Mapela in the sources
Mapela is both a Langa chief, who ruled from about 1795 to 1825, and the name of the southern of the two Langa chiefdoms, ba ga Mapela, “those of Mapela’s place”. Jackson says it gets that name because its territory includes Fothane Hill (Moordkoppie), where the old chief died.
What the sources say
The chief. Mapela succeeded his father Seritarita at Moumong-wa-Matswake. He was a son of the father’s third-ranking wife; the principal wife had no son, and a daughter-in-law (ngwetsi) was married to produce an heir on her behalf. That heir, Mosoge, was passed over (see Mosoge), as was the son of the second-ranking wife (see Mamaala) (about pp. 8 to 10). Jackson says Mapela ruled well. His people grew in number and fame by absorbing smaller Sotho chiefdoms, some conquered and some joining by choice, which is why the place was also called “where the xylophones resound”.
The groups said to have been incorporated by Mapela include the Tlhaloga Kwena of Tshaba, the Kwena of Lelaka, the Koni of Masenya and Puka, the Tlokwa of Pila, the Phalane remnant that became Mabuela, and the Pedi of Matlou. See our pages on Tshaba, Lelaka, Masenya, Pila, Mabuela and Matlou. Jackson adds that the Langa became tributary to the Pedi chief Thulare in the late 18th century, though Langa spokesmen do not say so, and that Mzilikazi’s Ndebele arrived towards the end of Mapela’s rule. Other sources say the Langa suffered at Mzilikazi’s hands (about pp. 10 to 11). Mapela died at Fothane in about 1825.
The chiefdom since 1890. After the 1890 partition the first chief of the Mapela branch was Hans (Malesela Hans Langa), who ruled until 1905, building his capital at Magope Hill near Fothane. His brother Marcus was regent from 1905 to 1918 for Hans’s heir Alfred Sedibu, who was followed by his brother Nkgalabe Johannes, and in 1958 by Hendrik Madikwe Langa, who Jackson says allowed his research and acts as regent for Alfred’s son (about pp. 40 and 78 to 79). The Mapela area is divided into wards under headmen of the incorporated groups, led by the “great wards” of Mabusela, Tshaba, Masenya and Mabuela.
Cautions
The details of the wards describe the chiefdom as Jackson found it in 1968. Jackson was a government ethnologist, and his fieldwork at Mapela took about 100 days between 1962 and 1967; he says the opinions are his own. His present tense describes 1968. We read the book through machine OCR of a typed transcription, so names and numbers may contain errors, and page numbers are approximate.
Izithakazelo and totem
The book records the totem and praise poem of this ward where given above, but we are not printing them in full. If you belong to the Mapela and recite your own izithakazelo or direto, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
See also Langa, Kekana and Ndzundza.
Do you belong to the Mapela? 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.