Dlamini (also spelled Dhlamini) is an African clan and surname, common in South Africa and Eswatini. It is the most common surname in South Africa. [1] Most people whose surname is Dlamini are also members of the Dlamini clan.
The Dlamini clan traces its origins to a man known as Dlamini I, also called Matalatala, who is the source of all known Dlamini clan names. [2] The clan is present across various ethnic groups within the Nguni branch of Bantu people in South Africa and Eswatini, with distinct branches:
Each branch maintains its own unique clan praises, varying among the Xhosa, Zulu and Swazi traditions.
In the early 19th century, under the rule of Sobhuza I, the Swazi branch of the Dlamini clan shifted its power center to the Ezulwini valley in central Eswatini. Due to tensions and armed conflict with the Ndwandwe in the south (present-day Shiselweni), Sobhuza relocated his royal capital to Zombodze. During this period, he conquered and incorporated many of the region's earlier inhabitants under his rule. Through strategic leadership, Sobhuza managed to avoid conflict with the powerful Zulu kingdom, which controlled the territory south of the Pongola River. The Dlamini dynasty grew increasingly powerful, eventually ruling over the entirety of present-day Eswatini. They established the House of Dlamini, which continues to serve as Eswatini's reigning royal family. [3]
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