Timbavati's etymology is timba (descending like a bird), vati (on the ground) in the ancient Tsonga language. According to the legend associated with this place, a great queen of ancestral matriarchal lineage far before the beginning of the Zulu nation, Queen Numbi, was sick and was the subject of all prayers. One night, a large star fell to earth illuminating the landscape with a bluish light. People shouted Timbi-Le Vaa-ti, to say that the object had fallen to the ground. The queen walked a lot to see it. When she approached, a luminous figure emerged from the bluish light and put her hand against the queen's before disappearing. The queen said that the gods wanted to take her with them and she went to the light. In the village, everyone saw the star rise in the sky. In the following years, all the animals on this spot had white cubs, with blue eyes (baboons, leopards, elephants, antelopes, impalas ...) and white lions were constantly appearing there. The great King Npepo I declared Timbavati a sacred place. King Shaka, the great prophet, also went on a pilgrimage to Timbavati. Finally, according to the legend, Queen Numbi returned to earth with extraordinary powers.