rally  late 1958 at Tennet Estates welcoming  Kamuzu by Nyasaland African Congress.

Before Kamuzu arrived at the point,  people were dispersed by a swarm of bees.

The rally failed to take place and rumour started circulating that it was Ngamwane who was responsible for the bees attack.

That incidence piled more misery on Ngamwane as he was never to be restored to his Sub Chief seat....after independence.

Ngamwane stayed in prison for for 8 years.

In 2007 when I was processing my  passport (lost) I had to take the forms to Thyolo DCs office where I met a rude officer who refused to sign my forms and said..."Inu si aku Somalia inu. ..Pitani kwa a mfumu akayike umboni."

I returned to Blantyre frustrated and explained to masteni.

Luckily there were some relatives from her village who visited and were returning home. She gave them my forms and sent a message to Ngamwane.

I went to Thyolo DCs office the following week just to check the progress.

I found the forms signed.

The idiot who turned me back the week before .. smiled at me and said ..."Aaah bwana... ma form  anu anasayinidwa kale kale....Pepani sitimadziwa ndinu zizukulu za Ngamwane."

The Nyasaland Police in the pic ....doing Spot Checks...and also rounding tax evaders.

Respect  to Ngamwane, the man who stubbornly led the 1953 Thyolo disturbances against the federation.