Xesibe
The Xesibe are a Nguni-speaking people from Eastern Cape Province and Southern Parts of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
History
In the context of many other huge kingdoms in South Africa, the Xesibe people
are relatively smaller and more dispersed throughout the south eastern part
of South Africa, stretching from the southern parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the
eastern and the central part of the Eastern Cape Province. Despite their size
Xesibe people have, throughout different epochs of the South African history,
distinguished themselves and even became a decisive factor during certain
historical moments or epic battles that fundamentally changed the course of
history. Despite all this, up to this moment, there is no book that has ever been
written on Xesibe people. At most they get mentioned in the history books
of other groups such as Mpondos, Bhacas, Thembus and Xhosas. There ought to
be complex and not yet understood reasons on why historians and scholars
in general might have made this monumental omission of such a distinctive
group. This, in a sense, has left an unjustifiably huge knowledge gap in the
South African and Southern African history. The fierce independence, the
courage and bravery and the enterprising trait of the Xesibe people comes
out in almost all the literature that makes reference to them. Historians
and chroniclers of colonial government records as well as oral history seem
to marvel at how a group so small could stand up to great kingdoms and
maintain its ground against insurmountable odds. No wonder then that a
proverb, “nguMbo nomXesibe” would single out just one of the smallest of
the AbaMbo groups, surely they must have distinguished themselves not to be
subsumed in the larger group of Abambo who were migrating into the Xhosa
areas in the central and western parts of what today is known as the Eastern Cape province.
Xesibe people are descendants of the African Bantu people who migrated
southwards from the region between the Great Lakes and the Great Rift
Valleys of Eastern and Central Africa. A cluster of these groups who migrated
south were called Nguni people as they shared many similarities in their language and possibly genealogies. Out of the Nguni people who finally settled in South Eastern part of Southern Africa there emerged one of the most powerful kingdom of Abambo near the Lebombo Mountains on the
western side of Swaziland. Abambo royal leadership lineage is traced to Gubhela who begets Kuboni, who begets Mgebelezane, who begets Dlozela, who begets Sibiside. In his great house, Sibiside begets Mavovo and in his right hand house there is Njanye and then Nomafu in his Left Hand House which gave birth to the Imithethwa, Amangwane and amaSwati people. The right hand house of Njanye had twin, namely, Mpondo and Mpondomise who were immediately followed by an Imfusi who was Xesibe. At this time Abambo had moved and settled in the northern and midland areas of what is today KwaZulu-Natal. Xesibe broke away from the mainstream Abambo to form his own nation in the area between Escourt, Greytown and Bulwer. The tensions with neighbouring chiefdoms and the search for better grazing and
agricultural land for the pastoralist community led to Xesibe moving to claim the land on both sides of Mtamvuna as the land on the banks of Mtamvuna was fertile and the grass lush for Nguni cattle grazing. In his great house
Xesibe begets Ntozabantu, in his right hand house there is Mkhwenkwe and in the left hand house there is Mganu. Xesibe, the founder of this nation, died after a long illustrious reign. He was
buried on the banks of Mtamvuna River hence its mythical significance among the Xesibe and neighbouring chiefdoms and kingdoms. After the death of the
founder, Xesibe people dispersed and established themselves under different
chiefdoms. Ntozabantu migrated west and settled in the areas between
Libode, Ngqeleni and Mthatha with greater concentration in the Mqanduli
area. From Ntozabantu another group emerged from his son Mbathane and
it gave birth to the Nune and Khuma people. In the same lineage of Ntozabantu, Nodzaba also had a group
that broke away and became independent under the leadership of Noni. The
Thembu people gave the Xesibe under Noni the name AmaQwathi because
of a sacred and mystical bull, named Qwathi, that was always in the company
of the leading party and the leader of migrating Xesibe people. The Qwathi
people further broke into two major groups of Dalasile in and around Ngcobo
and Stokwe of Ndlela in Cala/Lady Frere areas with some dispersed up to
Sterkspruit. After a great upheaval which almost led to a civil strife among the
children of Mgubudzeli, the grandson of Nondzaba, Sodladla broke away and
established himself and his people in Mabhobho area among the Bhacas of
Mt Frere District.
The left hand house of Xesibe that remained in the area around which Xesibe
had reigned and died on the east side of Mtamvuna, come through the line of
Mganu, after whom even a mountain around Kokstad is named. This group
grew and became so strong, well-established and fiercely independent that it
finally settled in the Maxesibeni/Mt Ayliff District. Many historians often make
a mistake of thinking that this was the only group of Xesibe people, perhaps
their perennial wars with the neighbouring Mpondo, Baca, Zulu, Hlubi kept
them in the limelight. This group reached its peak under the creative leadership
of Sinama who expanded his settlements and great places to the areas which
are today part of the Eastern Pondoland and Southern KwaZulu-Natal.
The Xesibe people distinguished themselves in many battles and wars. These
include the great anti-colonial wars of 1880-1881 under the charge of Dalasile
in the Ngcobo region and Stokwe kaNdlela in the Lady Frere/Cala areas. The
Qwathi also killed Rarabe, the king of the Xhosa of the Western region, during
a battle. The much-feared Madzikane, the Baca leader, also fell to the spears
of AmaQwathi in the Gqutyini Forest near Ngcobo. The wars that Sinama
fought with the Mpondos and surrounding groups also made him a legend
of his time. But it was his son, Nogula, who became the army general of the Xesibe warriors who fought so many battles including the one against Shaka Zulu where Xesibe joined forces with the Baca of Madzikane on the Nunge Mountain near Mt Ayliff. Shaka forces suffered a humiliating defeat and many of his warriors died in this battle and the mountain was renamed Intsizwa Mountain to mark this historic event.
A sample of Xesibe groups and clans’ Indigenous Praises
Nondzaba
Xesibe
Nondzaba
Matshaya
Okhandanyawana
Oomatshi’ebheka njengomntwana
Osabel’uyabizwa emazibukweni
Sinama
Xesibe
Mganu
Somadoda
Rhadu
Mayaba
Sinama
Malandelwa yintombi isithi ndizeke nokuba
awunankomo
Tshaba Lendlovu
Sabela uyabizwa Emazibukweni
OoSidindi
Sdindi, Fubu, Mjobi
Phafu
Mcaba
Noni
Sithonga
Nomakhungela
Nkonjan’emnyama edlalemafini
Qwathi elimnyama ebabhodloza ihlathi
Lifuna uZanzolo
Gaga elibaleka nomtya walo
Inkomo kaSokhuthu noGangatha
Khala Mqadi wafa yintsika
OoNoni
Noni
Lutshaba
Sidindi, Ndunakazi
Dikela
Nojima
Ntswayibana
Qwathi elimnyama ebabhodloza ihlathi
Lifuna uZanzolo
Elimehl’ambejembeje ngokwesilo
Nqadalala yegqirha
Maqaphula Ngamthana
Vazi, Nomatyala
OoBlwangwe
Blangwe
Nqarhi
Nzalo
Nzila kaNzothwana
Vangevumba
AmaBlangwe amnyama neenkomo zawo
Ntswayibana
Noni
AmaKhuma
Xesibe
Khuma
Mbatane
Nondzaba
Dabuko
Khandanyawana
Matshaya
Sabel’uyabizwa emazibukweni
AmaNune
Nune
Ngqwangi
Doyi
Matshaya
Mbathane
OoNtsaka
Ntsaka
Ntozabantu
Nzuza
Miyana
Bhimbi
Nondzaba
Matshin’ebheka njengomntwana
Nxontsa
Nxontsa kaXesibe
Matshaya
Mganu
Sabel’uyabizwa emazibukweni
Mbala weXhama
Gubudu
Bhuku
Bhuku
SInqasha
Nkamangana
Umfaz’obele linye
Elincelisa intsana zonke naphesheya komfula
Ndlovana
Ndlovana
Umzi owavela kuqala
Ndzala Mzi
Di woHlanga
Ndlebe zikhany’ ilanga
OoMkheleka
Common Xesibe Surnames:
Mtwa
Sokhuthu
Wakaba
Mase
Jojo
Fikeni
Mhlobongo
Dandala
Mbulawa
Dongeni,
Nhlumayo
Dalasile
Stokwe
Mnyande
Titus
Jakuja
Sibutha
Nxele
Qotywa
Ntsaka,
Mbangi
Dyantyi
Molose
Gongxoza,
Mashwa
Sodladla
Xhate
Ngunga
Gcuma,
Mayaba
Nogula
Mtengwane
Mganu
Zuma
Mpepanduku
Sikisi,
Mpakumpaku
Neti
Xayiya
Xundu
Vala
Mtshubungu
Ceza
Mlatsheni
Boyce
Mjoli
Gebeda
Tokota
Jezile
Malotana
Mathole
Sokhanyile
Ntontela
Fante
Tyiwani
Zimase
Kipi
Mzaza
Xesibe Cultural and Heritage Symbols
Inyosi
Inyosi is a totem of Xesibe people. It assumes a mythical and spiritual dimension as it is thought to have some link with the ancestors. It has the same totemic heritage value of a snake to the Jola clan of the Mpondomise, a lion to the Taung people and a crocodile among the Bakwena group of Basotho.
Cattle
Xesibe people have always had special relationship with and attachment to
their livestock and cattle assume a mythical status for their spiritual, social
and economic value. Xesibe went to wars to defend their prized possession or to acquire more from other chiefdoms and kingdoms. Mqwathi was a very special beast to the leader of a group that had broken away from Mgubudzeli hence its people were given the name “abaQwathi” by the Thembu people when they migrated and settled among them.
River Ford
Between 400 and 500 years ago Xesibe people migrated towards the
southwestern part of South Africa from what today is known as KwaZulu-Natal Midlands area. They migrated in search of better grazing pastures, fertile land and political independence. During these migrations they would prefer to move at night undetected by potential enemies who could ambush them and take away their cattle. During the darkness of the night a leading reconnaissance team would walk along the big rivers in search of the ford and they would then shout back at their travelling party, sabel’uyabizwa emazibukweni then the migrating community would walk towards the area they were being guided to and cross there safely. A river ford has shallow water and stepping stones that allows for safe crossings. Reconnaissance warriors would also check for dangerous animals such as hippopotamus and crocodiles before advising people to cross the river. Xesibe people crossed the renown rivers such as Mkhomazi, Mzimkulu, Mtamvuna and later Msikaba, Mzimvubu, Tina, Tsitsa, Mthatha and Mbashe. While some settled in the banks of Mtamvuna River where Xesibe was based and was also buried, others migrated as far west as the areas occupied by Xhosa and Thembu people. The same pattern of crossing the rivers at night and calling
“Sabel’uyabizwa Emazibukweni” seem to have been a repeated routine until this became part of izibongo.
Mtamvuna has a special significance as it is along the banks of this river that Xesibe
Settled as an independent chiefdom. He died on the banks of this river and was buried there. Today this river is a border between the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Province.
Spirit possession appears among them, and the majority of possessed are married women. The condition of spirit possession among them is called intwaso. Those who develop the condition of intwaso are regarded as having a special calling to divine the future. They are first treated with sympathy, and then with respect as they develop their abilities to foretell the future.