AbaThembu sisizwe esizimele geqe kuMaXhosa, siphuma kuBukhosi baseMbo/Aba-Mbo. UZwide (ongengowakwaNdwandwe) waba ngumntu wokuqala ukuphuma eMbo, wazala uMalandela (ongengowakwaZulu kwiminyaka eyadlulayo), owahlala eMozambique, wazala uMbulali, owazala uNjanye, owazala uMthembu.
UMthembu wazinza nabantu bakowabo kwindawo eyaziwa ngokuba kuseMbabane eSwazini emva koko waya eMsinga eNatal apho wafumana oonyana ababini uNdilo noMvelase nokwabizwa ngokuba kuseQudeni. Waseka isizwe esaziwa ngokuba nguAbathembu BakwaMvelase. UNdilo wemka wabhubha kwindawo eyaziwa ngokuba kuseMsana eMpuma Koloni oonyana bakaNdilo nguNtongakazi (dumakazi), uBhomoyi, uMncotshe, uMdlane, uQoma, noJali. Izindlu zakwaMdlane noJali, Qoma, Mncotshe zazingabalulekanga kuba oonina babengabantu nje. Ezona zindlu zazihlonitshwa yindlu kaBhomoyi nekaNtongakazi eyayisaziwa ngokuba nguDumakazi bobabini oomama babo baphuma kwizindlu zaseNdlunkulu.
UBhomoyi wemka uMsana waya eLesotho kwindawo eyaziwa ngokuba yiQacha’s Nek walwa idabi naBasotho waphumelela umhlaba wakhe omtsha xa uBhomoyi wawuhlutha umhlaba waBasotho beza kumcela ukuba ahambe ukuze baqhubeke nokulima kumhlaba wabo uBhomoyi waphendula (Andizuhamba). de ndizobe ndibhentselwa zintombi zabesotho) meaning andizuhamba ndide ndiwongwe amagqiyazana aBasotho, Wabuyela uMthunywa kwiKumkani yaBasotho wabuya ne. ishumi elinesihlanu lamanina aBasotho kulapho uIsiduko Zabathembu alifumene khona eli binzana (VelaBembhentsele). UBhomoyi wazala uCeduma owazala uMguti owazala uMngxongo nentombi egama linguKhazeka unina ephuma kwibhotwe lasebukhosini bamaMpondo owazala uNtoyi kwindlu yasekunene unina engumhlali.
UKhazeka ngomnye wabafazi ababini abakhankanywe kwimbali yabaThembu ngenxa yokungoyiki noloyiso lwabo lokumanyanisa nokuzinzisa uBukumkani. Amagorhakazi esizwe saBathembu.
Ngenye imini, icandelo likaMtshutshumbe eAmaXesibe kwafuneka lidlule kumhlaba wabaThembu ukuze lifike kuMaGcaleka. Kodwa ngenxa yokuba abaThembu namaXesibe banembali, uMtshutshumbe wagqiba kwelokuba azifihle ukuba ungowakwaXesibe ngokuthi abize abantu bakowabo ngokuthi ngamaQwathi, ethiywe ngenkomo eyayisetyenziswa ekuphumeleleni kwakhe isidanga sokwaluka.
Bathe bakuba befikile banika uMnguti imbeko yenkomo ukuze bafumane umhlaba, bawufumana eNgcobo. UMguti ke waxelela unyana wakhe uMngxongo ukuba ahluthe umhlaba wabo, wathi akuba ekwenzile oko, amaQwathi amnika iinkomo ezimnyama, ezigcinwe kwiziduko zamaNgxongo Ntsundu (imibala yenkomo ke leyo).
Kwenzekile ke ukuba uMngxongo akabuyanga walahleka uyise uMguti efuna ukumthwesa isithsaba njengoKumkani emva kwakhe warhaxwa nezinja zakhe kumlambo uQethume.
Indlalifa kaMngxongo nguMphosesebeni, owalelwa ubukhosi bukomkhulu. Nanamhla oku xa kukhankanywa amagama oMguti noMngxongo, kuyabaxaka eBaThenjini kuba ukumkani ofanelekileyo wayengahoywanga.
Uyisekazi kaMphosebeni uNtoyi owahlutha isihlalo sobukhosi wazala uNtande noZima. Uthe akubhubha uNtoyi, uZima wangena ezihlangwini zakhe njengommeli kuNtande oselula. Ngeli xesha kwafika amaTola ekhokelwe nguMkhume nobhuti wakhe. Ngabo abathe baqalisa ukusetyenziswa kwemikhonto kwabaThembu.
UNtande wathatha iintambo emva kokubhubha kukaZima, wazala uNgxeko, uMaya, kunye namawele uQithi noCube. Ngenkulungwane yeshumi elinesithandathu, uNgxeko wayekhokele ukufuduka esuka eDedesi ukuya eMsana kwisithili saseMthatha.
UNgxeko wayeyinkosi yokuqala esemthethweni yabaThembu kuba nguye owaqingqa iziqwenga ezahlukeneyo zezizwe ezifana namaBomvana, amaVundle, amaMpondomise, namaMfengu ukuze akhe ubukumkani bakhe. UNxekwa wazala uHlanga ngumfazi wamaMpondo wakwaMqiha, noDlomo ongoyena mdala komnye unkosikazi, kwakunye namawele uBalisa noNdungwana, kumfazi wesithathu.
Bonke aba bafazi babengahlelwanga ngokweendidi ezahlukeneyo ukusuka kwabaphezulu ukuya kwabancinci. Kodwa kwakucacile ukuba uHlanga, unina wayeyinkosazana, nguye owayeza kungena ezihlangwini zobukumkani.
Kanye ngelo xesha, kwafika uAmaMfene ecela ukufakwa kwisizwe sabaThembu. Bamkelwa ngokufanelekileyo kwaye uNdungwana wayalelwa ukuba ababele iziza.
Akazange abuye uNdungwana kuthumo lwakhe, endaweni yoko, wahlala nabantu angabaziyo, eyonwabele yonke imbeko awayeyinikwa, waze wazibeka njengeNkosi yabo.
Nanini na xa uDlomo exhelile inkomo, wayethumela (imvaba ekunene) kuNdungwana, omncinane wakhe, aze ke uHlanga athumele umqolo wakhe kuBalisa omncinci wakhe owayeyimpahla edumileyo ebonakalisa igunya lasebukhosini.
Ngenye imini kwaxhelwa iinkomo kwimizi kaDlomo noHlanga bobabini. UDlomo wagqiba kwelokuba abele inyama kuWelangaye intombi yakwaMpemvu, yagqabhuka incoma indlela uDlomo azibeke ngayo njengeKumkani washiya iinyembezi zovuyo.
Phambi koloyiso lwamaBritane ngenkulungwane ye-19, abaThembu babenobukumkani obuzimeleyo. Isizwe samaXhosa seeKumkani zabaThembu nguNtlazi aNkosiyane.
Emva koloyiso, abaThembu baba phantsi korhulumente weKoloni yaseKapa njengenxalenye yeTranskei. Ngaphandle kwabathunywa bevangeli abambalwa kunye nabarhwebi, iTranskei yayingumntu waseBantustan. ITranskei yahlala iyiBantustan phantsi kocalucalulo kwaye yayithathwa, kunye neCiskei, njengelizwe lamaXhosa.