PART ONE
On the 3/4/2026 to the 4th/04/2026 we have had the privilege of enjoying our Easter weekend and by visiting two places, or families from Friday to Saturday in or around the area of Limpopo in subsequent succession together with the Makhuvele family from Mudavula village from under Collin’s Chavani Local Municipality. The Makhuvele’s are part of my family from my grandmother side, the Hakamela Tlakula family side or Shivambu family all the way from Basani Village ka Shivambu and in-between the Shivambu and Mutsetsweni family at Basani Village, are the Valoyi Mugwambani family all the way from the nearby settlement of Madzivi next to Thenga village near Mashau village which is next to Elim under Makhado Local Municipality from under Vembe Region in Limpopo and before they were forcefully removed from the area where they use to call home to a new settlement by the apartheid regime or to where they are today and in order to pave a way for white settlement or the establishment of white farms and with no place to call home from their original place where they were removed and also to lose their prestigious status to that of novice up to date.
Of course, our first visit was at Halahala Village from under Collin’s Chavani Municipality from under the Vembe region. Here is something intriguing about the two ceremonies which took effect from the 3rd and 4th of April respectively and from a female point of view. The most intriguing point here is that both the two set’s of families are related one way or the other through their grannies who happens to be sister’s from a different family set up in terms of marriage, Mavasa and Makhuvele but they are both sisters from Mthuzi or Mtileni(Tshawani) family by birth (I Varhonga vanhu lava) all the way from xitichi Matsilele in New England, Makhado and that the couple parents (father and sister) are also brother and sister also from a different family set up, Mavasa and Makhuvele through their parents or mother’s who happens to be sister’s as if everything was done for a purpose or by mutual agreement as today 04/04/2026 we are here at Mukhomi village attending another ceremony from the sister’s side.
Whereas, somehow am also related to the two families in question, Mabasa and Makhuvele. As Valoyi myself, that mean’s I was there to give support to one of my own who happens to be the bridegroom married to the bride from Mavasa family. Whereas from the second ceremony where by a ku amukeriwa ncuma kumbe ndzovolo, is that, the mother to the bride is N’wa Makhuvele, the daughter to N’wa Mtileni who is also my relative. Makhuvele and Shivambu are blood brother’s from the same womb. Truthfully speaking Shivambu is also known as Hakamela or Tlakula, na va Mondlani, na va Maluleke lava na vona va humaka eN’wanati ehansi ka vulawuri bya Gwambe lava nga tlhela va tsendzeleka na matiko and even before people were separated by the border’s during apartheid colonialism as we have all become the victims of the Berlin Conference ever since 1884 from the European powers which divided us ( Africa) into some pieces of land and change our name’s and map about our history (Africa) into something else and the creation of border’s in order to separate us or brother from another brother as such and through selfish gain by those European power’s.
Today we are divided, people don’t seem to know their history, culture or tradition. They also swear at each through the use of vulgar language and call each other by name’s such as Makwerekwere. O nge ku na xikulela masiku lawa. Ku na xitumbelalani la lexi endliwaka hi vanhu in order to confuse God’s people. Vanhu vo sungula ku ti vonakarisa ka tiko leri hi hina Vakalanga na Vatsonga na ku swi le ku tumbetetiweni ka ntiyiso. The Valoyi or Lozwi people who also forms part of the Munhumutapa empire which covers the whole of the SADC region don’t seem to know their story in as far as their history is concerned. Many of them are just familiar with the history of yesterday or what they are being told by other’s with some hidden agenda to it as many are confused by their own history or situation.
The Valoyi or Lozwi people cover ground in as much they could be found everywhere within the SADC region, just anywhere and from all the different tribe’s people or nation’s such as the Vatsonga,Vhavenda,Basotho,Batswana and the Nguni people as they are also more visible from among the people of South Africa, Mozambique, Eswatini, KZN, Mpumalanga, NorthWest, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Namibia, Angola and the DRC.
The Mugwambani people in Makhado who are sandwiched between Mutsetsweni and Shivambu at Basani Village next to their nearby land at Madzivi in the Makhado area and in an area which has been left vacant since their removal by the apartheid regime. Together with other Valoyi people as well as other people from different tribe’s they have since become the victims of circumstances and before they were moved to the place where they are today by the apartheid regime. Many of them have their origin at Thulamela which has since been converted into a game park, the Kruger National park in both Mpumalanga, Limpopo which also includes other areas such as Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
The Mugwambani family originally, they are from Thulamela from the Maphangweni area together with Mahuntsi, Makhuva, Xinyakanyaka and others as Maphangweni is the one who gave birth to their grandparents. They are one team and they are supposed to be one and doing same things together in order to rebuild their legacy together as a team with all the Lozwi people and giving leadership to the people as they are of the Royal blood.
From Maphangweni, they were moved to different places and also joined forces with the Xirimbi, Madzenga and some Venda people to become part of what is known as Venda today from around the area of Donald Frazer hospital, Makhado kumbe Louis Trichard, Ntshabalala, Mamurima, Sethumule, the whole of Masia na Kurhuleni up to Giyani as well including other areas ,Tshidzivani, Rivubye or Valdesia, Dzwerani, New England, Riyonde,Elim, Vleifontein, Modjadji area, Soekmekaar up to Ka Mugwambani or Mokapani area and in Kwa Ndebele in Mpumalanga and other area’s. We are one big family.
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