Kosi Bay - Hitorical Over View

History

• o Kosi Bay, Manguzi, eManguzi, KwaNgwanase are all different names for the same place. Manguzi is the community in which the town is settled and KwaNgwanase is the district name.

• oThe name Kosi is said to be derived from the word Nkosi which means king. Ngwanase is the name for the Thonga King who fled from the Portugese Colonists in Mozambique. The original king was Mabhudu which the Portugese and English colonists mispronounced and misspelled respectively to Maputo and Maputa. The region is still known as Maputaland.

• o The region is also known as Thonga Tembe Land. Historically this region was the orphan of South Africa and none of the previous governments made any effort to develop this region. Maputaland was/is completely self-governed by the Thonga people. The current king is Mabhudu Israel Tembe. Even today the Tembe Tribal Authority retains power and oversees everything regarding everyday life.

• o The fact that the region have a King and chiefs, Local government, various other state bodies who have interests here and that large parts of Maputaland are national borders, world heritage area, state forest land, marine sanctuary and conservation areas do not make it easier to manage and purposefully develop Maputaland.

• o In Maputaland first world dreams are conflicting with third world tranquillity and existence more than anywhere else. The stage was set when the Portugese and English colonists clashed in these regions during 1875 and asked the French prime Minister to arbitrate. With typical heavy handedness he drew a line on a map that divided the Thonga tribe in two.

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