Dlamini Mlangeni

Dlamini .. sibalukhulu …. malandela obunjwe kwangasolisi….. umlangeni umuhle lonyawo lwakhe … amavuso adlula kwephukintamo…. insizwa eziqonywa zingakawomisi…. ntombi ezedlula kuqhaqhazele abafokaza…. igawu elingaphuphi.

His descendants would go on to establish royal houses across Southern Africa, including the reigning monarchy of Eswatini.

His reign saw significant challenges as much Swazi land was lost to Boer concessionaires. He was given the title Dlamini IV upon ascending the throne, chosen by Sisile Khumalo, the late king’s mother, to take the kingship.

They conquered and incorporated many earlier inhabitants, eventually ruling over all of present-day Eswatini. The House of Dlamini continues to serve as Eswatini’s reigning royal family to this day.

1950-2021)
King of the Nhlangwini people who sought recognition as an independent kingdom within KwaZulu-Natal. Despite his claims being rejected by the Nhlapo Commission in 2009, he maintained his status as king until his death. His son Nqalabutho kaMelizwe Dlamini succeeded him and continues his father’s legacy, receiving a certificate of recognition from the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa in 2024.

He continues to seek full constitutional recognition of his kingdom, maintaining that the Nhlangwini have never bowed to the Zulu king and have no historical relationship with the Zulu monarchy. His cause represents one of several KZN tribes seeking recognition as independent kingdoms.

Born in 1925, he joined the armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe (“Spear of the Nation”) in 1963 after military training in China, becoming part of its high command. Arrested during the Rivonia raid alongside Nelson Mandela and other leaders, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and spent 26 years on Robben Island as prisoner number 467/64, in the cell next to Mandela (466/64). He defined himself as a “backroom boy,” a modest and self-effacing figure who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. After his release, he served as a member of parliament, president of the ANC’s integrity commission, and founder of the June and Andrew Mlangeni Foundation. Archbishop Desmond Tutu described him as “the last monument of a brave generation of South Africans who gave up their freedom, their careers, their family life and their health so that we could all be free.” His death in July 2020 at age 95 marked the end of an era in South Africa’s liberation history.