Kingdom of SwazilandKingdom of Swaziland

By Kervin Lloyd, Emily Lee

& Kenton Chance

By Kervin Lloyd

History

&

People

Kingdom of Swaziland

History of Swaziland• inhabited by various different groups of

people for a very long time

• human remains dating back 100,000 years belonging to the oldest homo-sapiens have been discovered in eastern Swaziland

• San (Bushman ) inhabitance evident from cave paintings among some of the first inhabitants of the region

• The Swazis have their origins in East Africa around the great lakes

• In the late 15th century as part of the general southward expansion of the Nguni people, the Swazis crossed the Limpopo river to settle in southern Tongaland (now part of Mozambique).

• Under their Chief Dlamini I - they remained there for 200 years, then moved; now ruled by Chief Dlamini III, into the fertile Pongola valley (now part of South Africa).

• Economic pressure and land shortages soon caused skirmishes and battles with the neighbouring Ndwandwe clan

• This ultimately resulted in further migration of Swazis into what is now central Swaziland

• There, Swazis by way of absorption and conquest of Soho and baPedi peoples built a large Kingdom, covering an area three times the size of modern Swaziland.

• 1906 to 1968: governed by a resident commissioner who ruled according to decrees issued by the British High Commissioner for South Africa

• 1921: British established Swaziland's first legislative body - a European Advisory Council (EAC) of elected white representatives to advise the British High Commissioner on non-Swazi affairs.

• In 1921, after more than 20 years of rule by Queen Regent Labotsibeni, her son Sobhuza II came of age and ruled as Ngenyama (lion), head of Swaziland

• Under British rule, the colonial government held election in mid-1964 for the first legislative council in which the Swazis would participate

• King Sobhuza II and his Inner Council, formed the Imbokodvo National Movement (INM) party and in this election the INM won all 24 elective seats

• Swaziland became independent on September 6, 1968.

• Swaziland's post-independence elections were held in May 1972 and INM won 75% of the vote

Recent History• King Sobhuza II died in August 1982, and Queen

Regent Dzeliwe assumed the duties of the head of state

• 984: an internal dispute led to the replacement of the PM and eventual replacement of Dzeliwe by a new queen, Regent Ntombi, whose only child - Prince Makhosetive – became heir to the throne

• In 1986, when the prince comes of age, he is enthroned as Mswati III

The People• The Swazi people comprise a single tribe made

up of several clans - not unlike the Scots

• They settled in the area during the mid-18th century when they were called the Nkosi Dlamini and eventually became known as the Swazis

• The Swazis are a proud but peace-loving people with happy personalities and a keen sense of humour; called “Latins of Africa”

The People• The Swazi people comprise a single tribe made

up of several clans - not unlike the Scots

• They settled in the area during the mid-18th century when they were called the Nkosi Dlamini and eventually became known as the Swazis

• The Swazis are a proud but peace-loving people with happy personalities and a keen sense of humour; called “Latins of Africa”

Independence

• Swaziland became a self-governing state in 1967 when Sobhuza II was recognized internationally as a king and the country acquired its own flag

• One of only three in Africa

(Morocco and Lesotho also have Kings)

• Africa’s sole remaining absolute monarchy

• Is a dual kingdom - with the King or (lion) ruling in conjunction with the Queen Mother or Ndiovukazi (she-elephant)

The Monarchy

•Swaziland High Commission (Ottowa) Webpage

• Infoplease

Sources

Economy of SwazilandEconomy of Swaziland

By Emily Lee

OverviewOverview• Full name: The Kingdom of Swaziland

• Population: 1.1 million (UN, 2007)

• Capital: Mbabane

• Area: 17,364 sq km (6,704 sq miles)

• Major languages: Swazi, English (both official)

• Major religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs

• Monetary unit: 1 Lilangeni = 100 cents Source: BBC country profile

Facts Facts • GDP: $2.936 billion (2007 est.)

• GDP real growth rate: 2.3%

• Per capita GDP: $4,700 (2007 est.)

• Unemployment rate: 40% (2006 est.)

• Population below poverty line: 69%(2006)

• Inflation rate: 8.1% (2007 est.)

• Agriculture products : sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep

• Industries: coal, wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textiles and apparel

source: CIA The World Factbook

CircumstancesCircumstances

• Lower middle income country - estimated that 69% of the population lives in poverty.

• About 70% live in rural areas periodically ravaged by drought, resulting in food crises that threaten hundreds of thousands with hunger.

• Unemployment rate: 40% - due to economy's inability to create new jobs at the same rate that new job seekers enter the market.

• Swaziland needs to increase the number and size of small and medium enterprises.

source: CIA The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State

TerritoryTerritory• Nearly 60% of Swazi territory is held by the Crown.

• The balance is privately owned, much of it by foreigners.

• For Swazis living on rural homesteads, the principal occupation is either subsistence farming or livestock herding.

• Culturally, cattle are important symbols of wealth and status.

• Cattle are being used increasingly for milk, meat, and profit.

source: CIA The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State

Agriculture and IndustriesAgriculture and Industries• Leading export earner: the sugar industry, based

solely on irrigated cane

• Another export earner: soft drink concentrate (a U.S. investment), wood pulp and lumber from cultivated pine forests.

• Agricultural exports: Pineapple and citrus fruit

• Coal and diamonds mining for export and for domestic consumption.

source: CIA The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State

FactsFacts• Exports: $1.926 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.) - commodities: soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit - partners: South Africa 59.7%, EU 8.8%, US 8.8%, Mozambique 6.2% (2006)

• Imports: $1.914 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.) - commodities: motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products chemicals - partners: South Africa 95.6%, EU 0.9%, Japan 0.9%

(2006)

source: CIA The World Factbook

RailroadsRailroads

• East to west : the Goba line - export bulk goods from Swaziland through the Port of

Maputo in Mozambique. mainly uses for exports of sugar, citrus, and forest

products, with future usage of the port expected to increase.

• North-south rail link: completed in 1986 - a connection between the Eastern Transvaal rail

network and the South African ports of Richard's Bay and Durban.

source: CIA The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State

Industrial FirmsIndustrial Firms

• A number of industrial firms have located at the industrial estate at Matsapha near Manzini.

• Processed agricultural and forestry products, garments, textiles, and a variety of light manufactured products.

• The Swaziland Industrial Development Company (SIDC)

and the Swaziland Investment Promotion Authority (SIPA) have assisted in bringing many of these industries to the country.

• Government programs encourage Swazi entrepreneurs to run small and medium-sized firms.

source: CIA The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State

Foreign RelationsForeign Relations• The Southern African Customs Union (SACU): Swaziland,

Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, and the Republic of South Africa; Import duties apply uniformly

• The Common Monetary Area (CMA) : repatriation and unrestricted funds are permitted.

• The United Nations, the African Union

• Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and Southern African Development Community (SADC).

• Diplomatic missions in Brussels, Copenhagen, Kuala Lumpur, London, Maputo, Nairobi, Pretoria, Taipei, the United Nations, and Washington.

source: CIA The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State

OtherOther

• From the mid-1980s, foreign investment in the manufacturing sector boosted economic growth rates significantly. Beginning in mid-1985, the depreciated value of the currency increased the competitiveness of Swazi exports and moderated the growth of imports, generating trade surpluses. During the 1990s, the country often ran small trade deficits. South Africa and the European Union are major customers for Swazi exports.

• Swaziland issues its own currency, the lilangeni (plural: emalangeni).

source: CIA The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State

Culture of SwazilandCulture of Swaziland

Reed Dance (The Reed Dance (The UmhlangaUmhlanga)

• A traditional dance where twenty to thirty thousand of Swaziland’s maidens congregate and dance for the public. -wikipedia

• Maidens cut reeds and present them to the King and the queen mother and then dance.

• This ceremony takes place in late August or early September.

Source: Swaziland Tourism Authority (http://www.welcometoswaziland.com/)

OriginOrigin

• This tradition was to encourage young women to abstain from sexual activities and preserve their virginity until they were matured enough to get married.

• In order to prepare the girls for marriage. During their stay at the camps before the actual dance they are given certain tasks to perform in groups.

• Since there is a lot of groupwork involved, good commun

ication skills are developed that help in solving a lot of problems in marriages.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umhlanga

The DanceThe Dance

• It is a dance which attracts young maidens from every area of the Kingdom and provides the occasion for them to honor and pay homage to the Queen Mother (iNdlovukazi).

• Most of the participants are teenagers, some of whom are younger. They gather reeds from selected areas and the day of the Umhlanga begins with bathing and grooming prior to  appearing before the King and Queen Mother.

Source: Swaziland Tourism Authority (http://www.welcometoswaziland.com/)

The DanceThe Dance

• Costume: short beaded skirts with anklets, bracelets and jewelry and colorful sashes.

• The royal princesses wear red feathers in their hair and lead the maidens to perform before Their Majesties.

source: Swaziland Tourism Authority (http://www.welcometoswaziland.com/)

Reed Dance Festival 2007Reed Dance Festival 2007

Source: http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=vKpzfS2kP1k

Reed Dance Festival 2008Reed Dance Festival 2008

Source: http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=sbj8lmWE5xY

News on Swazi CultureNews on Swazi Culture• “Mbabane - Swazi maidens started

arriving on Monday at the country's spiritual capital, Ludzidzini, ahead of this week's annual reed dance, where bare-breasted virgins danced before Africa's last absolute monarch.”

• “On Saturday and Sunday, the young women would parade before the queen mother and the king during a ceremony at which the monarch, who already had 13 wives, might pick a new bride.”

- news 24, AFP 28/08/2007http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/

News/0,,2-11-1447_2172423,00.html

source: Swaziland Tourism Authority (http://www.welcometoswaziland.com/)

• Swaziland's King Mswati III on Thursday sent more than 50 000 young women into the fields to cut reeds for an annual ritual next week at which he may choose his 14th bride.

• "Since you know that the country is faced with these major activities, I urge you to behave yourselves and make sure that you display respect so that tourists would return to the country," the Queen mother, Ntombi Twala, told the girls.

- Mail & Guardian Online, AFP 28/08/2008

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-08-28-swazi-maidens-prepare-for-reed-dance

Succession In Swazi KingshipSuccession In Swazi Kingship • Swaziland Tourism Authority : The successor to the throne is chosen in

relation to the status of his mother. The Queen Mother will be chosen by the Royal Council after the King's death.

• “Nobody knows how the Queen Mother is chosen exactly. … (The) king must be only son, the only child and no siblings” - Nomfundo Nkosi Dlamini, a niece of King Mswati lll

• The Royal family line, the Dlamini's, never intermarry; the King is always a Dlamini, the Queen Mother is never a Dlamini.

• The Queen Mother may have only one son, as a king is not to be followed by blood brothers.

Source: Swaziland Tourism Authority (http://www.welcometoswaziland.com/)

Succession In Swazi KingshipSuccession In Swazi Kingship • The King is "Nkosi Dlamini" and is expected to unify his position by

choosing wives from all sectors of the community.• (Nkosi means ‘king’ and Dlamini is the surname of the royal family.)• The balance of power lies between the King and the Queen • Mother; the "Ngwenyama" represents the hardness as expressed in

thunder, the Queen Mother or "Ndlovukazi" (The Elephant) the softness as in water.

• He must be single and if still a minor, the Queen Mother to the late  king automatically assumes responsibility of Regent until the prince is crowned "Ngwenyama". The present Queen Mother, Queen Ntombi ruled as Queen Regent until King Mswati lll was crowned in April 1986.

Source: Swaziland Tourism Authority (http://www.welcometoswaziland.com/)

Politics in the Kingdom of Swaziland

By Kenton X. Chance

Government in Swaziland • Monarchy • Chief of State: HM King Mswati

III (Since April 25, 1986)

• Constitution signed by the King in July 2005, went into effect on 8 February 2006

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Absolom Themba DLAMINI (since Nov. 14, 2003)

• Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch

King Mswati III of Swaziland addresses the 62nd United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York September 26, 2007.

from Reuters Pictures by REUTERS

Judicial System and Elections • Legal system based on South

African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

• The monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly

- Source: CIA World Factbook

• Bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms)

• High Court; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch

 

Political Parties

• The status of political parties, previously banned, is unclear under the new (2006) Constitution and currently being debated

• Member of several regional and international organizations, including IMF, WTO, UN, UNESCO, WHO, ILO

- Source: CIA World Factbook RIGHT: Swaziland troops fire tear gas at a small group of trade union and anti-government protesters, during a rally in the town of Manzini, Swaziland, Wednesday, Sep. 3, 2008.

AP Photo by Schalk van Zuydam

Political Parties (2)

Below & Right: Swazis demonstrate in 2007 to support calls for a multi-party system during a two-day mass stay away held respectively in Mbabane and Manzini.

As riot police and plain-clothed officers kept a close eye on a mass march in the capital Mbabane, union leaders warned such shows of strength would be repeated if King Mswati III and his government did not meet their demands14 months ago

from Getty Images by AFP/Getty Images

Varying Views on Politics • “The people of this country still

want to retain the monarch type of system. At the same time, they want democracy. So now you have culture and democracy, two different things…

• “Nations are like babies. They don't just stand up and walk. But now it is clear to everybody, we can’t take this any longer. By tomorrow, we can mobilize thousands; people can get to the streets. We have that power; we have that capacity to do that. We are not the only ones who are angry here. There are a lot of angry comrades outside…

• “Recently, a government spokesman was bombed and a national court was bombed. So who knows what is going to fall. … Right now, do (the comrades) have the will to kill, the will to liberate themselves? Are they convinced that the only way to do it is through violent actions? … We can creep at night with our knives and kill them… A knife is only about 20 rand. Today we can do it. It is only about time and proper organizing.”

- Mphandhlana Shongue, Political Activist

- Source: “Without the King”

Views on Politics (2)• “I keep in touch with people and

sometimes I will call the people to come. We have a big gathering where we discuss issues – political, economical, social, health issues and all the other issues which are there which needs to be discussed. With that, because the nation feels that whatever decisions I am making I make a decision that they are a part of it. So, to them, it is important that they can see that we relate to each other very well.”

- HM King Mswati III

- Source: “Without the King”

• “The Swazi politics [sic] have been crowded with traditions. They have been telling the world that here in Swaziland we have got a home-brewed democracy which does not need the influences made of other democracies which means it’s defined according to the Swazi context as they see it. According to our understanding, democracy is a word which is universal, which is having one interpretation, the governments of the people, by the people.” – Unidentified man.

• Source: “Without the King”

Views on Politics (3)• “Our mission is simple, yet solid

and fundamental: dialogue and peaceful negotiations are the key to the establishment and sustainability and of peace, security, stability and prosperity which happen to be the anchor pillars for sustainable economic development and trade integration for our region. …

• "We are telling a world full of prejudices that we are a happy nation in spite of the challenges that face us," he said.

- HM King Mswati III

Address to Mark Swaziland’s 40th Anniversary of Independence

Getty Images by AFP/Getty Images

Views on Politics (4)• “The way that the country is run, we are

totally against it. We want a multi-party democracy. We asked for the constitution but I was now made without us.

• “We pay very high taxes in this country but we get nothing back. It goes to the king. The members of parliament are just rubber stamps. There’s nothing they can do for the country. It is just a cheer waste of money. They are there getting large sums of money and there is nothing they can talk because the king is the absolute monarch. He decides, he does everything for this country. Now we say that he should be a constitutional monarch.”

- Ntombu Nkosi, President Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or (NNLC)

• Source: “Without the King”

Abigail Nhleko, 82, stares as her grandchildren, daughter-in-law and her grand-grandchildren sit around in a shack in the rural village without electricity or running water of Siweni, east of Swaziland.Getty Images by AFP/Getty Images

Views on Politics (5)• “A constitution that does not

belong to the people is going to be used and that very constitution is like an idol, forcing the people to worship under oppression. The Bible says that we should no fear people who can only destroy our bodies. Even if their guns can be pointed at us we wont fear as they can only destroy our flesh and not out spirit. So says the Bible, not me. If you remain silent the stones will talk.” - Rev Hanson – Head of Swaziland Council of Church

Source: “Without the King”

• “(The King) is a good man. He believes in his country. He loves everybody. We are all like the royal family.“ - Unidentified Swazi (from BBC)

• "Others in authority abuse their power, not the king.” - Ncoyi Mkhonta (from: International Herald Tribune)