In what ways were states in the Southern Africa different than those in the North (back in African medieval times)

The major difference between northern and southern African states in medieval times was that North Africa was under direct control of different Islamic caliphates and empires, while in Southern Africa there was a myriad of small tribal states and kingdoms with different beliefs and political systems. Throughout this entire period of time, from 7th to 15th centuries, we can see that North Africa went through the Ummayyad, the Abbasids, the Fatimid Caliphate and Mamluks in Egypt and several Berber caliphates in North-western Africa. On the other hand, in Southern Africa during this period we can find the kingdom of Zimbabwe, the Kingdom of Mapungubwe, the Kingdom of Mutapa or the Kingdom of Butua, all of them held animistic religions and traditions.