southern African king who ruled the last great independent Bantu kingdom, Gaza, in what is now southern Mozambique. He tried to maintain his independence by playing the European powers against one another but was finally conquered by the Portuguese.

A grandson of the great warrior and founder of Gaza, Soshangane, Gungunhana became king in 1885. Though his grandfather had ruled the Portuguese as vassals, Gungunhana found himself under increasing pressure from them. In 1885 he asked for British protection, which was refused. He encouraged contacts with other Europeans, hoping to gain time in which to build up his own strength, but these contacts lost him the loyalty of many of his people. In 1890 he signed an agreement with Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company, but the British government, fearful of diplomatic repercussions with Portugal, disallowed it. War finally broke out with the Portuguese in 1895, and Gungunhana was defeated and captured. He died in exile.