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Zwane Clan — History & Meaning
Ndebele clan · isiNdebele
History & origin
Zwane is an Nguni clan of the embo/Mbo stock, classed among the Ntungwa-Ntuli peoples and tracing an origin from Mangweni ('from above'), where its members are called Mangwe. The recorded genealogy runs Zwane > Mungwe > Phikelela > Nsele (with Vezi), Nsele succeeding to the chieftaincy. As an Mbo clan the Zwane are reckoned kin to the Dlamini, Ndwandwe, Shabalala, Mkhize and Hlubi. The clan is concentrated in KwaZulu-Natal — Hlobane, Estcourt (Mtshezi), Ladysmith (Mnambithi) and the Drakensberg (Khahlamba) foothills — and is also well represented in Eswatini, hence its presence across Swazi and Ndebele communities.
Notable figures & facts
Phikelela and his son Nsele appear as the chiefly succession figures in the documented Zwane genealogy.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Dlamini, Ndwandwe, Shabalala, Mkhize, Hlubi.
We publish the full izithakazelo (clan praises) only once we can verify them against documented tradition — for this clan they are still being confirmed. If you can share an authoritative version, corrections are warmly welcomed.