CORRECT SURNAME OF MSHANGA

 MSHANGA OR MHLANGA'?

The Northern Ngoni/Nguni Nations did not mostly lose their original Nguni dialect but me very important aspects of their heritage such as Isithakazelo. 

Thus it is not suprisngly to find them misspelling and corrupting their original clan names. For example, Mzeche is in fact supposed to be Mdletshe; Chongwe is supposed to be Shongwe etc. But for today, let's look at the 'Mshangas'. This is a common surname in Zambia and Malawi among the Ngoni States. 

In some instances in these nations, some use a surname called Mhlanga whilst some use both surnames. In some rare cases, some even add Mshauko to this umbrella of clan names. So which one is which here? 

Correct surname is in fact MHLANGA. These came from the Ndwandwe state of King Zwide. Hence you find them in both Zwangendaba and  Soshangane's people as well.  

However, Mhlanga himself was a King of the Embo group of tribes before they broke up some 150 to 200 years before the time of the Zwide's and the Shakaz. 

The Hlubi, or Ngelengele or baseMbo were all under Mhlanga as their King. Over the years, they  dispersed and some went with the Dlaminis to form the Swazi tribe while some went with the Ndwandwe to form the Ndwandwe tribe and when that broke up too they went with the different Generals wherever they went. 

However, some Mhlangas  stayed with king Zwide who ran away to Mpumalanga after his defeat in 1819 and when he died in 1826 they followed his son Sikhunyana back to Zululand to attack Shaka and take back their homes in the areas around Nongoma . 

They were sadly defeated by Shaka and the Ndwandwe was finally broken totally so they went to look for Mzilikazi who they knew to be nearby and found him around Pretoria area hence these are now under the Matabele Nation.