Qwabe Clan Names & Izithakazelo
The clan praises, meaning, and history of the Qwabe people
“Qwabe! Gumede! Phakathwayo!” a family calls out, naming the senior branch of the House of Malandela itself, the royal line from which the Zulu nation later grew. These are the clan praises of the Qwabe, carried forward through generations of oral tradition.
Izithakazelo zakwa Qwabe
Below is the fuller praise poem of the Qwabe clan, presented in isiZulu as it is recited in oral tradition. These praises are living words, meant to be spoken aloud, not merely read on a page.
Traditional note: This fuller praise poem, opening with Qwabe, Gumede, and Phakathwayo, and naming shared ancestral markers such as Malandela, Ngoye, and Mpangazitha, is confirmed near word for word across multiple independently recorded oral traditions. As with all Zulu clans, additional lines and family-specific variations exist and are carried by elders. Always consult your family elders for the full version passed down in your specific lineage.
What Do the Qwabe Praises Mean?
Each element of the izithakazelo carries meaning passed down through generations of oral tradition. Understanding these words is understanding who the Qwabe people are and where they come from.
Qwabe, Gumede, Phakathwayo, and Malandela
These names trace the clan directly back to its founder, Qwabe kaMalandela, eldest son of Malandela himself. Gumede and Phakathwayo were later leaders within the same royal line, and calling on any of these names honours the full sweep of that lineage.
Ntabani leya, eyayaya kuNgoye Gumede
A place-based praise pointing to the Ngoye Hills, the historical heartland of the Qwabe kingdom in what is now KwaZulu-Natal. Praises of this kind are often recited as a kind of call and answer, naming the mountain that marks the clan’s ancestral territory.
Abalwa impi noShaka
A historical praise recalling that the Qwabe fought a war against Shaka, a memory of the resistance the Qwabe kingdom mounted before it was ultimately absorbed into the growing Zulu Kingdom in the early nineteenth century.
Wena kaMalandela, ngokulandela izinkomo zamadoda
A praise built on the meaning of Malandela’s own name, “the one who follows,” recalling the following of the cattle of men. This same line, tied to the shared ancestor Malandela, also appears in the praises of the Zulu clan itself, reflecting their common root.
Traditional note: Izithakazelo are oral by nature and regional variations exist. What you find recorded here is a foundation, your family elders hold the full, living version of these praises as passed down in your specific branch of the Qwabe clan.
Qwabe Clan History
The Qwabe hold a unique place among Zulu clans as the senior branch of the House of Malandela, the royal pre-Zulu family. Qwabe kaMalandela was the eldest son of Malandela and his wife Nozidiya, of the Zungu clan, and his name is said to mean a large musical bow. Following Nguni custom, when Qwabe inherited the kingship after his father’s death, he built a new homestead, eMthandeni, to serve as the centre of his own kingdom, while his younger brother Zulu remained behind to lead the smaller group of people who stayed at their father’s original estate. It is from that younger, junior branch that the Zulu royal house itself later grew.
Centred near the Ngoye Hills in what is now KwaZulu-Natal, the amaQwabe kingdom thrived through the eighteenth century as one of the most ancient and celebrated tribes in Natal and Zululand, expanding its authority over the Cele, Thuli, and several smaller tribes between the Mhlathuze and Tugela rivers. That strength meant the Qwabe were never simply absorbed without resistance when the Zulu Kingdom expanded under King Shaka in the early nineteenth century. Under leaders such as Phakathwayo, the Qwabe mounted resistance against Shaka’s forces, a period of conflict remembered directly in the clan’s own izithakazelo.
The Qwabe today
The Qwabe royal house continues into the present day, with Chief Makhosini Qwabe recognised as the leader of the Mthandeni chieftaincy near KwaDukuza in northern KwaZulu-Natal, the same eMthandeni named in the clan’s own praises. The clan’s connected families include the Khuzwayo, Makhanya, Mbedu, Gcabashe, and Sabela, while several clans, including the Zulu, Ngema, and Khanyile, are recorded as cadet branches descending from the wider Qwabe royal line.
How Izithakazelo Are Used in Ceremony
Izithakazelo are living practice, not preserved artefact. The Qwabe clan praises are used in everyday life and during the ceremonies that mark the most significant moments in Zulu family life.
At weddings (umshado)
When a Qwabe bride or groom is welcomed into a family, their izithakazelo are recited by an elder to formally acknowledge their lineage. Calling out “Qwabe, Gumede!” invites the ancestors of both families to witness and bless the union, weaving the two lineages together through the spoken word.
At funerals (umngcwabo)
Throughout funeral proceedings, the deceased is addressed by their clan praises. For a Qwabe person, “Qwabe, Phakathwayo!” accompanies them on their final journey, a dignified recognition of their full identity as they go to join the ancestors.
At coming-of-age ceremonies
At ceremonies such as umemulo, the young woman’s coming-of-age celebration, izithakazelo are recited to formally mark the young person’s entry into adult identity as a member of the Qwabe clan. The praises anchor the ceremony in lineage and ancestral continuity.
In everyday respect
Calling someone by their isibongo, “Qwabe!”, or by their praise name, “Gumede!”, in passing is a simple but meaningful gesture of warmth and respect. It says: I know who you are, and I honour your ancestry. Among the Qwabe, this greeting carries the memory of a kingdom that stood at the Ngoye Hills long before the Zulu nation took its modern form, within a single word.