The Ndebele are a Nguni people, they originate from Nguniland which was an area South East of Afrika which stretched from encompassed parts of Present day KZN, Swaziland and Eastern Transvaal. They first travelled with Abakwa Zelemu (AmaBhaca) to Ubombo Mountains and later broke away and entered the Transvaal. Their first known chief was Mafana. They proceeded to present day Mohlakeng (Mhlangeni) near Randfontein and continued to a place called Kwa-Mnyamana near Pretoria under the leadership of King Musi. After the death of Musi they split into two tribes Ndzundza and Manala due to succession dispute. Ndzundza and Manala were the sons of Musi Mhlanga.
Masombuka settled with the Ndzundza group while Mthombeni and Sibasa headed north with their followers. Sibasa later joined the be-Venda. Mrhwaduba joined the Pedi near Turfloop in Limpopo.
Dlomu went back to KZN, Mphafudi and Litjha ended with the South Sotho in Lesotho and Free State.
All the above were sons of Musi of Mhlanga.
The Ndzundza group moved past Middleburg and settled at Roosenekal (Kwasimkhulu) The Manala group returned to Kwamnyamana after the truce they made with the Ndzundza group near Loskop Dam Middleburg at a place called Konoqolo/Koqoli.
When Ndzundza died his son Mrhetja took over, and when Manal died his son Silamba took over kingship.
Later regents ruled the Ndzundza, those were Siboko, Somdeyi and Mabhoko.
Mabhoko died in 1865 and Masilela took over followed by Soqaleni who ruled until 1873, followed by Xobongo up to 1879, who was succeeded by Nyabela.
In the 1980’s the Musi Ndebele were given the land in the north-east of Pretoria near Groblersdal and Marblehall (Siyabuswa) as their semi-independent homeland. The youth and the Ndzundza royal house resisted apartheid independence. That place was called Kwandebele and is now under Mpumalanga province of the Republic of South Africa.
The language that these Ndebele spoke was a mixture of Nguni, Pedi and Afrikaans. In the 1980’s efforts were made to preserve a purer form of Ndebele and it has been very successful becaus now they speak pure undiluted Ndebela language which is also taught at schools. Previously they were taugth in Pedi and Zulu languages.
Sebaila
Lotjhani MaNdebele. Mina i’m Litja/Litha descendant. Can anyone elaborate more about him. NgiseLesotho manje. Ngizobonga kakhulu bekhethu
Kwelagobe Maboko a Molefe
My comment is reply to Masotsha Mahlangu on his inquisitiveness on Bapedi(Bakgatla, Bahurutshe, Marota, Basotho or Barolong) all these names represent us – rena re bahlakwana ba Raphogole ‘a Ngwato, marota a bahwebidu. Re bakgatla ba dithebe, ba Tabane a Bohlolo a Pogopi wa gabo Mogale Mokgatla. Re bakgatla ba Mmakau babo Motsha a Morota, re Bahurutshe ge rele bjalo.
Re ba Malope a Masilo(Mopedi or Motsito), Malope is the son of Masilo who is the descendent of Morolong.
The word sotho denotes black- batho baso, thus basotho of Lesotho or Free State they don’t own the word sotho, it happened to be a choose of their face of how should be addressed. For your information Moshoeshoe is the descendant of Kwena or Mokwena, son of Malope , sibling to Mohurutshe and Mokgatla.
From Kwena, we have bakwena in Transvaal, Botswana who split to form Bangwato, Bangwaketsi and others. Other Bakwena are Bafokeng in Western Transvaal being NW now, including Bafokeng in Phokeng and others across NW. The other section thereof is Bakwena ba Lesotho of Moshoeshoe are also in the lineage of Kwena a Malope. Among the Basotho in Free State and Lesotho others are not Bakwena.
Other Mokwena lineage is Moletji, Bantwane, Ba Mongatane Mashabela.
We have Makgolokwe, Batlokwa, Baphuthing and Basia who are direct siblings of bapedi sharing a mother Mmathulare daughter of bakwena ba Phokeng married to Tabane a Pogopi. She bored , Diale( Mopedi), Kgetsi( Lekgolokwe), Kgwadi(Motlokwa), Matsibogo( Mophuting) and Mosia(Basia)
Out of nation we now call Batswana, the people you call Basotho including Bapedi we eminate. We never changed our name, north sotho, south or West Sothos denotes geographically location where we reside but that is not our titles. The sotho nations we determined by our kings name mostly. The Tswana means to separate, upon each time siblings of the chief or king separate, had been followed by group of the nation we call that – gotswana then term ourselves after the name of one we followed as son or daughter of the king or chief, hence Barolong – after Morolong, Bahurutshe after Mohurutshe, Bakgatla after Mokgatla, Bapedi after Mopedi(Diale or Lellelateng), Bakwena after Mokwena, Bangwaketsi after Ngwaketsi, Bangwanto after Ngwato, Batlokwa after Motlokwa(Kgwadi).
Thus for your infomation, Mopedi is the name of our old king as people we are called sothos out batswana of Masilo( Motsito or Mopedi). This name is in the royal house( ka Moshate) of our great ancestor who bored Malope in the lineage of Morolong and others. See there is Mopedi name in far west in Taung, in the Free State even Lesotho.
When Marota(bakgatla) left Mmakua in Brits heading to North Eastern Transvaal upon dispute in the royal house over Son of Diale, Lellelateng(Thobela who as well named Mopedi yena Motsito wa ga Rakau wa ga Modise).
This happened around 1600s as is recorded we arrived in Leolo vincinity around 1650. Our origin is traced in Bahurutshe which is still in order from Barolong. So when descended to Transvaal in the east we were calling ourselves Bakgatla – Marota as commonly you call us Bapedi as Bakwena and Batlokwa and others in Lesotho you them Basotho. It other literature records, the word sotho is explained as derived from Nguni people as Swazi who upon meeting Bakgatla of Diale being bapedi, seeing their dress of Tshega or Lekgeswa called it uguShuntha and we end up with translation into our dilect of sekgatla or sehurutshe then as sotho.
This is in brief hope will leave informed:
Tshwarelo
Brother please write a book about this, or at least give some of us this reference
Mr Vangile < kaThili nguMathiya emini abanye baThiya ngobumnyamakaMavula kuValiwe
Akwande Ndebele kaMusi kaMhlanga< nami ngithi angizitsho ngiyazi angizange ngifunde ngesi khethu vele besingekho eSoweto. ngafuna nesizulu !!! mina ibizo lami Mr Vangile Bhejane Songo. { Skalela- ngili Dzibha -97} ngibelethwa ngu naSkhosana Thamana kaMusi kaMhlanga< Mina ekhethu kwaSongo Msimanga Mbhandeni Mphethu Kan/Kulu Mbina/komo nyawo zimasese ikani ngeyama sumanga< khukhula ngozo unombaqaniso !! ekhethu KaSilembe unhluthu kazigudwa zigudwa ngamakariyana Sgila SeNgonyama Sikhumba kaSembathwa bafokazana // seMbhathwa ziNgonyama namaKhosi , ekhethu asiphephi ngoTshani siphepha ngomthangala < uSihlangu sasala ekwaluseni < eKhethu kaMlotshwa kaThabizolo kaMsimanga <umabeletha Kosi ,ekhethu asivali ngazivalo sivala ngenhloko zamanye amadoda ! Mbhandeni , Bayede Ndabezitha Hlanga lehlabathi !!
Mmilwa kekana(Mthombeni)
Wena wa se wati sindebele, o sumayela gahle