Tag: nkosinkosi

Velile Memela (Legal/Finance)
Group Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Sanlam. Leads a team of 15 legal professionals. Involved in major M&A transactions including the Sanlam Allianz joint venture combining their operations across Africa. Recognized as a leading in-house counsel in South Africa.

Mdingi Memela (d. 1823)
Fallen leader of the Memela clan who died in 1823. His forefathers date back to the 1800s and were true followers of the Zulu nation who respected the Zulu king. They served as peace-makers when rivalry existed between various clans. After much investigation by descendants, it was confirmed that Mdingi died a natural death and was not killed during a faction fight as was long claimed. He was buried without honour in a common grave in the Kwamgayi area on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

Wilson Memela (Family Leader)
President of the Memela tribe who, in 2008, led a historic journey to unite the Memela clan throughout South Africa and the continent. Under his leadership, the family held a special ceremony to honour their fallen leader Mdingi Memela, attended by more than 3,000 members of the clan where seven cows were slaughtered. A special site was chosen in the Memelas’ longtime rural home in the foothills of the Donnybrook mountains in southern KwaZulu-Natal in memory of their leader.

Inkosi Bashawudile Memela (Chief)
Local Nkosi (chief) who attended the ceremony honouring Mdingi Memela alongside other community leaders, representing the continuing traditional leadership structure of the Memela clan. The Memela people are scattered across KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho.