History: The surname Gwala is common among the Nguni-speaking peoples of Southern Africa, particularly the Zulu and Swazi communities. It signifies a connection to the Gwala lineage. Notable individuals with this surname include:
UMdluli uhlobene kanjani noGwala?
How does mdluli related to uGwala? Because uMdluli uNsibande not nzimande.
if someone knows, please add in the comments below.
Appointed as Director in the Corporate practice at DLA Piper’s Johannesburg office in August 2021. Previously worked at Bowmans and spent time on secondment at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. His reign occurred during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries when the centralisation of polities east of the Drakensberg Mountains disturbed life in the region. Forced to pledge allegiance to various powers to survive, Nomsimekwana and his followers affiliated first with the Ngwane, later the Mkhize, then the Zulu, and eventually the British. Their associations shifted as threats changed—armies, hunger, marauders, and Boer settlers. After years of displacement, Nomsimekwana finally returned home to re-establish a chiefdom from the remnants who survived the transformation of the region. His story demonstrates the persistence of amalala identities in Natal through the mid-twentieth century. Their history reflects the complex relationships between smaller polities and the larger Zulu kingdom, with some Mdluli families now being recognised as traditional leaders in areas like Mtubatuba, though this recognition is sometimes contested by other clans who claim earlier occupation.
Themba Harry Gwala born on 30 July 1920 & passed-on on 20 June 1995 was a revolutionary leader in the African National Congress (ANC) and South African Communist Party (SACP) in South Africa.
Harry Gwala trained as a teacher at Adams College and taught at Slangspruit where his students included Moses Mabhida. In 1942, Gwala joined the Communist Party of South Africa, and in 1944 joined the ANC, and moved into trade union organisation in the chemical, construction, and rubber industries. He was among the organisers of a national stay-away in 1950, and was subsequently banned under the Suppression of Communism Act.
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