The Ndebele Tribe originally came to South Africa in the 1600’s. Their history dates back to their first ruler, King Ndebele. There are two branches of the Ndebele tribe. They occupy two different regions in South Africa, and have some variations in their languages. These two groups, the Manala and the Ndzundza, broke from each other in the early generations of the tribe. The separation occurred when the Ndebele king named Musi had grown old and ill, and decided to give his son Ndzundza the throne. In their culture, polygamy existed. The heir of the throne was supposed to be the first son of the “great wife”, even if the secondary wives produced a son before the great wife. Musi decided to circumvent the law by transferring the throne while he was still alive. He sent his son Manala, the legitimate heir, on a hunting trip. In his absence, he gave the kingship to Ndzundza to rule. When Manala returned, he was furious that he had lost his birthright. The tribespeople were divided in their allegiance, and two different factions resulted.