List of Xhosa Kings


The Xhosa are a nation from southern Africa. Xhosa, the one after whom the Xhosa people are named, fathered Malangana. The Xhosa kingship separated when the line got to Phalo because of what happened when he married.

Xhosa family tree

It was during Phalo's rule that the Xhosa nation got divided into two Houses. When Phalo had to marry a wife that would produce an heir to the throne, two royal brides ' arrived on the same day. This caused a dilemma for the Xhosa King as it meant that if he chose either of them, the father of the unpicked bride would be offended and possibly the relations would be strained between the two tribes from such an offence.
Xhosa elders and all the known wise men who knew the Xhosa laws & customs across Xhosa land were summoned to Komkhulu to solve this problem. It has been said in the Xhosa oral history that, it was one old man by the name of Majeke who came with a solution to that problem. His solution was: "What is greater than the head of the king, and what is stronger than his right hand? Let the one be the head wife and the other the wife of the right hand". And that way, the problem was solved.
Phalo produced two known sons: Gcaleka and Rharhabe. Gcaleka would later become the leader of the AmaGcaleka sub group and Rharhabe became the leader of the AmaRharhabe sub group. Prior the arrival of the Europeans, the Xhosa territory stretched from Mbhashe River to Gamtoos River in the Southern Cape. King Gcaleka was the AmaGcaleka Xhosa, with jurisdiction from Mbhashe river to Kei river, and King Rharhabe as King of AmaRharhabe Xhosa beyond the Kei River and extended beyond the Fish River.
Great House: Amagcaleka
  • Gcaleka begot Khawuta,
  • Khawuta begot Hintsa ,
  • Hintsa begot Sarhili,
  • Sarhili begot Sigcawu,
  • Sigcawu begot Gwebinkumbi
  • Gwebinkumbi begot Zwelidumile,
  • Zwelidumile begot Xolilizwe,
  • Xolilizwe begot Zwelonke .
Right Hand House: amaRharhabe