Where the Simelane came from
Published accounts say the Simelane once lived at Empangeni, in what is now KwaZulu-Natal. They moved south of the Phongolo (Pongola) River to escape fighting with the Ndwandwe kingdom. There their chief, Mabonya, was killed in battle, and the clan went north to seek refuge in the Ngwane kingdom under King Ndvungunye.
The accounts do not agree on who led that move. The article on KoNtjingila says Mabonya’s eldest son, Bhozongo, led the clan with the support of Mabonya’s younger brother, Macala. The article on Somnjalose says the clan moved north under “Mancala”, which looks like a variant spelling of the same name (neither article says so). We have not found a source that settles which version is right, and these are Wikipedia articles that themselves cite older Swazi histories.
The marriages that tied the clan to the throne
While the clan was seeking refuge, two daughters of the Simelane chief Nsibandze, both of the Ndlangamandla sub-clan, were given in marriage to Ndvungunye. They were Lojiba, the elder, and Somnjalose, described as her younger “support bride”. Somnjalose became the mother of Sobhuza I (Somhlolo), who is recorded as installed as king in 1815. Her village between the Little Lusutfu and Mbabane rivers later became known as Ezulwini, and her residence at Zombodze became an important centre of power during her son’s reign.
Sobhuza I died in 1836. Lojiba, who was Somnjalose’s sister and so Sobhuza’s mother’s sister, then governed as regent, alongside his eldest son Prince Malambule, until Mswati II came of age in 1840. The article on her gives her years as Indlovukati (Queen Mother) as 1815 to 1840, and as regent from 1836.
KoNtjingila
The Simelane were given land at KoNtjingila as a buffer against invasion from the south. In 1839, under Chief Mbiko Simelane, they took part in the Battle of Lubuya against the Zulu kingdom under King Dingane. KoNtjingila is still a chiefdom today, and in October 2022 the chieftaincy passed from an acting chief to Sikelela Simelane, who was presented to King Mswati III and given the title Chief Bhozongo, according to the report the Wikipedia article relies on.
Izithakazelo (tinanatelo)
We have not been able to find a published text of the Simelane praises, so we are not printing one. Swazi surnames and their praise names are collected in Richard “Mdvumowencwala” Patrick’s Tibongo Netinanatelo Temaswati, and a 2023 University of South Africa thesis by Ntombifuthi Nxumalo studies selected clan praises. We have only seen catalogue entries for these, not their contents. If your family recites the Simelane praises, we would like to record them with your permission.
Totem and classification
We have not found a confirmed totem for the Simelane. On classification, Wikipedia’s article on the Bemdzabuko lists Simelane among the notable “original” Swazi clans. Yet the story above describes a clan that arrived from Zululand seeking refuge during Ndvungunye’s reign. We have not found a source that reconciles the two, so we note the tension rather than choosing.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: KoNtjingila (cites Times of Swaziland and Swaziland News reports, a University of Cape Town document and a 2020 Eswatini High Court judgment)
- Wikipedia: Lojiba Simelane and Somnjalose Simelane (cite J.S.M. Matsebula, A History of Swaziland, 1980; Patrick Mdvumowencwala, Chiefs and Chiefdoms of Swaziland, 2000; and The Simelanes, Killie Campbell Africana Library)
- Wikipedia: Bemdzabuko (cites Matsebula, 1988)
These are encyclopedia articles summarising older histories, not family or elder accounts. Before relying on a detail, check it against Matsebula or the Patrick volumes.
Do you carry the Simelane 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.