Noun
Thembu (plural Thembu or Thembus)
A member of a certain South African tribe that speak Xhosa and live in Thembuland.
Born during World War I, far from the corridors of power, a boy raised herding cattle and tutored by elders of his Thembu tribe – Madiba would emerge as the last great liberator of the 20th century. Source: Internet
His father, a counsellor to the Thembu royal family, died when Nelson Mandela was nine, and he was placed in the care of the acting regent of the Thembu people, chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo. Source: Internet