Sindeni Son of Mrhetjha and brother to Bongwe’s father Magobholi.
Mahlangu
The grandson of Sindeni. It is not clear how power was transferred from Sindeni to Mahlangu without Mahlangu’s father. Mahlangu attempted to expand the Ndzundza territory both to the
north and south but had limited success against the Swazi and Pedi but gained significant notoriety from his enemies as a skilled military leader.
Phaswana Son of Mahlangu. Killed without issue.
Maridili Son of Mahlangu. Killed without issue.
Mdalanyana Son of Mahlangu. Killed without issue.
Mgwezana Son of Mahlangu. Killed without issue.
Dzela ‡ Son of Mahlangu. Served as regent for the son of Mgwezana.
Mrhabuli Srudla Son of Mahlangu. Also spelled “Mxabului”. After many wars with the expanding BaPedi in the north, which led to the death of Mrhabuli and uncles, Musi’s iNamrhali were lost forever. Oral tradition is not clear on who was the last owner of the mystical iNamrhali. King Mrhabuli was very strong and powerful man. He was compassionate, kind-hearted, and believed in truth and equality.
King Mrhabuli Reign
King Mrhabuli, also known as Morhabudi 1, was a significant of the Ndebele people.
He is believed to have reigned from around 1760 to 1795. During his reign, King Mrhabuli played a crucial role in shaping the Ndebele Kingdom and establishing its dominance in the region.
Achievements and Legacy
King Mrhabuli achievements includes
1. Unification of the Ndebele: He united the various Ndebele clans and groups, creating a strong and centralized kingdoms
The Death of King Mrhabuli Magodongo
2. Expansion of Kingdom: King Morhabuli expanded the Ndebele Kingdom
thought conquest incorporating neighboring tribes and territories into his domain.
3. Establishment of Trade Networks: King Morhabudi expanded the Ndebele
Kingdoms and European colonizes, which helped to strengthen the Ndebele economy.
King Morhabudi legacy is still celebrated among the Ndebele, Bakgatla and Bapedi today. He remembered as a wise and powerful leader who played as a significant role in shaping many Kingdoms and cultures
4. Challenges and Successors: Despite his achievements, King Morhabudi faced challenges during, his reign, including conflicts with the neighboring kingdoms and Europeans colonizers. After death his successors continued to face these challenges, which ultimately led to the decline of his Kingdom.
King Mrhabuli was brutally murdered by Magodongo. He reigned during 1763.
He ruled after regent Dzela He was murdered due to envy and jealousy of his
achievements by the son of his brother Mgwezane. The legend said It was a terrible move called uKhobongo /ukuhlola(extreme human cruelty) Magodongo
chopped him while still alive and throws his human flesh into the river to be eaten by the crocodiles. There after Magodongo start searching King Morhabudi’s
families from the initiation schools as well and murdered those who survived.
Mrhabuli families assimilated to Bakgatla and Bapedi in order to conceal their identity. The name Mokgabudi came into use when they established Bakgatla and Bapedi kingdoms finally assimilated them,
1795–1823
Son of Mgwezana. Magodongo moved the Ndzundza capital from KwaMaza
to eSikhunjini. After being attacked by Mzilikazi Khumalo, Magodongo was tortured
and finally killed with some of his eldest sons. Oral accounts state that.
I). During this occupation, spanning almost 150 years,
the Ndzundza Ndebe!e were continually joined by a large
number of people of other political-ethnic origins. Van
Vuuren (pers. comm.) suggests that the a typical Ndebele
clan names originated during this period and reflect
Swazi, Kopa, Pedi and even Tswana people joining the
core group. Oral accounts recorded by Van Vuuren
( 1985 :40) state that the total settlement spread over a
number of hectares and this is borne out by the large size
of KwaMaza recorded in this research.
The last leader at KwaMaza was Magodongo son of Mgwezana.
l). Magodongo, succeeded Mrhabuli, his father
Mgwezana’s brother. The “izibon_go” recalls that
Magodongo became impatient whilst waiting to have the
mystical teachings of the kings bestowed, on him by the
King Mrhabuli, and killed him. A prophecy was passed
on to him, stating that he would be bothered by black
and red ants and then eaten by white ants that would
destroy the kingly line. Consequently, the royal mystical
teachings were not passed on to him and were lost. The
interpretation of this prophecy is that the black ants
represented the amaNdebele of Mzilikazi, the Swazi and
the Zulu and the red ants the Pedi, while the white ants
were the white settlers.
True to the prophecy, Magodongo was attacked at
KwaMaza, by Mzilikazi’s soldiers. He escaped, but both
he and his son Mloyi were caught a few days later and
tortured to death at Matyaneni in the Tautesberg area.
Under Magodongo’s son Siboko (Table 1), the Ndzundza
Ndebele fled north to Mgambana, a Pedi leader in the
area of present day Marahastad , where they stayed for an
unspecified period. Siboko and his followers returned to
KwaMaza where they were again attacked and he and a
large number of his followers were killed. This signaled
the final end of the KwaMaza occupation.