Tembe (ruler)

King Tembe
Founder of the Tembe Kingdom
Reign	From c. 1554
Successor	Tembe descendants
Born	Great Zimbabwe, Southern Africa
Died	Maputaland, Southern Africa
Dynasty	Tembe-Thonga
Religion	African traditional religion

King Tembe was the founder of the Tembe Kingdom in c. 1554. He was of Great Zimbabwe origin and his descendants ruled the powerful Southern African coastal Tembe state until 1886 when King Noziyingile died and new royal factions formed. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

His descendants controlled both coastal and inland territories, which included Kosi Bay and the region around Manguzi, while inland authority extended towards the lower reaches of the Lubombo Mountains. This allowed the Tembe to interact with neighbouring Nguni and Tsonga communities and managed to navigate through the storms of expansionist battles, like interaction with the Swazi, Ndwandwe, Mthethwa and later Zulu Kingdoms. ^[4]

At its peak in the 18th century under King Mabudu the Tembe Kingdom accumulated a lot of wealth through Indian Ocean Coast trade with European merchants. Tembe chiefs exchanged ivory and other local goods for valuable items such as glass beads, cloth and firearms. ^[5] . The Tembe Kingdom today is represented through the Tembe Tribal Authority. ^[6]

Some scholars trace the early presence of Tembe-related communities in the Maputaland region as far back as the 13th century. ^[2] However, the Tembe Kingdom as a political entity is generally regarded as having been founded around 1554, when King Tembe consolidated chiefly authority in the Delagoa Bay area. ^[2]

References

1. Mthethwa, Dingani. 2002. The Mobilization of History and the Tembe Chieftaincy in Maputaland: 1896-1997. MA thesis, University of Natal, Durban. Available at: Here (PDF (accessed 14 November 2025).
2. Mathebula, M. Some notes on the early history of the Tembe, 1280 AD–1800 AD (2017).
3. Kloppers, Roelie J. (2003). The History and Representation of the History of the Mabudu‑Tembe (MA thesis). University of Stellenbosch.
4. Harries, P. Work, Culture, and Identity: Migrant Laborers in Mozambique and South Africa. Heinemann, 1994.
5. Newitt, M. A History of Mozambique Indiana University Press, 1995
6. The vision of the Tembe Tribal Authority, Tembe Tusker Foundation, accessed 14 November 2025