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Wozekhaya

Mutupo · Tshivenda

Vhalembethu

Also spelled Vhanzhelele, Vha-Nzhelele, Lembethu, Vhalambethu.

  • PeopleVhavenda
  • Mutupo Nzhelele — a bird found at the Nzhelele river, which the typescript says people of today ca
  • Grouping Pre-Singo; Karanga-Rozvi arrivals (LUONDE, WIKI-VENDA-PEOPLE, MAGOMA-2021) / among the earliest holders of the land with Vhambedzi and Vhangona
  • Surnames recorded Mutele
  • Places recorded Eastern Venda, Ha-Mutele, Thulamela, Nzhelele

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

About This Record

What Was Written Down

The typescript states directly that the Vhalembethu's mutupo is Nzhelele and that they declare themselves Vha-Nzhelele who swear by nzhelele; it gives their khosi as Mutele, says their speech resembled Kalanga, credits them with stone-work skills alongside the Vhambedzi, and records that the Vhalembethu of Nzhelele were defeated by the Vhasenzi while those of Ha-Mutele moved east with their chief. Luonde has them settling around 1200 with the Vhanyai at Ha-Mutele and Thulamela and later conquered by Dimbanyika. Wikipedia writes the name as Vhanzhelele/Vhalembethu. Recorded from the sources named on this entry; the wording here is Sibaya's own.

Families Tell This Differently

Families who carry this name tell parts of it differently. Each way it has been told is below.

Where This Comes From

Written down by
  • Luonde.co.za - Brief History; Ngomalungundu (community heritage site), accessed 2026-09-05, luonde.co.za — https://luonde.co.za/brief-history/ and https://luonde.co.za/brief-history/ngomalungundu
  • Munyadziwa Magoma and co-authors, Retrieving Intangibility, Stemming Biodiversity Loss: The Case of Sacred Places in Venda, Northern South Africa, 2021 — https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/4/4/249
  • Vhadau vha Tshakhuma (Tshivenda-language typescript on the Vhadau of Tshakhuma and the early peoples of Venda; author… — https://repository.up.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/e2593648-436f-4316-87cf-b72e71970958/content
  • Wikipedia contributors, Venda people (Wikipedia article), accessed 2026-09-05, Wikimedia Foundation — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venda_people

Recorded Alongside

  • Dzivhani Also recorded among the Vhavenda.
  • Kwinḓa Also recorded among the Vhavenda.
  • Lambani Also recorded among the Vhavenda.
  • Luvhimbi Also recorded among the Vhavenda.
  • Makuya Also recorded among the Vhavenda.
  • Manenzhe Also recorded among the Vhavenda.

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