Did you know that there are 1,150,000 and 581,000 people of  Ndau origin living in Zimbabwe and  Mozambique respectively? The Ndau are an ethnic group that inhabits the areas in south-eastern Zimbabwe in the districts of Chipinge & Chimanimani in which they are natives. They are also found in parts of Bikita, in the Zambezi valley, in central Mozambique all the way to the coast & in central Malawi.

There are various propositions on the meaning of the word ‘Ndau’. Some say its a derivation from the people’s traditional salutation “Ndau wee!” in greetings and other social settings. Others say it means ‘land, the place or the country’ in Ndau language.  Some, however, suggest that the name is derived from the Nguni words “Amading’indawo” which means “those looking for a place” which the Nguni used to refer to the Ndau. This is debatable as the Nguni found the Ndau in their permanent place of habitation. Some historians have gone further to suggest that there is a possibility that the ancient Ndau is one of the first ancestral tribes of the Ngunis, similarly to the Mthethwas, Lala, and Debe who are descendants of the Thonga-Tekelas.

Modern-day Ndaus are largely identified by Nguni surnames like Semwayo, Simango, Thabethe, Sibiya, Dliwayo, Dube, Makuyana, Ndlukula, Mlambo, Mthethwa, Thodlana, Mhlanga, Nxumalo Hlatshwayo & Sithole. They pride themselves in a rich history, a unique language and culture. Prominent policition Rev Ndabaningi Sithole, author of the first Ndebele novel, “Umvukela WamaNdebele/ The Ndebele Uprising” was of Ndau origin. What do you know about the Ndau language?