NGWABELA FAMILY TREE

RECLAIMING AFRICAN VOICES THROUGH FAMILY MEMORY
The History of the Ngwabela Clan
1. Introduction
African history lives in oral tradition, storytelling, praise poetry, and the memory of elders. Many family histories are never written down and risk being lost. This document preserves the history of the Ngwabela clan by recording family narratives, migration stories, naming customs, clan traditions, photographs, and locations passed down through generations. It connects the Ngwabela and Hlabana families across Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and Gauteng,Cape town ,free state Rustenburg
2. Family Origins
According to oral history, the earliest known ancestor of the Ngwabela clan was Mangalani Ngwabela, who lived in the 19th century. The family traces its roots to the Gazankulu Northern Transvaal (now Limpopo province) and Eastern Transvaal (now Mpumalanga). Its land sat mostly west of the Kruger National Park, and its capital city was Giyani region, today part of Limpopo Province.
• Mangalani Ngwabela → son: Mahamu, born in Giyani
• Mahamu → descendant: Qamuza, a central figure in the clan’s expansion
Qamuza and his descendants settled and built community in the Tonga area of Mpumalanga. The Ngwabela name became tied to settlement and development in Etonga through Qamuza and the Ngomane Kingdom.
3. Migration & Settlement
Family narratives describe movement across Southern Africa driven by political change, conflict, labour migration, and kinship networks. These patterns reflect the broader experience of many African families in the 19th and 20th centuries. The clan eventually established strong roots in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, which became centers for cultural continuity and community life.
4. Traditional Naming Customs
The Ngwabela family practices ancestral naming. When a child is often ill or unsettled, elders may consult tradition. It’s believed an ancestor is requesting that the child carry a specific name.
Recorded examples:
• Qamuza – Nomsa’s father also carried this name; restored as an ancestral name
• Shikotela – ancestral name connected to Jomo, son of Samuel
• Mahamu – carried by Jeffrey Mahamu and a son of Alex Thomas Mahamu
• Matope – ancestral name of a great-great-grandfather, associated with Jomo’s son Lunga
• Hlekwazi – name of a great-grandfather’s wife, given to Thobile Hlekwazi
Not every child receives an ancestral name, but the practice remains vital to family identity.
5. The Legacy of Qamuza
Qamuza expanded the clan through his wives and children. He is remembered as the anchor of the modern Ngwabela lineage.

Qamuza’s Wives:
1. Ngwa-Nyambi
2. Ngwashisumbula
3. Mariam
4. Ngwa-Khisameli
5. Hlekwazi Khathwana
Qamuza’s Sons:
1. Zafaniya
2. Mavelani
3. Solomon
4. Booi
5. Mondawu
6. Rasmos
6. The Generation of Rasmos
Rasmos Ngwabela, b. 1912 lived through industrialization, segregation, and major social change in South Africa.

Rasmos’s Wives:
1. Ermely “Ngwa-Josefa” Hlabane
2. Saliya Hlabane
3. Sara
4. Anna
Rasmos’s Children:
Samuel, Maria, Lizzie, Alex, Nalia, Israel, John, George, Nomsa, Elson, Joseph, Green, Agness, Adam, Lucky, Olivia, and others.
7. Samuel & The Move to KwaNdebele
Samuel Qamuza Msizi Ngwabela, son of Rasmos, carried the lineage forward. The family lived in Phelindaba, Atteridgeville, and later settled in KwaNdebele, Mpumalanga.
Samuel’s Wives & Partners:
• Ennie Loraine – 7 children
• Nomiya – 5 children
• Concubine: Chrestina – 2 children
Samuel’s Children: Thandi, Flora †, Jomo, Bongi, Jeffrey, Mandla, Samson, Nomsa, Letty, Mary, Katlego, Percy, Tupi, Ntomfuthi †.
8. Family Branches & Locations

Known Ngwabela branches and their locations today:
• Kahooyi – John Ngwabela family
• Mangweni – Sgebengu Ngwabela family
• Matsulu – Solomon Ngwabela family
• Thokoza gauteng – George Msizi Ngwabela family
• Witbank – Velly Ngwabela
• Bushbuckridge/Mkhuhlu – George Ngwabela ,Elmon Ngwabela
• Bloemfontein – Muchiwa family branch, sharing a Ngwabela great-great-grandfather
Other areas: Tembisa, Durban, Cape Town, Limpopo
9. Hlabana Family – Maternal Line
The Hlabana family is the maternal side, connected through Grandmother Emerly Hlabana.
Key members recorded: Emerly Hlabana, Ngwa Maziyo Hlabana, Ngwa Ngomane Hlabana, Saliya Hlabane, Freddy Hlabane.
Photographs show the Hlabana family in garden and homestead settings, preserving the older generation’s memory.
10. Important Family Members Recorded
Ngwabela: Rasmos, Anna, Nomiya, Samuel, Jomo, Jeffrey Mahamu, Alex, Rose, Olivia, Florence, Xolani, Thobile, Mary, Katlego, Elmon, George, Solomon, Green, John, Sgebengu
Hlabana: Emerly, Ngwa Maziyo, Ngwa Ngomane, Saliya, Freddy
11. Family Photograph Records

Key images archived:
1. Nomsa’s mother with first-born Thandi
2. Nomsa’s father with cousin – Ellies Sitiba Studio, Pretoria
3. Daughter of Maria -Deli
4. Emerly, wife of Rasmos, mother of Nomiya
5. Anna, Nalia, Margaret, Thulisile – Doornkop area
6. Nalia, Bongi, Thandi, Florence – KwaNdebele
7. KwaNdebele youth group: Themba, Paris, Rasmos, Olivia, Thobile, Mary, Katlego, Xolani + neighbours
8. Rasmos Ngwabela – Nelspruit
9. Jomo, Joseph, Bongi, Jeffrey Mahamu – sons of Samuel
10. Nomsa’s father & second wife Nomiya – studio portrait
11. Nomsa, sister of Nomsa’s father – portrait
12. Ngwabela Clan Praise
Xitsonga:
Tongo Ngwabela, fuwani fuya tihomu tija ematongo, bakashitamela mkhabva rumbu leritsongo, ashitameli shitamela lerikulu rumbu rakuntontomela Tongo Ngwabela.

English:
Tongo Ngwabela, keeper of cattle that graze in distant lands. One who is never satisfied with small things, but reaches for greater things. A person of strength, dignity, and ambition.

13. Why This Story Matters
The Ngwabela story is shared by thousands of African families. As elders pass, knowledge of migration, language, identity, and community risks being lost. By recording oral histories, mapping journeys, and archiving photographs, we keep future generations connected to their roots.
14. Acknowledgements
This history is built from oral accounts, photographs, and memories shared by family.
Contributors:
• Jomo Joseph Ngwabela – Author & family historian
• Alex Ngwabela – Storytelling & oral history
• Nomiya Ngwabela – Oral recordings & memories
• Thandi Ngwabela – Research assistance
• Nomsa Nywabela – Compiler, researcher & archivist
Dedicated to the ancestors of the Ngwabela and Hlabana families, and to future generations who will carry these stories forward.

JJ Nywabela