Colorful Ndebele Woman Print

The Southern African Ndebele are an eMbo ethnic group native to South Africa who speak Southern Ndebele, which is distinct both from the "Northern Transvaal Ndebele" languages, usually known as SiNdebele or SiSumayela, as well as the Zimbabwean Ndebele language. The former are the people of Gegana (Mthombeni) and the latter are the people of Mzilikazi's "Matabele Empire", whereas Southern Ndebele people are those of Ndzundza and Manala. Although sharing the same name, they should not be confused with (Mzilikazi's) Northern Ndebele people of modern Zimbabwe, a breakaway from the Zulu nation, with whom they came into contact only after Mfecane. Northern Ndebele people speak the Ndebele language.[1] Mzilikazi's Khumalo clan (later called the Ndebele) have a different history (see Zimbabwean Ndebele language) and their language is more similar to Zulu and Xhosa.[2] Southern Ndebele mainly inhabit the provinces of Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo, all of which are in the northeast of the country.