Tatomkhulu Madiba

TATOMKHULU: MILES elevates the 93 year-old Father of the Nation up a level, to Grandfather of the Nation. Nelson Mandela is fondly known by many names; amongst which are...

Rolihlahla – Mandela’s birth name, given to him by his father. It is an isiXhosa name which means “pulling the branch of a tree”, or colloquially; “troublemaker”.

Nelson – This name was given to him by his teacher on his first school day. Why she chose that name is unknown, but it was customary to give African children English names in those days, to make them more palatable to the English colonisers.

Madiba – This is Mandela's clan name. It's regarded very polite to address someone by their clan name because in African culture, a clan name is more significant than a surname. It refers to the ancestor from whom that person descended. Madiba was the name of a Thembu chief named who ruled in the Transkei in the 18th century and Nelson Mandela is a descendant of his. 

Tata – Means 'father' in isiXhosa; Mandela's first language. It is a mark of respect that many South Africans, regardless of their age, call Mandela by this name. He is, after all, the Father of the Nation.

Khulu – Means 'Great', 'Paramount' and 'Grand' or 'Great One' - and it is also a shortened form of the isiXhosa words for grandfather; 'uBawomkhulu' or 'Tatomkhulu'.

Dalibhunga – Mandela was prophetically given this name after his rite of passage initiation into manhood when he was 16. It means “Founder of the Council” or “`Convenor of the Dialogue”. Its proper use when greeting Mandela would be: “Aaah! Dalibhunga”.

Family names – Mandela’s grandchildren use variants of “Grandfather”, such as “Granddad”, while his wife Graça Machel fondly refers to him as “Papa”.

[The above information was extracted from www.nelsonmandela.org]