Dlamini III
Swazi king

Dlamini III (also known as Ladzandzukane and Sidvwaba Silutfuli) was a king or Ngwenyama of the Swazi people who led them approximately between 1720 until 1744. He was the father to Ngwane III the first King of modern Swaziland. He is considered to be the connecting link between the Delagoa Bay Swazi settlements and the modern Swazi kingdom. His senior advisor was Chief Gadlela Mbokane. Dlamini settled his followers near the Pongola River where it cuts through the Lubombo Mountains. The early Swazi journeyed along with the Ndwandwe who are a closely related lineage.
Dlamini was succeeded by Ngwane III his son with Queen LaYaka Ndwandwe.
Dlamini's son Ngwane III, took over the chieftaincy and established Swazi settlements south of the Pongola River and when forced to abandon them, he moved his followers to cross back and settle on its northern banks.
This marked the founding of modern Swaziland, and the first capital at Zombodze was established not very long after his ascent. Ngwane's brothers Ndlela and his uncles Shabalala and Mabuza were settled nearby.
“Dlamini III” enters the record as swazi king. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Dlamini, Swazi and king can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q15138360. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1720 and 1744.
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This entry incorporates text from “Dlamini III” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.