The great house of the Thembu
The Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims, in its determination on the abaThembu bakwaDalindyebo, records that Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo, whom it names as the paramount chief, is a descendant of Ngubengcuka. Ngubengcuka was a descendant of Dlomo, the son of the right-hand house of Nxeko, one of the Thembu kings. Our Thembu page covers the earlier history.
Ngubengcuka’s wives and Mtirara
The commission says Ngubengcuka had three wives. Nonesi, a daughter of Faku, king of the amaMpondo, was the great wife, the mother of Mtirara was in the support (qadi) house, and the mother of Mnqanqeni was in the right-hand house. Nonesi had no children, so she adopted Mtirara from the qadi house, and he was to ascend the throne. Ngubengcuka died in 1830, and Joyi was regent for the young Mtirara. Political instability from the Mfecane led Nonesi and Mtirara to leave the Mgwali Great Place, and around 1838 they settled near Rhodana in the present district of Lady Frere, later moving west of the Indwe River to the area the colonial authorities called Tambookie Location, now Gqebenya. Around 1840 Mtirara was installed as king, with his Great Place at Rhodana.
Ngangelizwe to Sabata Dalindyebo
Mtirara’s sons were Ngangelizwe of the great house, Rhaxoti Matanzima of the right-hand house and Mfanta of a minor house. Mtirara died in 1855, and Nonesi was regent until Ngangelizwe returned to Mgwali around 1860 and was installed. In 1876 Ngangelizwe was the first Thembu leader officially recognised by the colonial government as paramount chief. He was followed by Dalindyebo, Jongilizwe and Jonguhlanga Sabata Dalindyebo, who was appointed paramount chief with effect from 1 July 1954 under the Bantu Administration Act of 1927 for the Thembu of Thembuland, including Emigrant Thembuland and Bomvanaland.
What the commission decided
In 1966 Kaizer Daliwonga Matanzima was elevated to paramount chief and made equal in status to Sabata Dalindyebo, which the commission says created a dual kingship that was not in line with Thembu custom. It records that the Matanzima royal house, the right-hand house of Ngubengcuka, does not dispute that it is genealogically junior to the Dalindyebo house, the great house. The commission found that the Thembu kingship exists, was established by Nxeko, and has passed from one generation to the next, and concluded that the position held by the paramount chief of the abaThembu bakwaDalindyebo “is that of king of abaThembu as a whole”. See also Matanzima. This page does not cover events after the commission’s determination.
Izithakazelo (iziduko) and totem
We have not found a published Dalindyebo praise text or a confirmed totem, so we are not printing either. If you belong to the Dalindyebo house and recite the 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 position of the paramount chief of abaThembu bakwaDalindyebo (pp. 162 to 174 of the PDF)
Do you belong to the Dalindyebo house? 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.