Thembu people

The Thembu are a tribe that was made to fall under the subgroup of the Xhosa people during the Apartheid period . They are one of the handful of nation groups that speak IsiXhosa in South Africa. In Xhosa the name is abaThembu, aba- being a common prefix for peoples. The current reigning King of the abathembu is King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo whose praise name is Zwelibanzi. The most recognizable Thembu person in Nelson Mandela. The traditional homeland of the Thembu is called Thembuland.