Nelson Mandela from AbaThembu Royal FamilyBrenda Fassie famous Xhosa traditional musician
The Thembu (Xhosa: AbaThembu) are a Xhosa Nation who inhabited the Kingdom of Thembuland. They were established around the 16th century as one of the Xhosa federations in the Transkeian territories. The federation was later annexed by British Empire shortly after the death of King Sarhili.
According to Xhosa oral tradition, the Hala clan migrated along the east coast of southern Africa before settling in KwaZulu-Natal. The earliest known Thembu ancestor is Chief Mbulali Ka-Nanzinzaba, whose grandson (named uMthembu KaNtongakazi), led his people from what became the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal to Dedesi in the present-day Transkei region of South Africa. The Thembu emerged as a single political entity during the reign of Nxeko, who settled in Dedesi and was awarded chieftainship by King Togu, who later also handed him independence to form a new Xhosa state. Famous descendants of Nxeko include members of the royal line of the Xhosa Kingdom and politicians like Nelson Mandela, whose father was a reigning nobleman from a junior branch of the AmaMadiba clan of kings, and Walter Sisulu.[2]
Name
In Xhosa, the name is abaThembu (aba- is a common prefix implying "people").[3] The territory of the Thembu state was historically known as Thembuland.
In the 19th century, Thembu were frequently known as the "Tamboekie" or "Tambookie" people. This name was originally the Khoisan language term specifically for the followers of Chief Maphasa who moved into the area west of the Great Kei River in the 1820s. However, Europeans used these terms as a synonym for "Thembu" for much of the 19th century.
Origin
Thembu was known as /Xam bu !e, /Xam and Embo people which makes /Xam bu !e in Xhosa it's Thembu, the O became U for bu.[4]
AbaThembu derives from /Xam ka !ue the meaning of /Xam is an Oryx or Antelope. The original name of AbaThembu was /Xam ka !eten (Antelope water people) in khoemana the word exists as /ehem it's the same.[5]
Thembu's by a large portion spoke /Xam or /Xam ke an extinct language, The Basotho's used to call Eastern Cape (Bathebu ke ing ke ma /Xam), it was known as a /Xam area. AbaThembu never originated from Central Africa the Thembu history never descended they ascended.[6]
uMtikrakra
Mtikrakra is a bitter bush, it's written in Xhosa as Mtikrakra, in /Xam it's (/um ti na) or (/um ra ra) and even in !Orakobab, and /Xam ke the Ra Ra means something bitter (!kung ra ra) bitter bush or tree people in Afrikaans (bitter bos mense).[7]
/Xam and Thembu history
The name ǂKhomani, now Queenstown, was a /Xam land, though /Xam land then became Thembuland. ǂkhomani people still exist in the Kalahari (!kung ra ma ba), which is Upington, Eastern Cape used to be a Cape Colony Queenstown (now called komani) is named after AmaQoma, Qoma means (A tree were a lion would rest). The Ntsundu people are Nǀuu people they exist in Northern Cape, Free State and Kalahari.[8]
The definition of Thembu is /Xam bu !e. /Xam intermarried with Abambo a minority, not the majority of Abambo they build a relationship with them, that's why today the /Xam bu !e, !e is a suffix when people say AbaThembu it is a Xhosa language it's not a Indigenous language in Transkei they speak a different type of dialect which is not their own original dialect it's a diversified dialect that kept connection with Abambo people. The original Thembu's spoke five to six-click dialect.[9]
Thembu's always praises a phrase called Sopitso or Yem-Yem which means (/Xam - /Xam) it connects all the Madiba, Dlomo, Nxongo, and Qwithi people.[10]
AbaThembu is a nation independent of AmaXhosa, from the eMbo/Aba-Mbo Empire. Zwide (Not of Ndwandwe) was the first man to leave eMbo, and he begot Malandela (not of AmaZulu years before), who settled in Mozambique, who begot Mbulali, who begot Njanye, who begot Mthembu.
Mthembu settled with his people in a place known as Mbabane in Swaziland and then went to kwaMsinga in Natal where he got two sons, Ndilo and Mvelase also known as Qudeni. He founded the tribe known as Abathembu BakwaMvelase. Ndilo left and died in a place known as Msana in Eastern Cape Ndilo's sons were Ntongakazi (dumakazi), Bhomoyi, Mncotshe, Mdlane, Qoma, and Jali. The houses of Mdlane and Jali, Qoma, Mncotshe were unimportant because their mothers were commoners. The only houses that were respected were the houses of Bhomoyi and Ntongakazi also known as Dumakazi both their mothers came from Royal houses.
Bhomoyi left Msana to Lesotho to a place known as Qacha's Nek he got into a battle with the Basotho's and won his newfound land when Bhomoyi confiscated land Basotho came to ask him to leave so that they could continue to farm on their land Bhomoyi replied (Andizuhamba de ndizobe ndibhentselwa zintombi zabesotho) meaning I won't leave until I'm awarded young Basotho women, The messenger went back to the Basotho King and returned with fifteen Basotho women this is where Isiduko Zabathembu got the phrase (VelaBembhentsele). Bhomoyi begot Ceduma who begot Mguti who begot Mngxongo and a daughter named Khazeka whose mother came from Mpondo royal family and who begot Ntoyi in the right-hand house whose mother was a commoner.
Khazeka is one of the two woman names mentioned in the history of AbaThembu because of their fearlessness and victories in unifying and stabilizing the Kingdom. Amagorhakazi esizwe saBathembu.
One day, Mtshutshumbe's section of AmaXesibe had to pass by the land of AbaThembu to reach AmaGcaleka. But because AbaThembu namaXesibe had some history, Mtshutshumbe decided to hide his Xesibe identity by calling his people AmaQwathi, named after a cow that was used at his graduation from initiation school.
After they arrived, they presented a tribute of cattle to Mnguti in exchange for land, which they got eNgcobo. Mguti then told his son Mngxongo to confiscate their land, and when he had done so, amaQwathi gave him cattle that were all black, which is preserved in iziduko zamaNgxongo Ntsundu(these were the cattle's colors).
It then happened that Mngxongo didn't return and his father Mguti got lost searching for him to crown him as the next King and he drowned with his dogs in the Qethume River.
Mngxongo's heir was Mphosesebeni, who was refused his place on the throne by the royal family. And to this day when Mguti and Mngxongo names are mentioned, it gets awkward ebaThenjini because the rightful king was overlooked.
Mphosesebeni's uncle Ntoyi, who had usurped the royal throne begot Ntande and Zima. When Ntoyi passed on, Zima succeeded him as regent for the young Ntande. This is when amaTola arrived led by Mkhume and his brother. They are the ones who introduced the use of spears to abaThembu.
Ntande took over the reins after Zima's death, and he begot Ngxeko, Maya, and the twins Qithi and Cube. During the 16th century, Ngxeko led the migration from Dedesi to Msana in the Mthatha district.
Ngxeko was the first legitimate king of abaThembu because he was the one who assimilated various fragments from tribes such as amaBomvana, amaVundle, amaMpondomise, and amaMfengu to build his kingdom. Nxekwa begot Hlanga by a Mpondo woman of the Mqiha clan, and Dlomo who is the eldest from another wife, as well as twins Balisa and Ndungwana, from a third wife.
All these women had not been classified into different ranks from major to minor. But it was clear that Hlanga, whose mother was a princess, was most likely to be the royal successor.
Just at that time, AmaMfene came asking to be incorporated into the Thembu nation. They were duly received and Ndungwana was instructed to allocate sites to them.
Ndungwana never returned from his mission, instead, he remained with the strangers, enjoying all the respect that was accorded him, and he installed himself as their Nkosi.
Whenever Dlomo slaughtered a cow, he would send inxaxheba (the right hindquarter) to Ndungwana, his junior, and then Hlanga would also send his nxaxheba to his junior Balisa which was a popular costume that displayed royal authority.
One day cows were slaughtered in the homes of both Dlomo and Hlanga. Dlomo decided to share meat with Welangaye, a maiden from the Mpemvu clan, and she burst out in praise of how Dlomo had basically installed himself as King and left shedding tears of joy.
Before the British conquest in the 19th century, the Thembu had an independent kingdom. The Xhosa clan name of the Thembu kings is Ntlazi aNkosiyane.[11][bettersourceneeded] Recent kings, Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo including Sabata Jonguhlanga Dalindyebo, took the surname Dalindyebo, after a 19th-century king.
After the conquest, the Thembu came under the government of the Cape Colony as part of Transkei. Except for a few missionaries and traders, Transkei was a Bantustan. The Transkei remained a Bantustan under apartheid and was regarded, along with Ciskei, as the homeland of the Xhosa people.
Great House
The great house of AbaThembu is called Eastern Thembu at Bumbane Great Palace and is situated in Mthata, Eastern Cape. The right-hand house is called Western Thembu at Qamata Great Palace and is situated in Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape. The Western Thembu's house enjoyed autonomy for decades and was often referred to as the right-hand house, while the Eastern Thembu's house was referred to as the great house. King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, son of King Sabata Jonguhlanga Dalindyebo, became the King of AbaThembu Nation in May 1989; his praise name is Aa! Zwelibanzi!.
The invasion of Thembuland
When King Moshoeshoe I of Basotho invaded Thembuland in search of more cattle he went along with his younger brother Magabane and Morosi his great friend and the King of BaPhuthi, Moshoeshoe then instructed Magabane to go and raid for cattle at Ngubengcuka’s Royal Estate while he and Morosi relaxed on a mountain near Ncobo when Magabane was returning with some cattle, Ngubengcuka's regiments gave him a tough time but unfortunately they failed to stop him.[12]
AbaThembu gradually built their regiments as more and more warriors responding to the war drum kept on joining them they attacked Basotho repeatedly but were repulsed every time just as Magabane was about to ascend eLuhewini mountain with the cattle a joint Army of AmaHala and AmaQwathi arrived Basotho with their small axes reaped havoc on the limbs of the enemy but they were thrown into confusion as AbaThembu attacked from behind.[13]
After some time Basotho gave in and sought refuge in a forest Ngubengcuka instructed his army to completely expel Basotho from his Kingdom but one of the men informed him that they had run out of weapons Ngubengcuka then told them to get wood from the forest and make clubs at once the orders of the King were carried out, Basotho were driven out of the forest with sticks and clubs and Magabane was fatally wounded.[14]
When the fight reached Moshoeshoe he put up no resistance and joined the flight into a nearby forest which Ngubengcuka ordered his men to surround at once, evening soon approached and because of the darkness AbaThembu could not get to drive Basotho out of the forest by the following morning there was not a single Mosotho in the forest as they had all escaped in that way Moshoeshoe was defeated by King Ngubengcuka.[15]
The forest was renamed Nduku meaning (stick to commemorate how they were used to drive out Basotho who very nearly perished in Thembuland) at the time when everything was under control in King Ngubengcuka’s country there was no nation that dared to touch him and his power was accepted and recognized by all.[16]
King
Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, son of Sabata Jonguhlanga Dalindyebo, became the Thembu king in May 1989; his praise name is Zwelibanzi. Sabata deposed Kaiser Matanzima, whom the government had installed and who advocated against South African liberation movements. In December 2009, King Buyelekhaya was convicted of offenses including culpable homicide, kidnapping, arson and assault. In response, he proposed secession from South Africa,[17][18] and later demanded that the government pay Dalindyebo R900million and the tribe a further R80billion in compensation for the humiliation caused by his criminal trial.[19]
Dalindyebo was imprisoned in December 2015. He was also dethroned and was expected to be administratively dethroned.[20]
Prince Azenathi Dalindyebo, Buyelekhaya's heir, has served as the acting king of the tribe since 2016.
On 23 December 2019, following president Cyril Ramaphosa's Day of reconciliation speech, the abaThembu king was released from prison after serving one-third of his sentence.
A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons (cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets have historically been passed from a father to his firstborn son in what is known as primogeniture; younger sons, the cadets, inherited less wealth and authority to pass on to future generations of descendants.
Mthatha, alternatively rendered Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzima Airport after former leader Kaiser Matanzima. Mthatha derives its name from the nearby Mthatha River which was named after the sneezewood (umtati) trees, famous for their wood and medicinal properties.
The Mpondo-People, or simply known as Ama-Mpondo, is a kingdom in what is now known as the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It was established in March 1224. The Ama-Mpondo-Nation was first ruled by its founder who was King Mpondo ka-Njanya who lived around [born in 1204 and died in 1280] and later the 'Ama-Nyawuza' clan (a royal clan of the Ama-Mpondo-nation), by nationality referred to themselves as 'Ama-Mpondo'. They are related to other Aba-Mbo-People's and chiefdoms in South Africa.
Qunu is a Xhosa rural village in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, 32 km (20 mi) south-west of Mthatha on the N2 national route.
Iziduko (pl.) in Xhosa are family names that are considered more important than surnames among Xhosa people. Many Xhosa persons can trace their family history back to a specific male ancestor or stock. Mentioning the clan name of someone is the highest form of respect, and it is considered polite to enquire after someone's clan name on meeting. The clan name is also sometimes used as an exclamation by members of that clan.
King Sarhili Ka-Hintsa was the King of Xhosa nation from 1835 until his death in 1892 at Sholora, Bomvanaland. He was also known as "Kreli", and led the Xhosa armies in a series of frontier wars.
The Bhaca people, or amaBhaca, are an Nguni ethnic group in South Africa.
Nomaka Epainette Mbeki, commonly known as "MaMbeki", a stalwart community activist and promoter of women's development, mother of former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki. and widow of political activist and Rivonia trialist, Dr. Govan Mbeki. She lived in Ngcingwane, a rural hamlet near Dutywa, one of South Africa's poorest municipalities. She was known for her auspicious relatives and, more importantly to her, her endeavours to improve the residents' quality of life. Gillian Rennie, in an award-winning profile, quoted a co-worker as saying, "She is not like other retired people, getting a pension and saying, 'Let me play golf and fish a bit.' The old lady is a humble person."
The Rharhabe House is the second senior house of the Xhosa Kingdom. Its royal palace is in the former Ciskei and its counterpart in the former Transkei is the Gcaleka, which is the great house of Phalo.
Lwandile Zwelenkosi Matanzima was a South African clan leader and ruler as king of Western Thembuland.
The Gcaleka House is the Great house of the Xhosa Kingdom in what is now the Eastern Cape. Its royal palace is in the former Transkei and its counterpart in the former Ciskei is the Rharhabe, which is the right hand house of Phalo.
King Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo KaSabata, reign name Zwelibanzi, is the king of the abaThembu people of South Africa since the late 1980s to present day. Dalindyebo is the son of the previous king of the AbaThembu King Sabata Jonguhlanga Dalindyebo, he is a direct descendant of King Dhlomu KaNxeko who founded the AmaDlomo dynasty, and currently the ruler of bakwaDalindyebo lineage.
Thembuland, Afrikaans: Temboeland, is a natural region in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Its territory is the traditional region of the abaThembu.
King Madzikane was the founder and a King of the amaBhaca nation. He was the son of the Zelemu King Khalimeshe kaWabana.
The AmaNdlambe or the Ndlambe is a Xhosa principality located in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Founded by Prince Ndlambe, son of King Rharhabe and grandson of King Phalo, Ndlambe's advisors and strong army were known as the 'AmaNdlambe'. Prince Ndlambe was also the uncle of King Hintsa.
Chief Falo kaMgudlwa was a Chief of AmaJumba Clan, of the abaThembu people near Qhumanco, Ngcobo. His household was based at Lucwecwe.
The Mpondomise people, also called Ama-Mpondomise, are a Xhosa-speaking people. Their traditional homeland has been in the contemporary era Eastern Cape province of South Africa, and during apartheid they were located both in the Ciskei and Transkei region. Like other separate Xhosa-speaking kingdoms such as Aba-Thembu and Ama-Mpondo, they speak Xhosa and are at times considered as part of the Xhosa people.
The Mandela family is a Xhosa royal family in South Africa. Its most prominent member was Nelson Mandela, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
Ndaba Zwelodumo Mtirara is a Xhosa traditional leader and former politician. He is a member of the Thembu royal family and represented the United Democratic Movement (UDM) in the National Assembly from 1999 until 2001, when he resigned. He subsequently joined the African National Congress (ANC).
↑ Compare: "Intrigue in the royal household as King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo sits in jail". Times Live. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-01. In terms of laws governing traditional authorities, he also had to be administratively dethroned. This involved President Jacob Zuma withdrawing the certificate that recognized him as a king and cutting off the benefits that went with his status. [...] Mtirara said Zuma gave Dalindyebo a chance to say something when the certificate was about to be withdrawn, but he chose to go to court instead. This meant the matter of withdrawing the king's certificate still had to be dealt with.
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