Dlamini is the royal clan of the Swazi nation and one of the most widely carried surnames in southern Africa, found across Eswatini, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and further afield. Every king of Eswatini has been a Dlamini, and the surname is also common among the Zulu and Xhosa, where most families are unrelated to the Swazi royal house.
Origins
Swazi royal tradition traces the dynasty to a chief remembered as Dlamini I (also called Matalatala), part of the broader southward movement of Bantu-speaking peoples that, according to oral tradition, passed through East Africa and Mozambique before reaching the area of modern Eswatini. These deep origins are oral tradition rather than documented history and should be read as such.
The dynasty’s documented history begins with Ngwane III, who ruled from about 1745 to 1780 and is generally counted as the founder of the Swazi kingdom in its present homeland – which is why the Swazi also call themselves bakaNgwane, “those of Ngwane.” His descendants moved the kingdom’s centre into the Ezulwini valley over the following generations, consolidating during the upheavals of the Mfecane under Sobhuza I and reaching their greatest extent under Mswati II (r. c. 1840-1868), from whom the nation’s modern name derives.
Royal marriage rules
Succession and marriage in the Dlamini royal house follow strict rules unique among southern African monarchies. A new king’s first two wives are chosen for him by the national councillors rather than by the king himself: the first must come from the Matsebula clan, the second from the Motsa clan. The sons of these two wives have formal ritual roles but cannot themselves become king – a safeguard intended to separate ceremonial status from the competition for succession. The reigning king’s mother, drawn from yet another clan, becomes the Ndlovukati (“the She-Elephant”), who co-rules with her son.
Izithakazelo / tinanatelo
We have not yet been able to confirm a verified Swazi royal praise text from a reliable written source; what circulates online is largely uncited. The praises are known to include Nkosi, Ngwane, Dlamini and Ngwenyama (“Lion,” the king’s title) among the honorifics used to address the royal house, but we would like to replace this placeholder with a text verified by Swazi cultural authorities.
Dlamini outside the Swazi royal house
Because the surname is so old and so widely carried, most people named Dlamini today – in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and further afield – belong to families with no connection to the Eswatini throne. Some are descended from Swazi clans that settled among the Zulu or Ndebele during the Mfecane; others carry the name through entirely separate Nguni lineages. If your family is Dlamini, the Swazi royal history on this page is background, not necessarily your own family’s story – and we would welcome your own clan’s praises and history.
Notable people named Dlamini
- Mswati II (r. c. 1840-1868) – the king from whom the Swazi nation takes its name.
- Sobhuza II (r. 1921-1982) – the longest-reigning monarch in recorded history.
- Mswati III (b. 1968) – the current King of Eswatini.
- Labotsibeni Mdluli and other queen regents – though not themselves Dlamini by birth, they ruled on behalf of the house.
Sources and further reading
- Hilda Kuper, An African Aristocracy: Rank Among the Swazi (1947) and Sobhuza II: Ngwenyama and King of Swaziland (1978).
- Philip Bonner, Kings, Commoners and Concessionaires (1983).
- Five Hundred Year Archive (FHYA), “Royal House of Dlamini.”
- Wikipedia: “Succession to the Swazi throne,” “Ngwane III.”
Help us improve this page. If you can supply a verified Swazi royal praise text, or your own (non-royal) Dlamini family’s history and praises, send us a WhatsApp on 065 138 8213 or use our contact page. We credit contributors who wish to be named.