Long before the rivers of our people were turned by war, King Zwide kaLanga ruled the powerful Ndwandwe nation from his capital at Egudu, in what is today known as Zululand in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Ndwandwe were one of the three great Nguni powers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries — feared, wealthy in cattle, organised in regiments, and ruled by a king whose name carried weight from the Phongolo to the sea.

Zwide was the son of Langa kaXaba. He built an empire that absorbed and allied with many smaller chiefdoms, and for a moment in history, the Ndwandwe were the dominant force of the southeast African coast.

The world changed when a young general named Shaka kaSenzangakhona rose among the Zulu. The clash between Zwide and Shaka — at the battles of Gqokli Hill and later at the Mhlatuze River — broke the Ndwandwe army. Zwide was defeated. His people fragmented. Some fled north under Soshangane to become the Gaza empire in Mozambique. Others scattered toward the highveld. Others moved into Swati country.

This great scattering is what history remembers as the Mfecane — "the crushing." For our family, it was the beginning of a journey.

Among the many sons of Zwide was Prince Madzanga 1. As the Ndwandwe moved northward in the aftermath of defeat, Madzanga chose to visit his blood sister, Thandzile (Laz'dze). Thandzile had been requested by the Swati king as a royal bride — a deliberate act of diplomacy in an age when marriage between great houses was the only language stronger than the assegai. By taking a daughter of Zwide, the Swati king sought to avoid war with the powerful Ndwandwe.

When Madzanga arrived in the land of his sister, he did not return south. Eswatini became home.

It is said that Prince Madzanga 1 was first received by the Masilela clan, which fell under the Magagula Clan led by Chief Moyeni Magagula. The Masilelas recognised the status of Prince Madzanga 1, who had arrived with his family and a huge number of emabutfo (regiments).

From there, Madzanga settled with the Magagula clan, under the leadership of Chief Moyeni Magagula — a wealthy and respected leader whose people had been on the land as basotho, long before the Swati kings established their kingdom. The Magagula offered hospitality. The Ndwandwe prince offered counsel, cattle, and the loyalty of a man who had nothing to return to.

History records a moment when the wrath of King Mswati II turned against the Magagula. The Swati king's regiments were ready to descend, and the Magagula faced ruin. It is told that Prince Madzanga 1, by the weight of his own royal blood and the diplomacy of his sister Queen Thandzile, intervened — speaking for the Magagula and turning aside the king's anger. The Magagula were spared. The bond between the two houses was sealed in gratitude, and the Ndwandwe in Eswatini found in the Magagula a permanent home.

Prince Madzanga 1 had sons, but two stand prominent in our remembrance. Ndlaluhlaza 1 was the senior son of Prince Madzanga 1, and he is told to have played a vital role in shaping the Ndwandwe Nation in Eswatini. We request all BeMnguni to contribute what they know in the comment section below — we need to build our history together, and our founding Kings need deeper research.

From Ndlaluhlaza 1 came the senior line that today sits at the Indlunkhulu — the great house at Umphakatsi eThunzini, under Chief Ndlaluhlaza II. From Yomncayi came the line of BaYomncayi — our line — and from his sons came the six Tindlu: Engiyandi, Endulo, Emvangazini, Embuzini, Esiceywini, and Emakholweni.

Along the main line of kingship, Ndlaluhlaza 1 was followed by Dinani (Yanga II), and then by Zwide II, who passed away early. Because Madzanga II was still a young child, Ndabazezwe held the chieftaincy as an Actingregent until Madzanga II came of age. Madzanga II in turn is the father of the present-day Chief Ndlaluhlaza II.

The chieftaincy of the Ndwandwe in Eswatini today rests with the senior descendants — the Indlunkhulu — at Umphakatsi eThunzini, under Honourable Chief Ndlaluhlaza II Ndwandwe, who also serves the Kingdom as Minister of Public Works and Transport. Along the way the seat was once held in trust by an Acting regent — Ndabazezwe— after the early passing of Zwide II, until Madzanga II, father of today's chief, came of age.

It is worth noting that, as much as our kings are now referred to as chiefs in the modern order, we still consider ourselves descendants of kings from the Ndwandwe Kingdom at Egudu — a kingdom that is part of present-day Zululand.

We remember. We honour. We continue.