Mncina in the Swazi record
Bonner lists the Mncina with the Gama at the Mdzimba (Mdimba) mountains among the Sotho groups of central Swaziland when Sobhuza arrived (PDF p. 41). He says they resisted Sobhuza and were forced to flee, unlike most chiefdoms of the area, which accepted Ngwane rule without a fight (p. 42).
What the book says
He adds that on the Komati the Mncina were exposed to periodic looting, as a sign of the wider tensions between rulers and ruled (p. 43), that Sobhuza posted Nyamainja Dlamini on the southern bank of the Komati to take charge of the scattered Mncina people (p. 44), and that under Mswati the Mncina, with the Ngwenya, Dhladhla and Moyeni’s Magagula, were placed under trusted royal officers with their autonomy restricted (p. 97).
The book gives no Mncina account of these events and names no Mncina chief. See our Gama and Magagula pages for the neighbouring chiefdoms.
Sources and cautions
This page summarises Philip Bonner’s Kings, Commoners and Concessionaires (read from SAHO’s scanned PDF by OCR; page numbers are PDF pages). The surname Mncina is common, and we claim no link between surname-holders and this chiefdom.
We read this book only through machine OCR of a scanned copy, so names and dates may contain OCR errors, and we have not checked them against the printed pages or against the oral and archival sources Bonner cites. His chapters rest on oral evidence collected in the 1970s and present contested episodes from a scholarly point of view. We did not find these clans in Gillis’s book.
Izithakazelo and totem
We are printing no Mncina praises or totem because none has been confirmed. If you belong to the Mncina and recite your izithakazelo, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
See also Maziya, Thabede and Dlamini.
Do you belong to the Mncina? Tell us your praises and what elders say about the history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.