Princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subs ...

Zenani Mandela-Dlamini (born 5 February 1959) is a South African diplomat and traditional aristocrat. She is the sister-in-law of the King of eSwatini,

Mswati III Mswati III (born Makhosetive; 19 April 1968) is the king ( Swazi: Ngwenyama, Ingwenyama yemaSwati) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He was born in Manzini in the Protectorate of Swaziland to King Sobhuza II and one of his young ...

, and the daughter of Nelson Mandela and his second wife,

Winnie Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She se ...

Early life

Zenani Mandela was born into a family of

chieftain A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized a ...

s. Her father, Nelson, was a direct descendant of the holders of the kingship of the

Thembu people The AbaThembu (''abaThembu ababhuzu-bhuzu, abanisi bemvula ilanga libalele'') are a Xhosa-speaking Bantu people who were under the Thembu Kingdom. According to Bantu oral tradition, the AbaThembu migrated along the east coast of Southern Africa ...

and was himself the heir to the chieftaincy of

Mvezo Mvezo is a small village on the banks of the Mbashe River, not far from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The village is mainly known as being the birthplace of Nelson Mandela, whose family serves as its chiefly dynasty A dyn ...

. His grandson, Zenani's nephew

Mandla Mandla is a city with municipality in Mandla district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandla District. The city is situated in a loop of the Narmada River, which surrounds it on three sides, and ...

, eventually succeeded to the latter title. She was nearly born in prison, as Winnie Mandela was arrested close to her birth in 1959, Smith, David
"Nelson Mandela's daughters emerge from his shadow to forge careers"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 7 July 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2016. and when she was four her father was sent to prison, where he would stay for the next 27 years. Not until 1974, when she was 15 years old, could she visit him.

Education

Mandela-Dlamini studied at

Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa (WKUWCSA), one of 18 international schools and colleges in the UWC educational movement, is located in Mbabane, Eswatini.. Waterford was the first school in southern Africa open to ch ...

and science at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

. It was there that she first met Prince Thumbumuzi Dlamini of Swaziland (an elder brother of the reigning monarch of Swaziland,

and of Queen Mantfombi of the

Zulus Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Na ...

), who was studying science at the same university. The two married in 1973 and had four children – daughters Zaziwe (1977) and Zamaswazi (1979) and sons Zinhle (1980) and Zozuko (1992) – and six grandchildren, but are currently separated. Her husband had several other children from a previous marriage,

Prince Cedza Dlamini Prince Cedza Dlamini of Swaziland, otherwise known as Prince Cedza (born 1976), grandson of King Sobhuza II of Swaziland and step-grandson of Nelson Mandela, is a humanitarian, youth activist, spokesman for the United Nations' ''Millennium Develop ...

being one of them. They are co-owners of Mandela, Dlamini and Associates (International Business Consultants).

Later activity

Mandela-Dlamini was appointed ambassador for South Africa to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

in July 2012, (taking office in October), becoming the first of Mandela's children to enter public service; she succeeded retiring diplomat and former opposition leader

Tony Leon Anthony James Leon (born 15 December 1956) is a South African politician who served as leader of the opposition from 1999-2007 as leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA). He led the DA from its inception in 2000, until his retirement from lea ...

. She served in this position until 2017, when she was appointed South African high commissioner to Mauritius. Princess Zenani Mandela-Dlamini was appointed as the South African Ambassador to South Korea in October 2019. After Mandela was elected president and his divorce to Winnie, Zenani was chosen to accompany her father to his inauguration and become the stand-in

First Lady of South Africa First Lady of South Africa is the title held by the wife or most senior wife of the president of South Africa. First ladies of South Africa Apartheid era Post-Apartheid era See also * President of South Africa * State President of South ...

until her father remarried on his 80th birthday to former

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

first lady

Graça Machel Graça Machel (; née Simbine; , born 17 October 1945) is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian. She is the widow of former President of Mozambique Samora Machel (1975–1986) and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela (1998–20 ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandela-Dlamini, Zenani 1959 births Living people Boston University alumni Waterford Kamhlaba alumni People educated at a United World College Ambassadors of South Africa to Argentina Ambassadors of South Africa to Paraguay Ambassadors of South Africa to Uruguay Ambassadors of South Africa to South Korea South African women diplomats Zenani Place of birth missing (living people) South African women ambassadors