The Mantimahle Males and Their Male Lineage

[Tshokwane]

The 5 Mantimahle males have attacked and badly injured one of the Toulon males, he has "possibly a spinal and shoulder injury, also a big gash on the ribs that looks deep". 

This is a video of one of the Mantimahle males. 'They on our property close to Tinga lodge and the airport at Skukuza .... They are huge!!'

Info by William Esworth and Joe van Zyl, video by Joe van Zyl.
Click on it to play.

Hello, first post of this thread will be updated (19.4.2025.) with @FACR2212 summary post of Mantimahle coalition which he made on 23.2.2025.

HISTORY OF MANTIMAHLE COALITION 

Hello dear friends, in an heroic act I read this full topic of 50 pages! lol

This coalition is fundamental to understand the origins of important male coalitions dominant today in Sabi Sands. So I had the idea to provide ChatGPT the information of the most relevant posts and ask for a history of the Mantimahle Coalition. With some corrections and assitance, GPT managed to create this text (if you want to add relevant information or make a correction, let me know):


The Mantimahle Coalition: Conquest and Dominance in Kruger

The Mantimahle lion coalition stands as a remarkable example of how to conquer and rule in the lion world. Unlike many coalitions whose influence is short-lived, the Mantimahle managed to establish themselves as a constant presence in Kruger National Park, defying the ever-changing dynamics of wildlife.

Members and Nicknames

Each of the five original members had a distinctive nickname:

1. The Boss "Charcoal mane"
2. Honest Face
3. Orange Mane
4. Sharp Eyes
5. "5th Mantimahle" Good Boy
   
   

Origins and Lineage

The Mantimahle coalition was born in 2010 within the Mazithi pride. They were the sons of the Two Old Mazithi Males and half-brothers of the younger  2 Mazithi/Lubyelubye and 4 Mazithi/s79 males. These five males received their name from Mantimahle Dam, where they took over their first pride in 2015. Their power and aggression quickly turned them into a dominant force in the region.

Rise to Power

In 2016, they invaded Sabi Sands, particularly the southern section around Kirkmans Kamp and Lion Sands. By then, they were rumored to have killed around 35 lions, including confirmed fatalities of a Toulon male in early 2016 and a Sparta male in December of the same year. After taking over the Plains Camp pride and ousting the last Toulon male, they secured dominance over the Sand River pride, concluding their expansion in Sabi Sands.

Expansion and Control

Rather than continuing further into Sabi Sands, the Mantimahle turned their focus back to Kruger. They expanded their territory along the H4-1, taking over the Nkuhlu pride, one of the largest in the park. Their control stretched from Skukuza, through Rhino Post Safari Lodge, to Lower Sabie and the S21, where they began taking over another pride after abandoning Sand River.

This extensive territorial dominance resulted in a significant number of offspring. Subadult males sired by them were confirmed in the Sand River, Plains Camp, and Nkuhlu prides. However, with the arrival of the Southern Avoca males in 2019, uncertainty loomed, as the Sand River cubs seemed to have dispersed after the new males took over the pride.

By late 2020, they lost 1 member, Honest Face, due to health issues, other three members of the coalition started to move south towards the S21, abandoning Nkhulus, while 5th male hanged alone in their former territory. "5th Mantimahle" remained north of the H4-1, with the two S129 males positioned between the split coalition in vacant area around Nkhulu.

By then, the coalition had split into two groups completley: one consisting of #1, #3, and #4, and the other including "5th Mantimahle", who hanged and made coalition with his 2 sons from the S36/Mantimahle pride.

By 2022, the 3 Mantimahle territorial landscape had shifted again. In 2020/21, they controlled one or more prides in the S21/Nwatimhiri area with several subadults. However, by beginning of 2022, this area fell under the control of the S79 males, forcing the surviving Mantimahle to move west towards Renosterkoppies, where 2 last members, Boss and Orange Mane where seen in late 2022/early 2023.

As for 5th in the north, he and his sons where seen thru 2021 hanging east of Sabi Sands, where they become territorial and taking over Torchwood pride around late 2021/early 2022. 5th vanished shortly after.

Decline and End of the Coalition

The Mantimahle achieved something exceptional: all five members reached 10 years of age, a rare feat for lion coalitions.

• Mantimahle Honest Face was the first to die in 2020 after deteriorating in condition.
• Mantimahle Sharp Eyes died in 2021 or early 2022.
• 5th Mantimahle perished around early to mid 2022.
• The Boss "Charcoal" and Orange Mane were last seen together with the Renosterkoppies pride in late 2022. After that, only Orange Mane was spotted in early 2023 there
• Orange Mane was again seen in early 2025, after 2 years of no sightings, with their 2sons (from controled s21 area), as nomads near Crocodile Bridge, at ~15 yrs of age
  
  

Legacy and Descendants

The Mantimahle bloodline continues through multiple generations of lions in Kruger and Sabi Sands. Some of their known descendants include:

• 6 Nkuhlu males (born late 2018/early 2019)
  • Took over the Sand River pride from the Southern Avoca males, killing some Avoca cubs.
  • One of the Nkuhlu males disappeared in 2024.
  • The remaining five form a large but unstable coalition, with fluctuating health conditions, they have 4 cubs with Sand River pride and maybe more cubs with Plains Camp pride.
    
• 2 S36/Mantimahle males: Dark Mane Mantimahle & Ginger/Blonde Mane Mantimahle (born in 2016)
  • They have currently around 8 subadults sons in Torchwood pride.
  • Since 2024 they are seen in Manyeleti and northern Sabi Sands with females from the Imbali and Nkuhuma prides. With subadults already present in Torchwood, speculation arises that they might be seeking a new pride to expand their influence. Given the high number of males in Sabi Sands, any move could trigger violent conflicts if they venture beyond their current range.
    
• 2 Plains Camp males (born in mid 2017):
  • Currently dominate the entire western sector of Sabi Sands, ruling over multiple prides.
    
• Sand River young males (born mid to late 2017): five young brothers were reported in Sand River pride, bit after getting pushed out by S.Avocas, only 2 survived nomadic life pass subadult age. These 2 hanged around Skukuza and where last seen there in early to mid 2021, their fate is unknown.
• 2 "new" discovered sons from s21 area who are hanging with last member Orange Mane. They are prob born 2020/21. 
  
  

The Mantimahle coalition not only conquered vast territories but also left an indelible mark in Kruger National Park’s history. Their power, strategy, and resilience made them one of the most formidable coalitions of their time, and their lineage continues to shape the future of the lions in the region. Reply

[Tshokwane]

FJ Mammes Photography:
Waking up in the morning with lions roaring in the distance is just AWESOME. As our morning safari started we decided to go and try to find these roaring lions but had no luck, so after breakfast I did a transfer to Skukuza airport and 5 big Male Lions caught my attention lying next to the road...


Early this afternoon I returned to the airport to to a pick-up and spoke to some of the Lion-Sand guides, and was told that the roaring I heard this morning was actually these 5 males fighting one of the Toulon males (Sand-river pride males). They nearly killed him and left him, where he is suffering badly from injuries...

These 5 beautiful males actually traveled some distance in the last couple of days as I saw them about 4days ago near Jones's dam on the S36. We can just hope that we will see more of them around skukuza in the future ...
Mantimahle males

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

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[Ngala]

This is a really bad news! Toulon are old males, if the bad status it's totally confirmed, i don't think he will survive. Probably Dominant Toulon, beautiful male.

Thanks @Majingilane, if you have other information, please share! Reply

[Tshokwane]

One of the Mantimahle males. Credits to Big On Wild - Wildlife Photography.

*This image is copyright of its original author

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[Gamiz]

@Majingilane thanks, this coalition are the killers of Dominant Toulon, there is too little information about them Reply

[Tshokwane]

FJ Mammes Photography:
Here is one beautiful male lion from the Mantimahle coalition that we spotted on the S36 about 1km from the H1-2 tar road. He was Lying not far from one of his brothers who was protecting a female and her cubs but they were a bit more difficult to see. 

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[Gamiz]

Here are some more photographs of some members of the Mantimahle coalition... Almost every time we see them they give us a breathtaking sighting while being very relaxed with a vehicle being in a close proximity from them.
Credits to FJ Mammes Photography

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*This image is copyright of its original author

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[Skybed]

(07-02-2016, 03:20 AM)Gamiz Wrote: Here are some more photographs of some members of the Mantimahle coalition... Almost every time we see them they give us a breathtaking sighting while being very relaxed with a vehicle being in a close proximity from them.
Credits to FJ Mammes Photography

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Impressive! I'm a fan!

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[Ngala]

One of the Mantimahle males, credits to Khakiweed Photographic Safaris.

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[Gamiz]

Mantimahle Males, S36, KNP
Credits to Graeme Mitchley Amateur Wildlife Photography 

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[Gamiz]

1 of 5 Mantimahle male lions who killed Dominant Toulon male few monts ago at Lion Sands KNP!!!
Photo byeri Grenfell 
Photo Taken: Unknown

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[Ngala]

Mantimahle male.

From Latest Sightings - Kruger:
Incredible sighting of a male Lion walking in the road and occasionally giving the camera a nice stare. 
This was seen on the H1-2. 
Tinged by Ursula Celliers - Wildlife Photography

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[jacksonsmash]

wow if the mantimahles head back to sabi sands there could be trouble for everyone........are they just south of s.sands......any updates? Reply

[Ngala]

Mantimahle males.

From Latest Sightings - Kruger:
06:21 
3 lions on the move 
H4-1, 7.7km E of H12 
Vis 5/5 
Tinged by Nadav - Latest Sightings & the ford ranger crew

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[Georgel]

The Mantimahle is a coalition of 5 Males and they dominate the Mantimahle Dam area in KNP. They were born in 2010.

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