Madzikane

Madzikane was the founder and a king of the Bhaca people. Before him, his father's tribe was known as Abakwa Zelemu but after Madzikane had united many multitudes of different people and different tribes, his nation was known as amaBhaca consisting of many tribes including: amaZulu, akwaZelemu, amaWushe, amaNqolo, amaNzelu, amaZizi, amaNjilo, abaseNhlwangini, amaQwabe, abaThembu, etc.

Madzikane's father was Khalimesh. His firstborn was Crown Prince Sonyangwe followed by Prince Ncapai. However, because of the Mfecane wars, Sonyangwe the crown prince was burnt to death at night in his hut by traitors from the Memela who were vassals of the AmaBhele of uMdingi who were subjects of King Madzikane while he still reigned. Prince Sonyangwe died at Rode before he could become King of amaBhaca.

Therefore, on the death of King Madzikane, Prince Ncaphayi was crowned King of all amaBhaca but because his elder brother Sonyangwe had left behind two sons in Natal, (i.e. Princes Mdutyane and Thiba), King Ncaphayi was obliged to share the throne with Sonyangwes' heir. When Prince Mdutyane was only twenty-one, King Ncaphayi died in a war against the AmaMpondo King Faku. Crown Prince Mdutyane was crowned King of all the amaBhaca tribes and hence became the supreme ruler of the whole amaBhaca nation consisting of more than forty-four different tribes scattered all over southern Natal.

King Ncapayi had many wives. Indlu Enkulu birth to Diko and Sogoni. From his second wife, Indlu Ykaula,. His third wife Iqadi Lendlu Enkulu bore Dabula. King Madzikane's kingdom is currently being revived by the Reat House of Ncapayi, Inkosi Madzikane II Thandisizwe Diko. The home of the Bhacas and the Kingdom is in Mount Frere, KwaBhaca in the Eastern Cape.

Ncapayi is said to have been a fearless freebooter, a diplomat of note who showed even more intelligence than his father and was respected by many nations (Soga, p. 444)

According to Reverend Soga, during the same year in which Ncapayi’s father Madzikane was killed, Ncaphayi entered Tembuland to avenge his father’s death. The Thembus under King Ngubengcuka made an ineffectual stand and the Bhacas swept away a large number of cattle.

Before King Madzikane died, and because of the relationship he had with King Faku, he advised his son to temporarily be a tributary king in Pondoland. He indeed did that and Faku at this time welcomed the Bhacas as this also coincided with the arrival of Nqetho, a chief of the Qwabes who had moved from Natal running away from King Tshaka’s army because he could not serve under King Dingane. When he entered Pondoland and tried to secure land by violence, Faku was anxious to get rid of him and therefore secured assistance from Ncaphayi to eject Nqetho. amaBhaca drove them back into Natal and Dingane issued instructions to kill Nqetho.

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