Family cries foul as self-made chief grabs the throne

By Celani Sikhakhane

• The LoMshiyo Traditional Council in Mpumalanga is embroiled in a succession dispute after Prince Majahonke Dlamini was installed as chief without royal or government recognition.

• The Royal House says it has never seen the will used to justify his installation, and that the legitimate successor has not yet been identified.

The Swati LoMshiyo Traditional Council in Mpumalanga is locked in a bitter succession battle, after a disputed ceremony installed a new chief following the death of Chief Tikhontele Solomon Dlamini.

The ceremony, held in Louisville, Mpumalanga, last Saturday, installed Prince Majahonke Dlamini as the new head of the LoMshiyo Traditional Authority, succeeding the late chief, who died on 27 December last year at the age of 83, having ascended to the throne in 1973.

The LoMshiyo Royal House has rejected the ceremony entirely, describing Prince Majahonke as a self-proclaimed successor whose installation took place without the knowledge of King Mswati III or the late chief’s four wives.

In a statement, the Royal House said: “The inner family royal council of the late Inkhosi Tikhontele Solomon Dhlamini wishes to inform the LoMshiyo community, all government institutions, traditional leaders, the media, and the public at large that the process of identifying and appointing the successor to the late Prince T.S. Dhlamini remains ongoing and has not yet been concluded by the inner royal family. The inner royal family formally distances itself from the event that took place on Saturday, 5 September 2026, at Louisville in Mpumalanga, as it was not authorised by the inner royal council. The event took place without any delegation from government institutions, Cogta, and without a delegation from His Majesty King Mswati III.”

The Royal House said that under tradition and custom, any successor must first receive recognition from both King Mswati III and the South African government, under the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act of 2019. It said it has no knowledge of the will reportedly used to justify Prince Majahonke’s installation, and has never seen a copy of it.

Mpumalanga’s Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and the faction of the Dlamini family behind Prince Majahonke’s installation, could not be reached for comment.

The LoMshiyo tribe shares deep historical and cultural roots with the emaSwati people of Eswatini, maintaining royal kraals such as the Mekemeke, or LoMshiyo, Royal Kraal near the Makhonjwa Mountains. The late Chief Dlamini also served as a minister in the former KaNgwane homeland government, and was widely regarded as a custodian of Swazi history and culture.

Pictured above: The late Inkhosi Tikhontele Solomon Dlamini of the LoMshiyo tribe in Nkomazi, Mpumalanga, whose succession has sparked a family dispute.

Image source: ActionSA Mpumalanga Province