By Saul Molobi
Two Horns: The Narrative of the Lost Monarch by Sizwe Charles Mda is not just another addition to South Africa’s growing canon of post-colonial reflection — it is a bold reclamation of memory, identity, and truth. Drawing on rigorous historical insight and cultural introspection, Mda revisits the turbulent period of colonial expansion from the mid-18th century, unmasking the brutality cloaked in the rhetoric of “civilisation” and “exploration.”
Through his compelling narrative, Mda breathes life into the story of King Mzilikazi, the fearless founder of the Ndebele nation — a visionary monarch whose wisdom, courage, and diplomacy shaped Southern Africa’s political landscape long before European conquest. The author’s own spiritual and historical journey becomes interwoven with that of Mzilikazi, creating a dialogue across centuries that challenges both myth and silence.
A Chronicle of Displacement and Defiance
The book offers a searing reflection on how colonialism disrupted African kingdoms — displacing people, appropriating land, and rewriting indigenous history. Yet, Mda refuses to linger on pain alone. He acknowledges that amid this devastation, missionaries, communities, and ordinary Africans displayed acts of compassion and resilience that deserve recognition.
In a landscape dominated by narratives written through foreign eyes, Two Horns restores balance. It examines the paradox of colonial intrusion: the simultaneous imposition of oppression and introduction of infrastructure, the spread of religion alongside the theft of sovereignty. Through this balanced yet unapologetically African lens, Mda invites students, historians, and readers to re-engage with the true history of Southern African kingdoms.
A Personal and Ancestral Odyssey
Born in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), Mda’s upbringing in the AmaNtungwa lineage under his mother, uMaKhumalo, and his father of the AmaMfengu (Tolo) clan, anchors his storytelling in lived experience and ancestral memory. His narrative is not detached scholarship but a heartfelt meditation on heritage and belonging.
As an IT specialist turned historian and writer, Mda fuses analytical precision with poetic sensitivity. His recollections — from childhood readings of Alfred Hitchcock and Reader’s Digest, to prayer sessions near the Union Buildings, to discovering his spiritual kinship with Mzilikazi — unfold as revelations guiding him to authorship.
That fateful realization, that he once prayed on the very ground where Mzilikazi had established his kraal, transformed his curiosity into conviction. It birthed Two Horns, a work of historical resurrection and cultural healing.
Why This Book Matters
At a time when Africa continues to wrestle with questions of identity, restitution, and authenticity, Two Horns: The Narrative of the Lost Monarch offers both mirror and map. It restores dignity to silenced histories and bridges the distance between past suffering and present awakening.
Whether you are a scholar of African kingdoms, a student of colonial resistance, or simply a reader in search of truth, this book demands to be read — not only as history, but as testimony.
Availability
Two Horns: The Narrative of the Lost Monarch is available for R250 (excluding Paxi).
Orders and inquiries can be made via WhatsApp: +27 73 664 9849.
ISBN: 978-1-0672634-5-4