Although we no longer see the Mhangeni Pride frequently, as they have shifted their territory westwards following the death of their then dominant male, the Othawa Male and the arrival of the Plains Camp Males back in 2021. Today, every now and then, they venture eastwards and offer us a glimpse into their lives once more.
In recent years, the pride has struggled to successfully raise cubs due to continually changing dynamics between neighbouring prides and male coalitions. The Mhangeni Pride currently consists of three adult lionesses: two sired by the mighty Majingalane Males and born in 2016, and one adult female born in 2018, sired by the Birmingham Males. In addition, there are three subadults—two females and a young male—sired by the Plains Camp Males.
Over the past few months, there appears to have been another shift. The Plains Camp Males have moved further north and no longer patrol the southern reaches of our western neighbours. With the presence of the neighbouring Othawa and Ximungwe Prides (Bataleur Pride), the Mhangeni Pride has been unable to follow these dominant males, and so once again leaving them without a resident coalition to mate with.
The Nkuhuma Male on the right and the Talamati Male on the left
That is, until the arrival of the newly named Nkumati Males (the Nkuhuma and Talamati males). Together since mid-2024, they have taken up residency in the southern parts of the western sector. Initially, they pursued the Kambula Pride but were chased back west by the then-dominant Ndhzenga males. Since then, they have found themselves, for the first time, with a pride where there is real hope of cubs. Fast forward to today, and one Mhangeni female (born in 2018) has given birth to four cubs, born in November 2025.
They emerged from behind u,s navigating the round-leaved teak bushes before appearing on the road.
The cubs were seen only once in December, and due to the inaccessibility of the den site and the young age of the cubs, they were not seen again until the end of January 2026—alive and healthy. The pride had made a wildebeest kill, and during the night or early morning hours, the lioness fetched her cubs and brought them to the carcass for the first time. We were fortunate enough to witness this special moment. She led them down the road to a nearby wallow for a drink before they returned towards the kill.
Due to their age and where they were denned, there have been very few viewings of these little cubs. Although we were parked quite a way from them, these 2 stopped briefly before following their mother down the road
The first look at the newest cubs of this lioness. Unbelievably, they walked in the open road towards us!
After leading the cubs to a nearby wallow, they got their paws covered in mud before making their way back to the road and towards the kill
The cubs stayed close to their mother. This was their first time that we know of that they have been taken to a kill.
Muddy paws.
There is still a long road ahead for these young cubs, and one can only hope there will be more additions soon, as the other two lionesses were also mating with the Nkumati males. Times have certainly been turbulent with the recent shifting of coalitions. Will these lionesses manage to avoid the Plains Camp Males, the newly arrived Gijima Males lingering further east, or the unpredictable movements of the Kambula Males? Only time will tell. For now, it is an exciting chapter for the Mhangeni Pride, and a joy to see them with cubs once more—hopefully with more new arrivals in the near future.
Great shots of these darling little cubs! I hope they get the chance to thrive and prosper!