Who the Msiza are
The Msiza are Ndzundza Ndebele. Franco Frescura’s history of the village of KwaMsiza says the Msiza traditionally held the position of shield-bearers to the king, and that the village’s residents belong to three family groups: the Msiza, the Bhuda and the Skosana.
Hartbeesfontein
According to Frescura, the Msiza came to the farm Hartbeesfontein, between Wonderboom and Derdepoort north of Pretoria, as part of King Nyabela’s retinue after the war between the Transvaal Republic and the Ndzundza in 1882. The family patriarch was Kgalabi Msiza. His first wife bore six sons. His second wife, Nomatombeni Dina Mahlangu, was Nyabela’s daughter and bore five more. The family lived at Hartbeesfontein for nearly sixty years.
South African History Online’s Ndebele history says the Msiza stayed at Hartbeesfontein until about 1952. Frescura says the farm was then sold to the developers of Wonderboom airport and the family was evicted.
KwaMsiza
With the help of Professor A.L. Meiring, who had begun visiting the family in the early 1950s, the Msiza were resettled in 1953 at Klipgat in the Odi district, about 50 km north of Pretoria. Frescura estimates about 21 families moved at first. The village is also recorded on some maps as KwaMapoch, Speelman’s Kraal, or simply “The Ndebele Village”. A leading figure was known to white neighbours as Cornelius Speelman (Hlangane Msiza). The Odi district was incorporated into Bophuthatswana when it was proclaimed on 6 December 1977. The village peaked at about 49 families around 1980, and Frescura records plans for a tourist centre and marketing facility in 2001. It is known for the beadwork made by its women.
A second account of the name
Wikipedia’s article on the Southern Ndebele gives a different account of how the family got its name. It says the Msiza are the community descended from Noqoli of the Mnguni family, whose descendants took the title Msiza, and that Noqoli mediated an agreement between the Ndzundza and the Manala. Frescura’s article does not mention Noqoli, so we have not found a source that confirms or contradicts this account.
Izithakazelo and totem
We have not found a published text of the Msiza praises or a confirmed totem, so we are not printing either. If your family recites Msiza praises, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
- Franco Frescura: KwaMsiza, the history and architecture of an Ndebele village (the postscript says the report was never publicly released and cites Frescura’s 2001 KwaMsiza: The History of an Ndebele Village)
- South African History Online: Ndebele history
- Wikipedia: Southern Ndebele people
The main Ndzundza page has the wider history.
Do you carry the Msiza name or come from KwaMsiza? Tell us your izithakazelo, your totem and what elders say about the family’s history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.