People / group

Thembu

Also known as abaThembu

The Thembu are a Xhosa-speaking Nguni people of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, whose homeland, Thembuland, lies around the Mbashe and Mthatha rivers. Their paramount king held senior rank among the southern Nguni royal houses. Thembuland was annexed to the Cape Colony by 1885, and Nelson Mandela was a member of its royal family.

Thembu
Image: Alfred Martin Duggan-Cronin · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Thembu KingdomMpondomise Kingdom

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Thembu. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thembu
MLA
“Thembu.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thembu. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Thembu.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thembu.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Thembu’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thembu (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻