My research work looks at intersections and divergences in the articulations of belonging to Ndebele ethnic identity and nation-building in post-apartheid South Africa in the KwaMhlanga setting-Mpumalanga province. Within the ambit of the contingent, complicated, contested and shifting nature of identities, the study seeks to specifically analyse why and how the historically constructed Ndebele ethnicity has proved to be resilient despite various threats posed by broader politics of belonging. The project uses secondary literature, in-depth interviews and observation of heritage events to explore the articulation of belonging to ethnicised Ndebele identity in the culturally diverse KwaMhlanga region in the context of an all-inclusive post-apartheid nation-building discourse.