Tembe-Thonga

Tembe-Thonga

Vatsonga / Mathonga
Regions with significant populations
Northern KwaZulu Natal (South Africa) Southern Mozambique
Languages
Xitsonga (Tsonga dialects) Other Nguni influences like Swazi language
Religion
Predominantly Christianity; Traditional African religion
Related ethnic groups
Tsonga people; Chopi people; Nguni people

The Tembe-Thonga people (also known as Vatsonga or Mathonga) are a Southern African Bantu ethnic group primarily inhabiting northern KwaZulu Natal in South Africa and southern Mozambique. ^[1] They are part of the broader Tsonga-Nguni cultural and linguistic family that inhabited the southeastern African region of Maputaland since the Bantu expansion era. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

References

1. Webster, David (1986). "Tembe-Thonga Kinship: The Marriage of Anthropology and History". Cahiers d'Études africaines (104): 611–632. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
2. Tsonga – African tribe, Mozambique.co.za, accessed 24 November 2025
3. Beyer, Greg South African Languages and Their Histories (Nguni-Tsonga Group), TheCollector, 2 October 2022. Accessed 24 November 2025