The first inhabitants
The commission that examined the Vhavenda kingship claims recorded it as common cause that the Vhangona were the earliest known inhabitants of present-day Venda and beyond, and that they named its rivers and mountains. Wikipedia’s article on the Venda people says the same, calling them, with the Vhambedzi, the original inhabitants and first settlers, and also records the name Vhongwani wapo. It groups Vhadau, Vhakwevho, Vhafamadi and Vhaluvhu (with Vhania and Vhalea) together as the Vhangona. See our pages on Vhafamadi, Vhadau, Vhakwevho and Vhaluvhu.
The Vhangona account
The Vhangona case before the commission was presented by Azidwohi Tshidziwelele Nephawe. According to that account the Vhangona came from Matongoni in Central Africa, the sacred place of their leader Mwali. They moved south and became the original inhabitants of Venda, naming the mountains and trees, and they say they are “the real Vhavenda”. The account names Tshidziwelele as their first king, with his royal settlement in the Soutpansberg, and lists later Vhangona leaders including Netshisevhe, Nemusina, Nevhembe, Neluonde, Netshiendeutu, Mulima, Mulovhedzi, Netshikuma, Nemadzivhanombe, Manenzhe, Nembilwi, Nethengwe and Nedzanani of Tzaneen. It says there are four Vhangona traditional leaders today: Vharuvhu of Mulima, Vhafamadi of Mashao, Ndou of Thengwe Manenzhe and Mutele of Nzhelele. It says the Vhangona were defeated by the Masingo, the Bakgatla and the Mashangaan.
What the commission decided
Nephawe asked for the restoration of a Vhangona kingship and for the kingship of the Vhavenda. The commission found that the Vhangona cannot claim seniority over the other Vhavenda communities, because there is no evidence they ever conquered or ruled the Masingo or the Vhavenda, and they concede that the Masingo subjugated them. It found that although the Vhangona were once independent, with their own cultural and linguistic elements, they lost their independence and identity when they were conquered, absorbed and assimilated by the Masingo and the Bapedi, and that there is no evidence they established a kingship. The claim was unsuccessful. Nephawe did not attend the hearings; a representative told the commission he was indisposed.
Overview article
The Vhangona claim is set in context in Venda kingship disputes, 1890s to 2020s.
Izithakazelo and totem
We have not found a published praise text or a confirmed totem for the Vhangona, so we are not printing either. If you belong to a Vhangona house and recite its praises, 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 Vhavenda kingship claim (pp. 608 to 609 and 642 to 644)
- Wikipedia: Venda people (tagged as needing more citations)
The Vhangona account above is as recorded by the commission, not independently checked. The commission’s finding concerns kingship under the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Act; it does not question that the Vhangona are the area’s earliest inhabitants.
Do you belong to a Vhangona house? Tell us your praises, your totem and what elders say about the history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.