Qongqothwane is a traditional song of the Xhosa people of South Africa.
The song is known world-wide thanks to the interpretation of South African singer Miriam Makeba (herself a Xhosa).
The song was written and originally performed by The Manhattan Brothers who made it famous across Africa.
More information on the song can be found in Makeba's book The World of African Song (Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1971), including the following translation: "The doctor of the road is the beetle / He climbed past this way / They say it is the beetle / Oh!
In her biography (p.86), she mentions singing it in The Village Vanguard Club in New York, and calls it a "Xhosa song about a dreamy bride".