Today Nyanza is the administrative capital of the Southern Province of Rwanda. By the late 19th century the growing colonial presence risked undermining the authority of Rwandan kings. However, Mwami (King) Musinga made Nyanza the first permanent royal capital of Rwanda, keeping this status until the country became a republic in 1962. During the Rwandan genocide, the town of Nyanza was the site of a large massacre of Tutsis and moderate Hutus.