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Wozekhaya

Isiduko · isiXhosa

Jola

  • PeopleamaMpondomise
  • RegionMpondomiseland - Tsolo & Qumbu, Eastern Cape

Recorded Praise Names

These are praise names, not a full recitation.

Izinqulo EMBO
Jol' inkomoNgwanyaSabeMphankomoMpondomiseMthwakaziQengebaCirhaSomarhwarhwa
Directory form IZITHAKAZELO; NIVILE
JolaJoliNkomoMphaNkomoQengeba

Two versions are recorded and neither has been chosen. Where community sources differ on a praise, both readings are kept. A regional form and a transcription slip are indistinguishable to anyone who is not a first-language reader.

The History Behind This Name

As written down by the people named at the end.

Jola is the great house of the amaMpondomise, named for King Majola, who is recorded as reigning about 1624-1653 - son of Qengeba and father of Ngwanya.

The amaMpondomise hold the mole snake, uMajola, as their own. It is said to visit a newborn of the clan to prepare the child for a safe adult life, and its appearance is read as the ancestors' favour rather than as danger; killing it is a serious matter. The prized ox that moved with the clan was called the Mzukulwana weNkwakhwa, the descendant of the snake.

The amaMpondomise are centred on Tsolo and Qumbu in the OR Tambo district, the great house and the right-hand house respectively. The kingdom lost its recognition in 1904; after a legal contest running more than a century, the Eastern Cape High Court reinstated the Mpondomise kingship in 2020.

Recorded from: WIKIPEDIA (AmaMpondomise); EMBO; the Ulwazi Programme

Written down by families and by the people who recorded them.

About This Record

What Was Written Down

The royal clan of the amaMpondomise, also recited as Majola. The izithakazelo.blog and nivile.co.za directories both carry the shorter directory form (Jola, JoliNkomo, MphaNkomo, Qengeba); the fuller sequence is embomaxhosa.blogspot.com.

Where This Comes From

Written down by
  • embomaxhosa.blogspot.com (read 2026-08-23)
  • izithakazelo.blog/iziduko-zamaxhosa/ (read 2026-08-23)
  • nivile.co.za/iziduko.html (read 2026-08-23) — independent cross-check

Recorded Alongside

  • Bhukhwana Also recorded among the amaMpondomise.
  • Debeza Also recorded among the amaMpondomise.
  • Dedeza Also recorded among the amaMpondomise.
  • Mhaga Also recorded among the amaMpondomise.
  • Mngwevu Also recorded among the amaMpondomise.
  • Mpehle Also recorded among the amaMpondomise.

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