Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She served as a Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2003, and from 2009 until her death, and was a deputy minister of arts and culture from 1994 to 1996. A member of the African National Congress (ANC) political party, she served on the ANC's National Executive Committee and headed its Women's League. Madikizela-Mandela was known to her supporters as the "Mother of the Nation".
Artifacts indicating human activity dating back to the early Stone Age have been found in the Kingdom of Eswatini. The earliest known inhabitants of the region were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. Later, the population became predominantly Nguni during and after the great Bantu migrations. People speaking languages ancestral to the current Sotho and Nguni languages began settling no later than the 11th century. The country now derives its name from a later king named Mswati II. Mswati II was the greatest of the fighting kings of Eswatini, and he greatly extended the area of the country to twice its current size. The people of Eswatini largely belong to a number of clans that can be categorized as Emakhandzambili, Bemdzabu, and Emafikamuva, depending on when and how they settled in Eswatini.
Mswati III is the Ngwenyama (King) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He heads Africa’s last absolute monarchy, as he has veto power over all branches of government and is constitutionally immune from prosecution.
Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu was the King of the Zulu nation from 1968 to his death in 2021.
Sobhuza II was Ngwenyama (King) of Swaziland for 82 years and 254 days, the longest verifiable reign of any monarch in recorded history.
Ntfombi has been Queen Mother of Eswatini since 1986. She was also regent of Eswatini from 1983 to 1986. She is the mother of King Mswati III.
Prince Cedza Dlamini of Swaziland, otherwise known as Prince Cedza, grandson of King Sobhuza II of Swaziland and step-grandson of Nelson Mandela, is a humanitarian, youth activist, spokesman for the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, and the founder of the Ubuntu Institute for Young Social Entrepreneurs. His work promotes future international cooperation by initiating and supporting global networks of young leaders through which they can work collectively to address such current world problems as HIV/AIDS, poverty, hunger and illiteracy. Prince Cedza also advocates stronger ties between the United States and South Africa, occupying a seat as a director on the board of the South African Chamber of Commerce in America.
Natan Gamedze is a Haredi rabbi and lecturer. Born to the royal lineage of the Gamedze clan of the Kingdom of Eswatini, he converted to Judaism, received rabbinic ordination, and now lectures to Jewish audiences all over the world with his personal story as to how an African prince became a Black Haredi Jewish rabbi.
Nelson Mandela (1918−2013) was an anti-apartheid activist and former president of South Africa.
The House of Dlamini is the royal house of the Kingdom of Eswatini. Mswati III, as king and Ngwenyama of Eswatini, is the current head of the house of Dlamini. Swazi kings up to the present day are referred to as Ingwenyama and they rule together with the Queen Mother who is called Indlovukati. The Swazi kings, like other Nguni nations, practice polygamy and thus have many wives and children.
Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini is a Swazi princess and politician. She is the eldest daughter of King Mswati III of Eswatini, and is the country's former Minister of Information and Communication Technology.
Phindiwe Dlamini-Sangweni is a South African attorney and businesswoman. She is currently a member of the African National Congress and is Chairwoman of Purple Tree Holdings, a private company. Dlamini-Sangweni is a Principal Princess of the Nhlangwini royal family, Princess of the Zulu Royal Family and is a cousin of Mswati III, King of Swaziland. She has assets estimated at US$30 million from various investments and shareholdings on the New York Stock Exchange and Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
In Eswatini, no king can appoint his successor. Instead, on the demise of a king, the Liqoqo, an independent traditional council, decides which of his wives shall be "great wife" and Indlovukazi, 'She-Elephant'. The son of the chosen Indlovukazi will automatically become the next king.
Sibonelo Mngometulu, known as Inkhosikati LaMbikiza, is the third and senior wife of King Mswati III of Eswatini. Sibonelo married Mswati III in 1986, becoming the first wife he personally chose to marry, following two ceremonious marriages. She is the mother of Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini and Prince Lindani Dlamini.
Zindziswa "Zindzi" Mandela, also known as Zindzi Mandela-Hlongwane, was a South African diplomat and poet, and the daughter of anti-apartheid activists and politicians Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Zindzi was the youngest and third of Nelson Mandela's three daughters, including sister Zenani Mandela.
Zoleka Zobuhle Mandela was a South African writer and activist, and Nelson Mandela's granddaughter. She wrote about her addictions in sex, alcohol and drugs, her daughter's death, and her own battles with breast cancer, which killed her in 2023. She is the author of When Hope Whispers which she published in 2013.
Tsandzile Dlamini is a princess of Eswatini who served as Minister of Home Affairs from 2013 to 2018.
Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu was the queen consort of the Zulu nation from 1977 to 2021 as the Great Wife to King Goodwill Zwelithini. She served as the queen regent from March 2021 to April 2021.
The Mandela family is a South African political dynasty and chiefly family. Its most prominent member was Nelson Mandela, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
Zena Soraya Mahlangu is a Swazi royal and the tenth wife of Mswati III. In 2002, when she was eighteen years old, she was abducted by two of the king's men and taken to the Ludzidzini Royal Village to accept royal duties and prepare to become the next royal bride. Her abduction led to a court case and international scandal, with various trade unions, organizations, and public figures, including Amnesty International, condemning the king and royal family's actions. She officially married the king in 2010, taking the royal title Inkhosikati LaMahlangu.
