Southern Ndebele people
The women of Loopspruit Cultural Village, near Bronkhorstspruit, in front of a traditionally-painted Ndebele dwelling. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2.1 million (2023 Census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| South Africa | |
| Languages | |
| IsiNdebele, English, Afrikaans | |
| Religion | |
| Christian, Animist | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Nguni peoples (especially Northern Ndebele) |
| Ndebele | |
|---|---|
| Person | iNdebele |
| People | AmaNdebele |
| Language | IsiNdebele |
| Country | KwaNdebele |
Southern Ndebele people, also known in English by their endonym AmaNdebele, are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa who speak Southern Ndebele language (isiNdebele).
The group is separate from the Northern Ndebele who broke away from the Zulu during Shaka's time. The Southern Ndebele people mainly inhabit the South African provinces of Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo in the middle-northeast of the South Africa. In academia this ethnic group is referred to as the Southern Ndebele to differentiate it from their relatives, the Northern Ndebele people, of the historical Matabeleland of Zimbabwe and the adjoining northernmost South African provinces of Limpopo and North West.