Thembu people
AbaThembu

Siyaɓalala, chief of the Ndungwana clan of the Thembu, c. 1930s
Total population
3.3 million
Regions with significant populations
South Africa  Lesotho
Languages
IsiXhosa
Religion
Christianity, African Traditional Religion
Related ethnic groups
Xhosa, Mpondo, Swati, Zulu, Khoisan

Nelson Mandela from AbaThembu tribe

Brenda Fassie famous singer from Thembu tribe

The Thembu (Xhosa: AbaThembu) are Xhosa people who were living in the Thembu Kingdom.

According to Xhosa oral tradition, the Thembu migrated along the east coast of southern Africa before settling in KwaZulu-Natal. The earliest known Thembu ancestor is Mbulali, whose grandson (named Thembu), 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 unified people during the reign of Ngxeko/Nxekwa, who united clans living in Thembuland into a single political entity, owing allegiance to the Thembu royal family, or "Hala Mvelase." Famous Thembus include Nelson Mandela, whose father was a reigning nobleman from a junior branch of the Madiba clan of kings, and Walter Sisulu.^[1]

Name

In Xhosa, the name is abaThembu, (aba- is a common prefix implying "people").^[2] 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.

History

Prior to the British conquest in the 19th century, the Thembu had an independent kingdom. The Xhosa clan name of the Thembu kings is Ntlazi aNkosiyane.^[3] 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 along with Ciskei regarded as the homeland of the Xhosa people.

AbaThembu are a nation independent of amaXhosa, and they originate from the eMbo Empire. Zwide (Not of Ndwandwe) was the first man to leave eMbo, and he begot Mbulali, who begot Njanye, who begot Mthembu.

Mthembu settled with his people in a place known as Mbabane 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 Basotho and lost his newfound land when Bhomoyi confiscated land Basotho came to ask him to leave so that they could continue to farm their land Bhomoyi replied Andizuhamba de ndizobe ndibhentselwa zintombi zabesotho meaning I won't leave until I'm awarded with 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 that are 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 had arrived, they presented a tribute of cattle to Mguti in exchange for land which they got eNgcobo. Mguti then told his son Mngxongo to go confiscate their land, and when he had done soo, amaQwathi gave him cattle that were all black and this is preserved in iziduko zamaNgxongo Ntsundu(these were the color of the cattle).

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 hevdrowned 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 succeed 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 Nxeko, Maya, and the twins Qithi and Cube. During the 16th century, Nxeko led the migration from Dedesi to Msana in the Mthatha district.

Nxeko 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.

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,^[4][5] and later demanded that the government pay Dalindyebo R900  million and the tribe a further R80  billion in compensation for the humiliation caused by his criminal trial.^[6]

Dalindyebo was imprisoned in December 2015. He was customarily dethroned and was expected to be administratively dethroned.^[7]

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.

Lineage

• Ndala
• 1800 - 10 Aug 1830 Vusani Ngubengcuka Aa! Ndaba!
• Mthikrakra
• Ngangelizwe
• Dalindyebo
• Sampu Dalindyebo Aa! Jongilizwe!
• Sabata Dalindyebo Aa! Jonguhlanga!
• May 1989 - present Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo Aa! Zwelibanzi!

Thembu Kingship line

See also

• Dalindyebo
• Matanzima
• Xhosa clan names

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thembu people.

• Sihele, E. G., Who are abaThembu and Where Do They Come From? (PDF) (manuscript), translated by Tisani, N. C., retrieved 2023-09-12 – via Rhodes University
• Royal lineage at worldstatesmen.org