Mangobe Tembe

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Mangobe Tembe
King of the Tembe
Reignc.1746-1764
PredecessorMadomadoma (Nkalanki) (disputed)
Successor
Died1764 (1765)
Burial
Matutwini
SpouseMitshandlwane
Issue
House Tembe
FatherKing Silamboya
Religion Traditional African religion

Mangobe Tembe was an 18th-century king of the Tembe people. He was the father of King Nkupo II and King Mabudu Tembe. [1]

Contents

His reign marked the political and military peak of the Tembe Kingdom, which extended from the Indian Ocean to the Lebombo Mountains and southward into present-day KwaZulu Natal, the historic Maputaland-Lubombo region, and Mangobe is regarded by historians as the last king to rule over a united Tembe kingdom in the region before its fragmentation into wrangling royal factions after his death. [2]

Lineage and reign

Various historical traditions identify figures such as Sikuke, Ludahumba, Silamboya and Mangobe as founding ancestors of the Tembe family. [1]

Other sources suggest that Mangobe was a son of King Silamboya and a younger brother of King Mwayi I. [2] After Mwayi I’s death, Mangobe acted as regent for his nephew Prince Madomadoma (also known as Nkalanki), who was still a minor at the time. [2]

During this era, Mangobe emerged as a prominent political and military leader among the Tembe. [2] Mangobe approached Dutch officials at Delagoa Bay (Maputo) seeking firearms in exchange for military assistance and this request was declined. [2] He began leading successful military campaigns against neighbouring chiefdoms, including the Maxavane and the Nyaka [3] , while crossing the Maputo River in 1700s and continued to expand Tembe territory southward. [4]

During his reign, the kingdom expanded from Maputo Bay to the Mfolozi River and Mkhuze River, becoming the largest and most powerful polity in southeastern Africa during the 18th century. [5]

Madomadoma reportedly came and formally assumed the kingship and forced Mangobe into temporary exile. However, Mangobe later returned with military force and, by the after mid-1700s, Mangobe's forces had displaced Madomadoma and established himself as the effective ruler of the Tembe kingdom. [2]

Mangobe established his capital near present-day Madubula in the Matutwini region, where he is traditionally believed to be buried. [1] He appointed his sons as governors of strategic land:

Mangobe established trade networks with coastal traders and inland chiefdoms, trading with Europeans at Delagoa Bay, particularly the Dutch and Portuguese. [6]

Death and succession

Following his death after the mid-18th century, Mangobe was succeeded by his son, Prince Nkupo II. [7] However, Prince Mabudu soon emerged as the more capable and charismatic leader and succeeded in displacing his elder brother Nkupo II, taking the chieftainship for himself. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kloppers, Roelie J. (2003). The History and Representation of the History of the Mabudu-Tembe (MA thesis). University of Stellenbosch. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hedges, David W. (1978). Trade and Politics in Southern Mozambique and Zululand in the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries (PhD thesis). University of London.
  3. ↑ Mathebula, Mandla (2017). "Some notes on the early history of the Tembe, 1280 AD–1800 AD (PDF)". New Contree. 78: 102.
  4. ↑ Webster, David (1986). "Tembe-Thonga Kingship". Cahiers d'Études Africaines. 26 (104): 613–615.
  5. ↑ Smith, Alan (1970). "Delagoa and the Trade of South-Eastern Africa". In Gray, R.; Birmingham, D. (eds.). Pre-colonial African Trade. Oxford University Press. p. 281.
  6. ↑ Hedges, David W. (1979). "Trade and Politics". Journal of African History: 153–154.
  7. ↑ Felgate, W.J. (1982). The Tembe Thonga of Natal and Mozambique. University of Natal Press. pp. 9–27.
  8. ↑ Hedges (1978). Page 137
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