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Wozekhaya

Mutupo · Tshivenda

Vhambedzi

Also spelled Mbedzi, Vhanbedzi.

  • PeopleVhavenda
  • Grouping Earlier inhabitants of the eastern Soutpansberg; treated with the Vhangona as original (MAGOMA-2021, WIKI-VENDA-PEOPLE, LUONDE) or as a pre-Singo sib from Malungudzi
  • Surnames recorded Mbedzi, Luvhimbi
  • Places recorded Vhumbedzi, Mutale, Luvhimbi, Makonde, Tshulu, Ha-Makuya, Mianzwi, Tshilavulu, Zimbabwe, Tshituzi, Malungudzi, Marungudzi

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

About This Record

What Was Written Down

Nemaheni's abstract describes the Vhambedzi as an earlier sib settled south of the Limpopo before the Masingo conquered them, with the dominant legend placing their origin at Malungudzi in southern Zimbabwe and counter-traditions linking them to the Vhangona; they claim authorship of Zimbabwe-type stone-walled sites in the eastern Soutpansberg. Stayt says they probably entered the country early and live in the extreme east. The typescript says the land long ago belonged to the Vhalembethu, Vhambedzi and Vhangona, places the Vhambedzi in Vhumbedzi around Ha Luvhimbi and Makonde across the Luvuvhu to the Madzimbanombe hills, credits them and the Vhalembethu with skill in building stone works, and names their khosi as Luvhimbi lwa Gole, a rainmaker to whom people came from all lands. Wikipedia (Venda Kingdom, citing Loubser) records the Mbedzi conquering the Dzivhani in the Mutale valley an. 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
  • Tshimangadzo Nemaheni (University of Mpumalanga), The Vhambedzi origin and the expansion of Zimbabwe stone building tradition south of the Vhembe River, 2021, New Contree vol. 86, article 27, DOI 10.4102/nc.v86i0.27 — https://newcontree.org.za/index.php/nc/article/view/27
  • Nthambeleni Charles Ṋetshisaulu (University of Venda), The Role Played by Nicknames and Totems in the Development of Tshivenḓa Surnames, 2025 — https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/EHASS20256715.pdf
  • Hugh A. Stayt, The Bavenda, 1931 — https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/59437
  • Wikipedia contributors, Venda Kingdom (Wikipedia article), accessed 2026-09-05, Wikimedia Foundation — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venda_Kingdom

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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