Thombeni in the sources
Thombeni is the name given, in various spellings (Thombeni, Mthombeni, Mathombeni), to one of the sons of the Ndebele king Musi. The Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims lists eight sons of the Ndebele king Musi: Manala, Ndzundza, Masombuka, Dlomo, Skosana, Mhwaduba, Mphaphuli and Mthombeni. South African History Online lists five (Manala, Masombuka, Ndzundza, Mathombeni and Dhlomu). The sources agree on the first-born sons of the two main houses, Manala and Ndzundza, and differ on the rest.
What the sources say
The Commission, in its determination on the Ndzundza-Mabhoko, says Mthombeni was one of the brothers who, with their followers, later joined the Ndzundza. Wikipedia gives a different account: it calls him Thombeni, also Gheghana, and says he moved with his brother Ndzundza east of the Olifants River and then north to the confluence of the Mgoto and Nkumpi rivers (Moletlane), that his grandson Kgabe led descendants north-west toward the Waterberg along the Nyl River, and that by the mid-eighteenth century the Gheghana had split into groups around Mokopane, Zebediela and Polokwane and were absorbed by the surrounding Sotho groups.
Wikipedia adds that Thombeni’s historicity is “hotly debated” and that some suggest he never existed. South African History Online spells the name Mathombeni and does not say where his group went. See our Ndzundza and Manala pages.
Cautions
Three sources give three accounts, and the Wikipedia detail is not tied to a named reference. The Gheghana label may belong to a group of people who today carry other names. We found no Thombeni chief, praise text or totem.
Izithakazelo and totem
We are printing no Thombeni praises or totem because none has been confirmed. If you belong to the Thombeni and recite your izithakazelo, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
- Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims: Determination on the position of the paramount chief of Ndzundza-Mabhoko (section 5.1, Musi and his sons)
- South African History Online: The Ndebele in history (no named author; published 2011)
- Wikipedia: Southern Ndebele people (tagged as needing more inline citations)
Do you belong to the Thombeni? 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.