Emakhandzambili

The Emakhandzambili (Siswati: meaning "those found ahead") refers to the groups that were already settled in the Eswatini region prior to the migration of the Dlamini-led Swazi people. ^[1]

The Emakhandzambili were primarily of Sotho and Tsonga origin ^[2] and were incorporated into the Swazi polity by the Bemdzabuko ("original Swazis") during the 18th and 19th centuries when the Kingdom of Eswatini was rising. ^[1] The term also distinguished the Emakhandzambili from the Emafikamuva ("those who came later"). ^{[1] [3]}

Prominent Emakhandzambili clans include the Maseko, Magagula, Mnisi, Makhubu, Mashinini, Msimango, Motsa, Mahlangu, Gwebu, Bhembe, Zwane, Shongwe, Tsabetse, Shabalala, Maziya, Sifundza and Ngcampalala. ^{[4] [1]} These clans were integrated into the Swazi kingdom and their inclusion expanded the kingdom’s manpower and influence. ^{[4] [1]}

References

1. Matsebula, J.S.M.(1988). History of Swaziland, Longman. 3rd edition. ISBN   0582031672. Page 21-22
2. Hailey, Lord (1953).Native Administration in the British African Territories. Part V: High Commission Territories: Basutoland, the Bechuanaland Protectorate and Swaziland. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. p. 351.
3. Kuper, Hilda (1947). An African Aristocracy, Taylor&Francis, p. 12
4. Thwala, Thabani (2013).The Politics of Placing Princes in Historical and Contemporary Swaziland, MA thesis, University of the Witwatersrand. pp. 13–14, 18, 76, 117 & 140. Available at: University of Cape Town Digital Collections.