Inkosi

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Inkosi (inkosi, sometimes spelled nkosi) is a title used in several Nguni-speaking societies of Southern Africa to denote a traditional royal male ruler. The plural form is amakhosi. The term is commonly translated into English as “king” or “chief”, depending on historical and administrative context.

In precolonial Nguni political systems, an inkosi exercised hereditary authority over a defined community and territory, governing in accordance with customary law. During the colonial and apartheid periods, the title was reinterpreted within systems of indirect rule, and amakhosi were formally designated as “chiefs” under colonial and later South African legislation.

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