West Shangana

West of the Changane lies the dry interior of the Limpopo basin, a country of woodland and seasonal watercourses. In the early nineteenth century the region was transformed by the movement of Nguni forces from the south. Soshangane established the Gaza kingdom in the wider Limpopo country; his followers encountered Tsonga-speaking communities already living there. Warfare and the growth of his authority prompted further movements, as some communities sought safety elsewhere in the interior.