At its peak the amaQwabe occupied central KwaZulu-Natal, they were found beneath the Amandawe and Ngoye Hills, south of the Mhlathuze River until it reached the Mthethwa and Dube areas, up the Mhlathuze River almost as far as Nkandla forest, winding up between the Mhlathuze and Tugela Rivers and finally overflowing into Natal.