A great-grandson of Mswati II, Mkolishi was the son of the previous Chief of Embhuleni, Prince James Maquba Dlamini, and his wife Mkhosise Madonsela.
He was the son of the late Chief of Embhuleni, Prince James Maquba Dlamini, and his wife Mkhosise Madonsela.
Teaming up with other Chiefs, Prince Mkolishi also protested the inclusion of non-siSwati speakers on the territory, like Shangans, and for the homelands to be incorporated into eSwatini under King Sobhuza II.
Mabuza differed with Chief Mkolishi on this and said 'ethnicity' should play no role in politics, that the homelands were in favour of oppressed black South Africans in the area.
In 1978, Chief Mkolishi requested Sobhuza II to sit down with the Apartheid government and begin negotiating for the KaNgwane area to fall under eSwatini.