Uma silandela umlando wabantu bakwaMthembu sithola ukuthi bahlukene kabili. Kukhona laba abasebenzisa isibongo sakwaMthembu ngokuqondile nje, bese kuba khona abasebenzisa lesi sakwa Mvelase, kodwa bobabili bayigazi elilodwa ngokomlando. Umehluko nje ukuthi kukhona indlu encane okungu Mvelase bese enkulu kuba uMthembu. Ngokomlando sithola ukuthi uMthembu uzalwa nguNtongakazi okuwukuthi basondelene namaNtungwa. Abantu bakwaMthembu bangaphansi kwesizwe samaNguni, okuyiqoqo la okutholakala khona uhlobo lwabantu abanye babo ababizwa ngamaXhosa, amaNdebele, amaSwati kanye nawo amaZulu. Ekwakheleni kwabo, abakwaMthembu bebakhelene nabantu bezibongo ezifana noMchunu, abakwaKhumalo amaNtungwa kanye nabase maMbatheni. Lana ke sithi asigxile ngabakwaMthembu, abakwaMvelase sizolandelanisa ngabo kwelinye ikhasi.
Amadodana akaMthembu
Isibongo sanda ngakho ukuthi kuzalwe izinsizwa okuyizona ezigcina zibe ngabanumnzane bandise isibongo. Siyathola ke uma sibheka umlando wakwaMthembu ukuthi uMthembu wazala amadodana amabili okungu Bhomoyi kanye naye uMangqiyima. UMangqiyima ngoyena ke odume kakhulu kubantu bakwaMthembu ikakhulukazi kulaba baphesheya koThukela. Nguyena owathutha elibhekise phesheya komfula uThukela esuka eTransvaal, okuthi ekugcineni wagcina ebeke inxiwa lakubo lapha endaweni yaseMseleni. Lelikhaya ke libizwa ngokuthi kuseNhlangwini. Imizi yakwaZulu ibiqanjwa amagama lokhu bekwenza kube lula ngisho umuntu ezichaza ukuthi ungubani wakwabani asho negama lomuzi wakubo. Ingakho ke kungamangazanga namanye amakhosi akwaMthembu esebenzise igama lomuzi waseNhlangwini ngisho noma inkosi uMangqiyima isikhotheme.
Inzalo kaMangqiyama
Isibongo sakwaMthembu sikhula nje, ingoba inkosi uMangqiyima wazala amadodana uNyandeni noGeza. Okwabe uNyandeni eseba ngukhokho omkhulu wesibongo sakwaMvelase. UGeza yena wabe esebe nendodana uLushozi bese kwathi uLushozi wazala uNdaba. Akugcinanga lapho ngoba phela uzalo lomuzi luhleze lwanda, uNdaba yena wabe eseba namadodana uMlenze noMnisi. Akusikho ukuthi amakhosi akwaMthembu ayengazizali izintombi, kepha kubhekwa kakhulu amadodana ngenxa yokuthi iwona aqhuba ubukhulu bomndeni ngokuganwa babe nemizi yabo ekhulisa isibongo. UMnisi ke yena waba noJama kanye noNdina. Siyathola ukuthi uNdina uyena owayebambene ngezinqotho nenkosi yesizwe sabaThethwa uDingiswayo. Lokhu kwaphetha ngokuthi inkosi uDingiswayo amehlule uNdina.
Ubukhosi bakwaMthembu ngemva kwempi
Siyazi ke ukuthi ukwehlulwa empini KwaZulu kwakusho khona ukuthi kudliwa izinkomo zaleyo nkosi kanye nesizwe sayo, kusize khona ukubaleka idle phansi uma ingafuni kwenzeke lokho. AbaThembu bagcina befakwe ngaphansi kwesandla sobukhosi bakwaMthethwa, lokhu kwenzeka ngalesikhathi bezama ukuziphindiselela ebukhosini bakwaMthethwa kepha behluleka.
Ngenxa yokuthi ubukhosi bakwaMthembu basebungaphansi kweNkosi uDingiswayo, abusange busavelela ubukhosi babo ngoba phela kwase kwakhiwa ubumbano lwamakhosi ngaphansi kwehlo elibukhali bobukhosi bakwaZulu. Ubukhosi basebaThenjini baze babuya ngesikhathi sokubusa kweSilo uMpande wakwaZulu. Babuya sebuphethwe uMlenze kaNdaba owasefolosile ebuphethe. Kanti yena ke uMlenze waba nendodana uBhacile, yena inkosana yakhe kwaba kungu Sikhala naye wadoda ngoSomopho. AbakwaMthembu abanye babo bathutha eMseleni baya lapho eMhlathuze ngaseMphangweni.
Abakwamathonsi bahlobene kanjani nomthembu