Manuel António de Sousa

Manuel António de Sousa Capitâo-Mórda
Manuel António de Sousa
Birth name	Manuel António de Sousa
Born	1835 Mapuçá (Mapusa), (Bardês (Bardez), Goa, Portuguese India)
Died	1892, January 20 Portuguese Mozambique
Allegiance	Portuguese Empire, independent adventurer
Spouse(s)	Maria Anastácia Mascarenhas

Manuel António de Sousa (10 November 1835 in Mapuçá, Goa, Portuguese India – 20 January 1892 in Portuguese Mozambique), also known as Gouveia, was a Portuguese merchant of Goan origin and military captain of Manica and Quiteve (Kiteve).

Manuel António de Sousa was born in Mapuçá, Bardez municipality (Goa) in 1835. He was the son of Félix de Sousa, landlord and proprietor, and D. Doroteia Tomásia Mascarenhas. He studied at the Rachol Seminary in Salcete, Goa, until he reached the age of 16.

In 1853 he emigrated to Zambézia, to assist in the administration of the estate of his uncle Félix Mascarenhas. On his arrival in Portuguese Mozambique, he married his cousin, Maria Anastácia Mascarenhas, the only daughter of his uncle. He became established as a businessman in the Sena region. Speedily, he made a fortune in the ivory trade and gained power in the region. Armed elephant hunters formed the core of his personal militia.

He won a reputation for his loyalty both to the governor-general and the Kingdom of Portugal, and relentlessly fought the chiefs and indigenous kings to expand his personal empire. In 1856 he took part in the war of succession of the local kingdom of Gaza and settled in the mountains of Gorongosa, where he established the basis of an aringas system which, together with his private army, was used to defend his interests.