The lifetime of the manganese photoluminescence (PL) in ZnS-CdTe:Mn, ZnS-CdSe:Mn, ZnS-CdS:Mn, and CdS-ZnS:Mn superlattices (SLs) is measured both at 4.2 K and at room temperature. The lifetime is strongly dependent on the anion in the doped layers and is almost independent of temperature, which is interpreted in terms of the spin-orbit interaction (SOT). The calculated lifetime is two orders of magnitude over the observed one in each species but both values agree relatively with each other. The reciprocal of both the lifetime and the squares of LS-coupling constants of the valence p-electrons of the anions bear a nearly linear relationship. These results support that the radiative process is dominant in the observed lifetime. Long-lived components of the lifetime in ZnS-CdTe:Mn and ZnS-CdSe:Mn SLs are considered to be due to Mn centers on the surfaces and in the ZnS layers.