| Gladys Lomafu Pato | |
| Birth Name: | Gladys Lomafu Dlamini |
| Birth Place: | Near Piggs Peak, Swaziland |
| Education: | University of Swaziland |
| Genres: | --> |
| Subjects: | --> |
| Notable Works: | Umtsango (1977) |
| Children: | 4 |
Gladys Lomafu Pato (born 1930) is a Swazi short story writer, teacher and lecturer.[1]
She was born Gladys Lomafu Dlamini, near to the town of Piggs Peak in Swaziland in 1930.[2] She was the daughter of a well-known chief who had many cattle and many wives, and was one of the richest Swazis in the land.[2] Her mother was his eighth wife.[2]
On 1 January 1957, she married Petrus Phembuvuyo Pato (1929–2010), who was a Christian pastor like his father, and they had three sons together, and adopted a daughter.[2]
She was studying at Bible College when she met her future husband, and they ran various ministries throughout Swaziland.[2] She became a qualified teacher, and in 1980, earned her bachelor's degree in education from the University of Swaziland.[2] She then worked at William Pitcher Teachers College for eight years as a lecturer, and later taught in a private school in Lilongwe, Malawi, as her husband was the academic dean of Lilongwe Nazarene Bible College there.[2]
Her publications include Umtsango, a 117-page volume of short stories, published by Swaziland Academic Services in 1977.