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Bazizi Clan — History & Meaning
Sotho clan · Sesotho
Totem As an Nguni-derived (amaZizi) people their identity is carried by the isiduko/clan-praise 'Dlamini' rather than a Sotho animal totem; the closely related Baphuthi adopted the phuthi (duiker) totem after merging with the Maphuthing.
History & origin
The Bazizi are the Sotho rendering of the amaZizi, an Nguni clan of the Embo/Dlamini stock. Tradition places the amaZizi under the ancestor Zizi, settling in the Drakensberg ('ezintabeni zoKhahlamba') foothills - their territory ran from the upper Klip River to the sources of the Tugela along the foot of the Drakensberg - where they established a chieftainship later led by the Miya line. They are reckoned kin to the amaHlubi, amaBhele and amaTolo, all sharing the 'Dlamini' salutation. During the southward Nguni-Sotho contact and the Difaqane, amaZizi elements merged into Sotho-speaking communities; notably the Baphuthi of Moorosi are remembered as descendants of amaZizi who, after living among the Maphuthing, took the duiker totem and the Phuthi name. They thus form an Nguni substratum within the southern Sotho/Lesotho region.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: amaZizi, Dlamini, Miya, Baphuthi (via merger).
We publish the full diboko (clan praises) only once we can verify them against documented tradition — for this clan they are still being confirmed. If you can share an authoritative version, corrections are warmly welcomed.