When did Bantu-speaking Iron Age peoples begin settling in Mozambique?

Bantu-speaking Iron Age peoples began settling in what is now Mozambique from at least the 3rd century CE.12

These populations migrated from west-central Africa as part of a broader movement of Bantu speakers. They brought with them advanced iron technology and agricultural practices, including the cultivation of grains, root crops, and tree crops, alongside the keeping of cattle and small livestock. This technological and agricultural mastery supported sustained population growth, which necessitated territorial expansion toward the Indian Ocean coast and into the highlands of western Mozambique.12