History of Bhengu Surname | The Ulwazi Programme
History of Bhengu Surname
The history of a surname is very important in a particular clan or tribe. It gives that tribe a form of identification from other tribes. Surnames are made from the names of older sons from a particular family which then have clan praises which are the names of the sons of that person. It is very important to note that only man were chosen for this because women had to marry to other families and were not considered as people who were to continue with their father’s legacies.
Origins of Bhengu
Bhengu Dlamini was a son of a chief in Swaziland. Bhengu had a conflict with his father that led to his banishment from his family. He fell in love with his own sister, which culturally was not allowed. When he fled across the Swaziland border, he had followers and this tribe was named Ngcolosi. They travelled until they crossed uThukela River and they settled in Ntunjambili near Greytown (KwaZulu Natal Midlands).
The lineage from Bhengu Dlamini went through his son Ngwabile Bhengu to Dlabazane. Dlabazane had a son Sihi whose heir was Songololo. It continued through Songololo’s son Lamula to Ngwane whose son was Mepho. Mepho was in charge of King Shaka’s herds and was rewarded with 100 cattle for looking well the King’s herd. Mepho paid lobola to a Mkhize girl with part of his reward and his son Nkungu was born. There was tension between King Dingane and the Ngcolosi’s and they were forced to move from Ntunjambili. Some of the Ngcolosi people died on their way to a new land but for those who made it, settled in Durban, Ridge Road.
On their arrival in Durban, Faku who was Nkungu’s brother became the chief of Ngcolosi people because Nkungu’s eldest son Ndlokolo was too young to rule. Faku had to give up his regency and there was a quarrel between Ndlokolo and his brother Hlangabeza over the succession. This was resolved by ordering Hlangabeza to move back to Ntunjambili and Ndlokolo to settle in Durban. During their feud, the Ngcolosi’s were again forced to move and they settled in Newlands and finally moved inland to settle in the banks of Umngeni River near Inanda. There are two branches of Ngcolosi tribes to this day.
IsiZulu Summary: Umlando wesibongo sakwaBhengu
Isibongo sakhiwa ngamagama amadodana amadala noma okungawokuqala abizwa ngondlalifa omnumzane othile, nezithakazelo ngokunjalo. Abantu besifazane babengangeni ekwakhiweni kwesibongo ngoba bona kwakwaziwa ukuthi bazogana bahambe emakhaya bayokwakha imizi yabanye abantu. UBhengu Dlamini wayeyindodana yenkosi yaseSwazini. UBhengu amehlo akhe abona ekhaya, wathanda udadewabo lokhu okwenza ukuthi axoshwe ngoba kwakuwumkhuba omubi. Ngesikhathi esehamba wabanabalandeli abathile uBhengu. Bahamba bazebawela umfula uThukela baze bafika endaweni yakwaNtunjambili eduze naseGreytown maphakathi neKwaZulu Natali.
Indodana kaBhengu kwakunguNgwabile Bhengu kwaya kuDlabazane. Indodana kaDlabazane kwakunguSihi owazala uSongololo. USongololo wazala uLamula yena wazala uNgwane owazala uMepho. UMepho wayelusa izinkomo zeNkosi uShaka okwathi ngokuzibheka kahle kwakhe waxoshiswa ngezinkomo eziyikhulu. UMepho wathatha ingxenye yazo walobola intombi yakwaMkhize eyamzalela indodana uNkungu. Kwabakhona ukungezwani phakathi kweNkosi uDingane nabakwaNgcolosi okwabaphoqa ukuthi basuke endaweni yabo. Baningi abafa ngalesosikhathi.
Abanye bafika bahlala eThekwini endaweni eseyaziwa ngokuthi iRidge Road. Ngalesosikhathi uFaku owayengumfowabo kaNkungu wahola abantu bakwaNgcolosi ngoba indodana kaNkungu uNdlokolo wayesemncane. Kwabanengxabano phakathi kwamadodana kaNkungu oNdlokolo noHlangabeza ukuthi ngubani okwakufanele aphathe. Lokhu kwaxazululwa ngokuthi uHlangabeza kuthiwe akabuyele kwaNtunjambili nabalandeli bakhe uNdlokolo yena wasala eThekwini. Ngalesosikhathi baphoqeleka ukuthi basuke endaweni ababehlala kuyo bagoba amadlangala okwesikhashana endaweni yaseNewlands base beqhubekela maphakathi neTheku eduze nomfula uMngeni eduze naseNanda. Kuzekube yinamuhla abantu bakaNgcolosi bahlukene kabili.
By: Mabusi Kgwete
Reference: Rule P. 1993. Nokukhanya: Mother of Light
Umlando wabantu bakwaBhengu
OBhengu insila yabo idabuka kubantu bakwaDlamini nabakwaLuthuli. Abantu bakwaBhengu bangamalala Nguni njengobasazi ukuthi iningi lezibongo eziphuma kwaDlamini zaziwa ngokuthi zingamaMbo.
OBhengu laba baphuma kuLusibalukhulu. Kuthiwa enye yamadodana kaSibalukhulu yalala nenye yamadodakazi akhe. Isiko labeNguni kalikuvumi ukuthi abantu belamana baganane, noma belalane bodwa bebe bezalwa ngumuntu oyedwa. Ngesenzo saleyo ndodana, baxoshwa ngoba bebengcolisa ekhaya. Kwase kuthiwa nguBhengu ngoba kwakuwububhengubhengu bexoshwa.
Bakhe eduze nomfula Amandlalathi phansi kwentaba iNtunjambili eKranskop. Ngaleso sikhathi bebebuswa nguNgwabini kaDlabazane kaShongololo kaBhengu kaLusibalukhulu. Kungathi ke uNgwabini wayebusa kwaBhengu ngesikhathi kwaZulu kubusa iNkosi uJama kaNdaba.
uNgwabini wayenenkosana kube khona noLamula owayeyigeza lakwabo, iyibhinca indoda le futhi ibe iyisoka. ULamula ugcine engesinye sezesheli zikaMkabayi, agcine ethathekile yiso kodwa lugcine lungahlangananga ucu. Lapho uMkabayi ugcine ethe: “Zinhle izintaba zaKwaZulu, ngeke azishiye eyoganela esizweni angasazi.” Yize behlukana kodwa uMkabayi wayemthanda umfo kaNgcolosi, uLamula. Abantu bakwaBhengu babakhelene nabantu bakwaMthembu nabaseMaChunwini. Ngesikhathi sokubusa iNkosi uShaka KwaZulu labo makhelwane babantu bakwaBhengu bebebalekela iNkosi uShaka, abakwaBhengu babona kungcono ukuthi baziphephise ngokuzinikela eNkosini uShaka njengabantu bakwaMkhize.
Futhi-ke iLembe lalibathanda abantu bakwaBhengu, lithi bahle. Kwathi ngelinye ilanga sekubusa iNkosi uMmepho kwaBhengu, iLembe lamthuma namabutho ukuba ayolanda izinkomo emaMpondweni kuFaku. Nebala wahamba ke uMmepho namabutho. Uma efika laphaya inkosi uMmepho wabathanda lababantu (amaMpondo) washiya amabutho ehlathini waya kuFaku wamtshela ukuthi uthunywe yinkosi uShaka ukuba azolanda izinkomo. Kodwa-ke iNkosi uMmepho yamcebisa ngokuba ayozinikela eNkosini uShaka nabantu bakhe nezinkomo. UFaku wenza njengoba iNkosi uMmepho ishilo wahamba. Wabalandela-ke uMmepho wabathola sebefikile. Kuthe uma efika uMmepho eNkosini uShaka, yambuza ukuthi ufike wenzani emaMpondweni ngoba uyayibona lengqondo ayenzile, kwahlekwa kanjalo. Usizi-ke kubantu bakwaNgcolosi luqale emva kokubulawa kweLembe, sekubusa iSilo saseMgungundlovu, uDingane.
Phela zonke izethenjwa nabangani beLembe bahlaselwe iSilo uDingane. Ngaleso sikhathi abakwaNgcolosi bebebuswa uNkunga kaMmepho, kaNgwane kaLamula. ISilo saseMgungundlovu sambulala uNkungu amabutho amphonsa emfuleni uThukela. Namanje kalaziwa idlinza leNkosi uNkunga. Bahlakazeka-ke abantu bakwaBhengu benyusa intaba iNtunjambili bejabhile nokugcine sekuphuma abantu bakwaJali njengoba sekushiwo ngesikhathi kubhekwa imvelaphi yabo abakwaJali.
Abanye-ke bafudukelana eMngeni, Hillcrest bakhelana nesizwe saseMaphephetheni nesasemaQadini ngasemfuleni uMqeku. Lobukhosi bakwaBhengu obukhona laphaya baziwa ngokuthi ngobaseKuphileni, lobu obusale eNtunjambili baziwa ngokuthi kuseNyambeni. Esinye isibongo esiphuma kwaBhengu ngesakwaGwaza. Bona-ke bayatholakala laphaya koBabanango nakoNtiningwe.
Indlela oNgcolosi abalamana ngayo
ULusibalukhulu uzale uBhengu, ozale uShongololo, ozale uDlabazane, ozale uNgwabini, ozale uLamula, ozale uNgwane obe yinkosi yokuqala. Uzale uMmepho ozale uNkungu noFaku. UNkungu uzale uHlangabeza noDlongolo owayeganwe ngamakhosikazi ali- 15. UHlangabeza uzale uMathole, uSidanga noMpisiyenduna (uNondlwana). UDlongolo uzale uMaphitha noVika. UMaphitha uzale uShopho.
Abantu, Clan Praises, Izibongo, izithakazelo, People, Surnames
3 Responses to History of Bhengu Surname
Anele 01/01/2017 at 8:07 pm #
Do you have any idea which year Bhengu was banished from home?
Ulwazi Content Manager 09/02/2017 at 6:36 am #
Interesting question, Anele. We’ll ask our fieldworkers or other contributors if they can assist with your query.
Nhlaka 28/07/2017 at 9:12 pm #
Labantu bakabhengu yongakho begange kanjena