n the February of 1488 a Portuguese vessel commanded by Bartholomew Dias doubled the Cape of Good Hope and entered the Indian Ocean. Nine years later Vasco da Gama extended Dias’ discoveries, heard rumours of the Monomatapa’s Kingdom and pioneered a sea route to India. The Portuguese then made a base at Sofala on the East African coast and in 1511 despatched an emissary to Monomatapa. His name was Antonio Fernandes, and he was the first white man to enter modern Rhodesia. Fernandes met the Monomatapa himself near where the Musengezi River pours down the Zambezi.escarpment. He brought back to Sofala reports of all the chiefs who owed allegiance to the Monomatapa, and of the vast quantities of gold which were mined in their country.

he Portuguese reacted quickly to exploit these discoveries; within a few years of Fernandes’ pioneering journey, the records show that several European traders were working in the Karanga state.

hen in 1569 a lavishly equipped expedition under Francisco Barreto was launched up the Zambezi to conquer Monomatapa. Priests accompanied the soldiers and the campaign had something of the quality of a crusade. But after winning several victories over the Bantu opposing him, Barreto’s army was overwhelmed by malaria and dysentery and the expedition had to be abandoned when within a few days’ march of the Inyanga highlands.

second army under Fernandes Homes was more successful in 1575; it penetrated into Manicaland and the Portuguese gradually established concessions, missions and trading stations in Monomatapa. The most important markets were held at Masapa near Mount Darwin, Luanze between the Mazoe and Ruenya rivers, Bocuto in the Mrewa district, and Dambarare just north of the modern Mazoe. During the first half of the seventeenth century the Portuguese gradually gained control of Monomatapa and proselytized the Karanga, but the settlers suffered badly from tropical diseases and they were unable to consolidate their position permanently. In 1693 the Portuguese suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Karanga and were expelled from their country.

hen white missionaries re-entered Rhodesia in 1859 not one Christian was there to greet them and hardly a trace of the Portuguese occupation was to be found.