Trading

Lemba traded in diamond, gold, silver, iron, copper, clay, cotton and building of boat/ships. They used to smelt iron ore (ngwedi) and manufacture knives (Phanga), hoes (malembe), hammers (nudo), spears (mafumo) battle axes (tsanga)

They used to smelt copper (chirongana/musina) and make wire (lutale/lurale) using a viewgrop called ‘bako’ from which they made wrist and ankle bangles (masenga/vhukunda)as ornaments of their wives. Those bangles were only put on by Lemba women and a chief’s wife, for it was glory to put them on.

They made earings (zwigina) with copper which were only put on by Lemba women. They also made bracelets (milinga) with copper.

Economic development

The trade expanded and they discovered the Chilungulela/Chirungurera copper mine near the Vhembe (Limpopo) river on the South of the Zimbabwean side. Some Lembas crossed the Vhembe (Limpopo river into this country).

The Hamisi and the Salefu clans discovered the copper mine at Musina long ago. They procceded to Mapunguwe where they were trading. Mapungubwe is at a place where South Africa, Zimbambwe and Botswana form boundries, libwe means a stone, mabwe means stones, pungula means to pour out. Mapungubwe is a contraction of libwe li no pungulea (a stone which when melted can be poured out like water) hence mapungubwe. It is the time the Lembas were traiding with diamond, gold, silver, iron,copper and clay. That is why there are clay pots at mapungubwe.