The tradition of origin
A local-history account of Swazi clans, compiled by Hans Bornman for the Umjindi (Barberton) area, records the Shongwe tradition. According to it the Shongwe were an independent tribe from northern Zululand, near the mouth of the Pongolo (Phongolo) River. Pressure from the Zulu pushed them into Swaziland, where, under their chief Tikuni, they settled at Bulunga village in the Manzini (formerly Bremersdorp) district during the reign of Somhlolo (Sobhuza I).
That page cites no sources, so we treat it as a locally recorded tradition rather than a checked history.
Matsafeni and the frontier
Tikuni’s son Matsafeni is remembered as a soldier. King Mswati II placed him where the tribe could defend the kingdom, and the account says that between 1856 and 1865 he was sent against the Sotho to the north. He built a head village, Ka-Shongwe, on the eastern slopes west of the Mlumati River, in the Schoemansdal area. After Mswati II’s death, Matsafeni joined another Swazi general, Matsafeni Mdluli, in a war in which the Sotho were driven north towards Hoedspruit. The account says the Shongwe took cattle and incorporated young children. Matsafeni died of smallpox after that war, and was buried near the Shongwe Mission. The page gives his dates only loosely, between 1850 and 1868.
Matsamo
Matsafeni’s son Matsamo fought the Sotho, the Shangaans and the Bajobi of Mozambique. The account says he had 30 wives and sixteen villages spread across Mzinti, Schulzendal, Middelplaas, Schoemansdal, Jeppe’s Reef and Swaziland, and that he was remembered as a good chief who was loved by everybody. He gave land to people outside the tribe, including white farmers. He died in 1925, and the branch that took his name is known as Shongwe Matsamo. The same account traces the chieftaincy through regents and chiefs to Tinhlohla (Amos), who reigned until 1981, and to Obed, instated in 1993 when new tribal offices opened.
A section of the tribe stayed at Bulunga, and the two sections today each have their own chief.
How the clan is classified
Swazi clans are usually sorted into the bemdzabuko (the “true” or original Swazi who came with the Dlamini kings), the Emakhandzambili (“those found ahead”, already on the land) and the Emafikamuva (later arrivals). Shongwe appears on both of the first two lists. Wikipedia’s article on the Swazi people names Shongwe among the 17 founding bemdzabuko clans. Wikipedia’s article on the Emakhandzambili lists Shongwe among those clans, which it describes as mainly of Sotho and Tsonga origin. Both cite Matsebula’s History of Swaziland. The tradition above, of an independent tribe from northern Zululand, fits neither list neatly, and we have not found a source that explains the difference.
Izithakazelo (tinanatelo) and totem
We have not found a published text of the Shongwe praises or a confirmed totem, so we are not printing either. If your family carries the name and recites praises, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
- Umjindi: Swazi history (information supplied by Hans Bornman; no sources cited)
- Wikipedia: Swazi people
- Wikipedia: Emakhandzambili (cites Matsebula, History of Swaziland, 1988; Kuper, An African Aristocracy, 1947)
Do you carry the Shongwe name? Tell us your izithakazelo, your totem, where your family lives and what elders say about the clan’s history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.