(1) Zwide kaLanga was ruler of the Ndwandwe kingdom in the early nineteenth century. The praises as given here by Socwatsha, with some of the lines in a slightly different order, make up the first ten lines of the nineteen lines of the praises of Zwide as published by Stuart in uKulumetule (1925), pp. 58-9. Again with some of the lines in a slightly different order, they also make up lines 11 to 20 of the twenty lines of the praises of Zwide as published by Cope in Izibongo (1968), p. 129. These twenty lines are reproduced without attribution in C.T. Msimang, Kusadliwa Ngoludala (1975), pp. 404-5. Msimang’s rendering follows that of Cope word for word, except for significant changes to lines 16 and 17. Cope gives these lines as follows (see note 8 below for a discussion of  the slight differences between his renderings and those of Stuart):

        Amakhubalo kawadliwanga nganguba yenkomo,

        Adliwa ngenguba yengonyama.

For his part, Msimang gives these lines as follows:

        Amakhubalo adliwa ngangubo yankomo,

        Adliwa ngengubo yengonyama.

This translates as:

        The amakhubalo are eaten along with the covering of a beast,

        They are eaten along with the covering of a lion.

(2) The reference is to File XX, p. XXX, of the Stuart Collection.

(3) In his original rough notes, Stuart seems first to have written the first word of this line as ‘Matshetsh’’, and then subsequently to have added the prefix ‘U’ to make it ‘U Matshetsh’’. In his transcription he renders it as ‘U matshetsh’’. ‘Mashobana of the Khumalo people was ruler of a chiefdom neighbouring that of Zwide.

(4) Langa was father of Zwide.

(5) Berglund, Zulu Thought-Patterns and Symbolism (1976), pp. 284, 285, indicates that owls, as creatures of  the night, were often thought of in rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal as witches’ familiars (our thanks to Adrian Koopman for this reference). In uKulumetule, p. 58 n. 3, Stuart suggests that Mkhonto was possibly a sister of Zwide, or more likely a brother of Langa, or an induna.

(6) In Stuart’s original rough notes this line reads, ‘Iqili a be li hlabe la tshon’ ilanga’, which does not make grammatical sense. In uKulumetule, p. 59, Stuart has the line as ‘iQili a ba li hlabe la tshon’ ilanga’, which translates as ‘the crafty one whom they were stabbing until the sun went down’. In Izibongo, p. 129, Cope also has this line as ‘Iqil’ abalihlabe lashon’ ilanga.’.

(7) In his transcription, Stuart has written in the following note after izibabayiyana: ‘(don’t know what)’. In uKulumetule, p. 59, he gives the word as the equivalent of iziwuyana (iziwulana), or little fools. In Cope’s view, the reference is to ‘those who provoked Zwide into destroying them’ (Izibongo, p. 128 n. 3).

(8) Bryant, Dictionary, p. 324, gives ikhubalo (ikubalo in his orthography) –  pl. amakhubalo – as ‘Any Native wood-medicine (which is kept or sold in a lump), as medicinal roots, bark and the like, not leaves, bulbs, stones, or animal powders …’. He goes on to write, ‘Amakubalo are eaten always upon the death of one of the family, in order to strengthen against ill-effects which might otherwise follow’. In his original rough notes, in his transcription, and in uKulumetule, p. 59, Stuart has the personalized form ‘uMakubalo ka dhliwanga …’, which we have translated as ‘Makhabulo which were not eaten …’. In Izibongo, p. 129, Cope has this as the impersonal ‘Amakhubalo kawadliwanga …’, which he has translated as ‘The purification medicines were not eaten …’. In his original rough notes, Stuart has ‘… nge nguba yenkomo’. In his transcription, he has changed this to ‘… nga nguba ye nkomo’. He retains this form in uKulumetule, p. 59. Cope, Izibongo, p. 129, has ‘nganguba yenkomo’, which he translates as ‘with the leg of a beast’. Bryant, Dictionary, pp. 203-4, has uguba (pl. izinguba) as ‘Flank or side of a man or beast …; top part of the upper arm, shoulder …’. Stuart, uKulumetule, p. 51 n.2, gives it as the equivalent of ilunda or hump.

(9) In uKulumetule, p. 59, Stuart reverses the order of this and the next line, as does Cope in Izibongo, p. 129. In uKulumetule, p. 59, Stuart has ‘Li tshelel’ uMalusi …’ and ‘Kwa tshelel’ uDingiswayo’. In his original rough notes, Stuart has ‘wa se lu Yengweni. In his transcription he has ‘wa se Luyengweni’.  EluYengweni (oYengweni) was one of the principal imizi of Dingiswayo, ruler of the Mthethwa kingdom, who was defeated and put to death by Zwide.

(10) Malusi was of the Nxumalo section of the Ndwandwe. He was put to death by Zwide. In his note (a), Stuart specifically identifies eNgoleleni as an umuzi of Malusi. In Izibongo, p. 129 n. 7, Cope gives it as ‘Zwide’s chief kraal’.

(11) In the original transcription, this and the next sentence seem to have been added in by Stuart at some stage after he had made the transcription of Zwide’s praises as given by Socwatsha.

(12) Gwalagwala was Henry Francis Fynn junior.