Izithakazelo Zakwa Mkhatshwa Clan Names History and Origin
Mkhatshwa clan names can be found throughout South Africa. It is also a prevalent surname and may also be written as:
After being defeated by Shaka, Zwide kaLanga and his generals fled northward and established several kingdoms including Gaza Kingdom in modern-day Mozambique.
Their generals used an age-regiments system which included making vassal sub-chiefs from conquered tribes under them as vassals sub-chiefs of these kingdoms.
Mkhatshwa Clan Names
- Mkhatshwa
- Nkosi
- Mthembu
- Mhlanga
- Mthethwa
- Dlamini
- Mabuza
- Zwane
- Ngwenya
- Mdluli
Mkhatshwa Clan Origin
As globalization spreads further, surnames are increasingly expanding beyond their country of origin. This is particularly true of African surnames which can now be found from Europe to Oceania.
So it comes as no surprise that Mkhatshwa clan names can now be found in more nations of the world than ever before.
Soshangane kaZikode was an extraordinary chieftain who united the clans and tribes of Africa into an Nguni empire known as Gaza Kingdom by breaking away from Zulu King Shaka’s rule and creating his own Nguni empire through conquest.
To consolidate his authority he implemented regimentation programs for conquered Ndau and Ronga peoples while teaching them traditional Nguni battle tactics.
He was known to be highly aggressive, attacking other clans and tribes who he saw as rivals – even attacking his half brother Mzila who was born from a Swati mother.
In 1819 he was defeated at the Battle of Umhlatuze River near Nkandla by Shaka’s Zulu army and eventually fled north, eventually reaching Zimbabwe and Mozambique where he met Zwangendaba kaHlatshwayo from the Jere clan who was previously part of Ndwandwe subsidiary chiefdom and briefly formed an alliance before breaking apart again.
Mkhatshwa Clan Meaning
Surnames have spread globally over time, making it possible to encounter people with the name Mkhatshwa in countries outside their nation of origin – for instance African surnames can now be found all across Europe or Oceania due to globalization’s wide reach in culture, politics, religion, and economic influence.
The Ndwandwes are a subgroup of Gazan Nguni people, located throughout Southern Africa. Zwide kaLanga was an ambitious chief who used military tactics to consolidate his kingdom from 1805-1820 and used age regiments and other old institutions to do this work.
Age regiments were composed of youths recruited through traditional initiation ceremonies held across Ndwandwe State. These age regiments served to unify its various communities while also serving as the basis for organizing military forces during wartime.
At that time, the Ndwandwe state occupied the northern section of Zululand from Pongola River to Black Umfolozi and St Lucia Bay on the sea. One of Zwides goals was to create an aura of invincibility around himself through magicians and medicine men; his diplomatic marriages helped too; Dingiswayo of Mthethwa Kingship married Mashobana of Khumalo Kingship were two such examples.
Mkhatshwa Clan Variations
As no uniform spelling system existed when surnames first came into use, clan names tend to differ considerably from one nation to the next.
Furthermore, surnames may have also changed over time as families were formed or changed their surname altogether. Furthermore, it’s not unusual for clans that originated in a specific nation to become more prevalent elsewhere around the globe; or their surname changed by adoption into another one altogether.
As an example, the surname mkhatshwa was originally the name of an individual fighting on behalf of the Khumalo clan during the early 19th century in Ngome region in present-day northern KwaZulu-Natal. These tribes included: Mthethwa Empire of Dingiswayo; Ngwane of Sobhuza I and Mashobane KaMangethe among others.
However, during the early 1800s Zwide kaLanga of Ndwandwe invaded Khumalo territory and killed Beje kaMagawozi, Donda kaGasa, and Mashobane kaMangethe.
After this event, several Khumalo families who had been formally integrated into the Ndwandwe nation reverted to their original clan names, such as Mnyamana and Ngqengelele clans which rose prominently under Shaka Zulu.
Mangosuthu Buthelezi discusses this development in his chapter entitled, “The Early History of Buthelezi Clan,” from Social System and Tradition in Southern Africa: Essays in Honour of Eileen Krige by John Argyle Cape Town Oxford University Press 1978
Mkhatshwa Clan Etymology
The origins of the clan’s name lie closely within the Khumalo dynasty that once governed Matabeleland. Khumalo kaMntungwa (also known as Gasa kaZikode), founded his house of Mkhatshwa and passed it along through his son Mkhatshwa kaKhumalo to Mashobane kaMangethe (Matshobane Zikode), followed by Mashobane KaMangethe. To this day, Mthwakazi Kingdom monarchs are members of their royal families.
House of Mkhatshwa has strong links with the Ndwandwe tribe and their founding by Zwide kaLanga, founder of both Mthethwa kingdom and Ngwane in Swaziland. However, when Zwide was forced out by Shaka Zulu in the 1820s he relocated his army from Mthethwa kingdom and established Ndwandwe empire which eventually included Ngwane, Mpangazitha and large areas in Malawi.
Zwide’s strategy for expanding his empire involved using both military force and diplomacy, including negotiations of treaties with other Nguni chiefs, to strengthen their alliance. He used his daughters as wives to forge relationships with other states – Nomahlanjana married Dingiswayo of Mthethwa.
Two others married Mashobana kaKhumalo and Sobhuza I of Swaziland respectively – creating close ties between Zwide and other rulers from different tribes within Nguni regions in terms of regional alliance.
