Chief of Tembe

Chief of Tembe
Inkosi (Chief) yaKwaTembe
Incumbent Inkosi (Chief) Mabhudu Israel Tembe [1]
Residence	KwaNgwanase, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Seat	KwaNgwanase, Manguzi
Appointer	Tembe Tribal Authority
Term length	Hereditary
Formation	Precolonial era
First holder	King Tembe

Chief of Tembe (also Inkosi yaKwaTembe) is the hereditary leadership title of the ruling house of the precolonial Tembe Kingdom, now represented as the Tembe Tribal Authority in South Africa's modern democratic structure. ^{[2] [3] [4]} The Chief of Tembe oversees traditional governance within the Tembe Tribal Authority, manages land allocation, presides over customary courts and represents the Tembe community in provincial traditional leadership structures. ^{[4] [5]}

The Tembe chieftaincy is historically linked with the wider Embo-Nguni and Emalangeni communities of the eastern Maputaland-Lubombo region. ^[6]

List of Tembe rulers

The following is a list of Tembe rulers from King Sikuke to current Chief of Tembe. ^[7]

Name	Reign	Notes
King Sikuke	c.1692-1710	First verifiable Tembe ruler after the genealogical gap
King Ludahumba	1710-1728	Successor to King Sikuke
King Silamboya	1728-1746	Consolidated Tembe authority during early coastal-inland interactions
King Mangobe	1746-1764	Predecessor to King Mabudu; pivotal ruler before the rise of the Mabudu-Tembe branch
King Mabudu	1764-1782	Founder of the Mabudu-Tembe branch; powerful 18th-century ruler
King Mwayi	1782-1800	Successor to Mabudu
King Makasana	1800-1854	Major ruler during early 19th-century upheavals; father of King Noziyingile
King Noziyingile Tembe	1854-1886	Father of Prince Ngwanase; strengthened Tembe polity during colonial encroachment
Queen Zambili Dlamini (Regent)	1886-1894	Regent for Prince Ngwanase following Noziyingile’s death
Chief Ngwanase Tembe	1894-1928	Installed after regency; founder of the modern Ngwanase-Tembe branch
Chief Mhlupeki Tembe	1928-1950	Son of Ngwanase; ruled through early apartheid years
Chief Mzimba Tembe	1951-2000	Son of Mhlupeki; long-serving 20th-century chief
Chief Israel Mabhudu Tembe	2001-present	Current Chief of Tembe, leading the Tembe Tribal Authority

See also

• Tembe Kingdom
• Tembe Tribal Authority
• Mabudu-Tembe Kingdom
• Tembe (Southern African clan)
• Tembe Elephant Park
• KwaNgwanase
• Prince Ngwanase Tembe
• Queen Zambili Dlamini
• King Noziyingile Tembe
• Prince Makhuza Tembe

References

1. "Inkosi Mabhudu Israel Tembe resigns from Ingonyama Trust board". TimesLIVE. 11 January 2025.
2. Mthethwa, Dingani. 2002. The Mobilization of History and the Tembe Chieftaincy in Maputaland: 1896–1997 (PDF). MA thesis, University of Natal.
3. Mathebula, Mandla (2017). "Some notes on the early history of the Tembe, 1280 AD–1800 AD (PDF)". New Contree. 78: 102.
4. Lions to roar Tembe Park, News24, 10 October 2001. Accessed 22 November 2025
5. Peace Parks Foundation. "Tembe Elephant Park" . Retrieved 11 November 2025.
6. Matsebula, J. S. M. (1972). A History of Swaziland. 3rd edition. Longman Publishers: South Africa. pp. 8–9.
7. Kloppers, Roelie J. (2003). The History and Representation of the History of the Mabudu‑Tembe (MA thesis). University of Stellenbosch. page27