Dlungwana was born in rural eNqabeni in KwaNxamalala, Embubu[[Msunduzi Local Municipality [Pietermaritzburg]] in present-day KwaZulu-Natal, then the Natal province.
[1] He rose to political prominence during his tenure as Provincial Chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal branch of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL).
[6][7] After the election results were announced, opponents of Dlungwana's slate staged a walkout from the conference, claiming that there had been electoral irregularities.
[16] In May 2012, Dlungwana was additionally elected to a four-year term on the Provincial Executive Committee of the KwaZulu-Natal branch of the mainstream ANC.
[17][18] He was re-elected to a full term in his legislative seat in the 2014 general election, ranked 19th on the ANC's provincial party list.