The Valoyi royal house
The Nwamitwa are the royal house of the Valoyi (written Baloyi on our Baloyi page) in the Nwamitwa area near Tzaneen in Limpopo. The title of the ruler is hosi. Wikipedia’s article on Phylia Nwamitwa II says Valoyi succession followed male primogeniture, and describes the family history that led to a landmark court case.
The succession in 1968
Hosi Fofoza Nwamitwa died in 1968 without a male heir. His only child, a daughter, was Tinyiko Lwadhlamuni Nwamitwa-Shilubana. Under the male-primogeniture custom of the time, his younger brother Richard Nwamitwa took over, acting as regent according to Wikipedia and, according to a Mail & Guardian report, declaring himself hosi. That report says the apartheid government supported male primogeniture. Wikipedia adds that Tinyiko was born in 1939 or 1940, married Thompson Shilubane of the Nkuna and Shilubane royal family (he died in 1979), and later became a teacher, a schools inspector and an ANC member of parliament from 1994 to 2009.
The change of rule and the court case
The Mail & Guardian report says that in 1997 the royal family passed a resolution allowing a female chief, and that before his death in 2001 Richard returned leadership to Tinyiko. In 2002 Richard’s son, Sidwell Nwamitwa, blocked her installation, arguing that the royal authorities had no right to change Valoyi tradition. The Pretoria High Court ruled for Sidwell, relying mainly on earlier Valoyi male-succession customs, and the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled against Tinyiko. In June 2008 a unanimous Constitutional Court, with Justice Johann van der Westhuizen writing, held for Tinyiko. The report describes the decision as affirming the Valoyi people’s right to develop their customary law in line with the Constitution. Wikipedia cites the case as Shilubana & Others v Nwamitwa 2009 (2) SA 66 (CC). We could not open the judgment itself (the court’s website blocked us), so we are relying on these two reports and have not read the court’s reasoning.
The same report, published on 4 September 2008, says she was due to be installed that day as the first female hosi of the Valoyi, and that after the ruling residents slaughtered cattle and held a feast, while a small group of detractors protested. One induna later said that a hosi is “truly born and not elected”.
Since then
Wikipedia records that Tinyiko Nwamitwa-Shilubana died on 9 February 2026, citing a newspaper obituary. We have not confirmed that or who holds the chieftaincy now.
A note on the name Shilubane
Shilubane is also the name of the Nkuna and Shilubane royal family into which Tinyiko married, according to Wikipedia. We have not found a source on how the Shilubane relate to the Valoyi royal house, and the earlier note in our planning list linking Shilubane to the Nwamitwa line is unconfirmed. It has its own listing.
Izithakazelo and totem
We have not found a published Nwamitwa praise text or a confirmed totem, so we are not printing either. If you belong to the Valoyi royal house and recite its praises, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
- Sello S. Alcock, “A Hosi is truly born”, Mail & Guardian, 4 September 2008
- Wikipedia: Phylia Nwamitwa II
The two accounts differ slightly on how Richard Nwamitwa’s rule is described and on dates in the 1990s and 2000s, so check against the judgment before relying on a detail.
Do you belong to the Valoyi? Tell us your praises and what elders say about the history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.