Members of the Khumalo family based in South Africa have formed AmaNtungwa kaMbulazi International, a global organisation aimed at uplifting AmaNtungwa communities worldwide, with a primary focus on southern Africa to provide the socio-economic prosperity of his descendants.
The organisation seeks to match the legacy of King Mzilikazi, Isilo SamaBandla, whose influence spanned across what is today more than eight to ten countries in the SADC region.
Through coordinated efforts, the Khumalo family aims to unify descendants of the king, empower traditional leaders and drive initiatives that enhance social and economic development.
“After our interview two years ago, we created AmaNtungwa kaMbulazi International, whose goal is to strengthen cultural and spiritual ties and harness collective resources to uplift AmaNtungwa communities economically,” said Chairperson of the organisation, Thokozani Fana Khumalo in an interview with CITE on the sidelines of the King Mzilikazi Commemorations at Mhlahlandlela over the weekend.
“By uniting the global branches, descendants of King Mzilikazi can thrive while preserving the legacy of the historic king,” he said.
Jabulani Zakhela Khumalo, spokesperson for the organisation said they also hope to see branches forming in Zimbabwe.
“Being a neighbour to Eswatini, where we also have a strong presence, our membership was involved in organising from South Africa. Some members left for Johannesburg to make coordination easier, since South Africa is a large country, we also had members from the Eastern Cape organising to meet in Johannesburg to cut costs and travel together,” he said.
Jabulani said this approach was quite successful in raising awareness, using previous events as promotion so people understand what the commemorations are all about.
“These branches are focused solely on achieving structural alignment across the global membership, sharing information with the profound aim of reaching a common platform of social and economic prosperity,” he said.
Another Khumalo member, Ndumiso, responsible for governance and strategy within the organisation, stressed the importance of reconnecting the family to its roots.
“We realise that we are a very talented and extended family. We have strong traditional leaders, and our ancestor Mzilikazi is one of the most internationally renowned traditional leaders, having established a kingdom,” Ndumiso said, adding that the Khumalo family have other kingdoms as well.
“For example, the Church of Nazareth in South Africa is a kingdom of AmaNtungwa, founded by Umzazela and later led by Prophet Isaiah. It is one of the largest spiritual movements in South Africa, and it is part of our family.
“We have recognised that as a family, we have many branches, traditional, spiritual, artistic and cultural. We have people like Sibongile Khumalo, who are accomplished artists and cultural wizards embedded in our family. But we realised that a branch that is not connected to its roots is a dead branch.”
The governance strategist said they decided to activate and revive the root of this Khumalpo tree, so that all the branches can thrive and prosper.
“We identified our roots as Mtungwa, son of Mbulazi, our origin. Without the root, all the existing branches in Mthwakazi, the Church of Nazareth, and other parts of our family are essentially dead. By activating Mtungwa as the root, all branches can now connect to a living source, forming a blooming tree,” Ndumiso said.
“We are the root that makes it possible for all the branches, all the talents embedded in the blood of Mtungwa, son of Mbulazi to thrive. As descendants of Mtungwa, we have activated the root, and now every branch can connect, prosper, and grow.”
Butholezwe Khumalo, deputy chairperson and born in Mthwakazi, explained that the organisation’s focus was socio-economic transformation and unity among King Mzilikazi’s descendants.
“There is something profound happening over the years regarding Isilo SamaBandla, uMzilikazi. Over time, we have discovered areas where we can contribute and complement the entire movement. One of these areas is the socio-economic aspect. When you look at Isilo himself, he is the only king on the continent who has dominated across more than eight to ten countries in terms of influence today,” he said.
“Other kingdoms may have had regional kings confined to specific areas, but King Mzilikazi’s offspring are found in virtually every SADC country. Yet, among these descendants, there is still untapped potential in terms of prosperity and what we can achieve. That is where AmaNtungwa kaMbulazi came in, our goal is to drive transformation.”
Butholezwe said, first their aim is to unite all these people who are descended from King Mzilikazi.
“ The king was not only leading his own tribe or lineage; he brought together different tribes to form the nation of Mthwakazi. This is why we gathered to see how we could embrace his legacy,” he said.
“Our first step is to unite everyone under one umbrella, and then we drive initiatives focused on prosperity. Within this value chain, we aim to empower all the chiefs across these different countries. These chiefs are aligned to Isilo, as you see today, they come to pay respect to his majesty in his absence. Even after all these years, they recognise him and bow to King Mzilikazi.”
Butholezwe added that the organisation planned to leverage business opportunities, reinvest them into the different chieftainships.
“We want to see this initiative grow, and explore how best to transform and empower people across the region.”
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