Madonsela in the Swazi record
The Madonsela, spelled Madvonsela in one list, are named among the 17 founding clans (bemdzabuko) in Wikipedia’s article on the Swazi people, which our earlier listing used, and Wikipedia’s Bemdzabuko article lists the clan, spelled Madonsela, among its notable bemdzabuko clans. We found no history of the clan itself.
What the sources say
The one place a Madonsela appears in a chiefly context is Wikipedia’s article on Prince Johannes Mkolishi Dlamini (1928 to 1988), Chief of Embhuleni at Badplaas, which says his father was the previous chief of Embhuleni, Prince James Maquba Dlamini, and his mother was Mkhosise Madonsela; the article says nothing more about her. It is tagged for unsourced statements and has inconsistent birth years, so we use it only for that one sentence. The connection recorded here is through a marriage, and we have no source that says more about the Madonsela.
Our OCR reading of Bonner’s and Gillis’s histories found no mention of the Madonsela.
Cautions
We found no Madonsela chief, origin story, praise text or totem. The surname Madonsela is common (the former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has Swazi family roots according to Wikipedia), and we claim no link between surname-holders and the clan.
Izithakazelo and totem
We are printing no Madonsela praises or totem because none has been confirmed. If you belong to the Madonsela and recite your izithakazelo, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Johannes Mkolishi Dlamini (tagged)
- Wikipedia: Bemdzabuko (needs more citations)
- Wikipedia: Swazi people (list of the 17 founding clans)
Do you belong to the Madonsela? 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.