Earlier this year, we let you in on the news that Chief Mandla Mandela and his wife, Rabia, were expecting their first child and not only is the latest little Mandela here but he has also officially been named.
The little one underwent a traditional Xhosa introduction and welcoming ceremony at the family's hometown of Mvezo in the Eastern Cape this past weekend.
Chief Mandela took to Instagram to confirm that they have named their son Mntwanenkosi Mandela Ikraam Mandela.
The full caption, which is actually a press statement, reads as follows:
"MVEZO KOMKHULU WELCOMES MNTANENKOSI MANDELA IKRAAM MANDELA
Mvezo Komkhulu (The Great Place) has etched its name in history as the birthplace of my grandfather, the global icon President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, and home of the Mandela Royal Family.
This hallowed land bears testimony to the family's triumphs and tribulations down the years. It is the site from which my great-grandfather, the then-chief, Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela, was expelled by white authorities in the 1920s… to which the Mandela family returned to reclaim its royal title in 2007.
This weekend, the hills around Mvezo Komkhulu reverberated with joyous ululations of welcome for Mntanenkosi Mandela Ikraam Mandela, first born son of Nkosi Zwelivelile and Nkosikazi Nosekeni Rabia Mandela. The great Mandela family tree has a new root in Mandela Ka Mandela.
Born on 12 May 2017, the child received the name, Ikraam, at a ceremony in Cape Town conducted by Sheikh Ebrahim Gabriels, who led prayers at Madiba's inauguration, and Sheikh Irfaan Abrahams, President of the Muslim Judicial Council.
Ikraam means noble and esteem veneration, and is the name chosen by Nkosikazi Nosekeni and the Clarke family after Nosekeni's deceased brother, Ikraam. "We are overjoyed and filled with gratitude that the Mandela legacy and lineage will live on through our son, and pray for his health and wellbeing as the torchbearer for the next generation," said Nkosi Zwelivelile. "How proud his great-grandfather would have been to set eyes on him, to know that his great-grandson carries his grandfather's name Mandela whom we trace our family surname," the Chief said.
The slaughtering of a sacrificial sheep at the birth of a new born child is common to Muslim and AbaThembu culture and is a symbol of gratitude for the new life as well as a prayer of protection for the progeny of Mntanenkosi Mandela ka Mandela."
Congratulations to the Mandela Family and welcome to the world Ikraam.
Main image credit: facebook.com