African Kingdoms

Kingdom of Swaziland (Africa)
AD 1968 - 2018

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The pre-history of Africa contains a far longer period of human habitation than any other area on Earth, thanks to it being the cradle of humankind's evolution. South Africa consists of a series of undulating plateaus which cover much of the region and extend northwards into Central Africa's Angola. The Kalahari desert forms a central depression in the Southern African plateau, while scrubland and grasslands cover much of the region's remainder.

Indigenous natives belong to one of two language families: Khoisan or Bantu. The former were first to be established, having inhabited the region for millennia. They were displaced in many areas by Bantu speakers. Regional archaeological and historical enquiry has been extremely uneven, with Namibia being the least-intensively studied while South Africa is at the opposite end of that scale. Establishing a coherent historical framework of events is an often controversial process with little universal agreement.

The independent nation state of Swaziland emerged during independence in 1968 under the continued rule of King Sobhuza II. Formerly the 'Protectorate of Swaziland' under British oversight, the country was formed from an amalgamation of over seventy clans within the area.

Many were of Sotho origin, along with others who were of Nguni origin who entered the region in the nineteenth century alongside the largest clan, the Dlamini. Swazi chiefs formed the traditional hierarchy under the ngwenyama (the king) and ndlovukazi (the queen mother), with both positions being filled from the ranks of the Dlamini. The siSwati language is akin to Zulu, although it shares official status with English as the modern language of officialdom.

Principal author(s): Page created: Page last updated:

(Information by Peter Kessler and the John De Cleene Archive, with additional information from Urban Africa; Histories in the Making (Africa's Urban Past), David M Anderson & Richard Rathbone (Eds), from Africana: The Encyclopaedia of the African and African American Experience, Anthony Appiah & Henry Louis Gates (Oxford University Press, 2005), from The New Atlas of African History, G S P Freeman-Grenville (Rex Collins, London, 1991), from Times Atlas of World History (Maplewood, 1979), and from External Links: Encyclopaedia Britannica, and Sobhuza II [Ngwenyama, the Lion] (1899-1982), J E Spence (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004, revised 2011), and Swaziland (Flags of the World), and Swaziland (Rulers.org), and BBC Country Profiles, and The king and I (The Guardian), and Swaziland king renames country (The Guardian), and Eswatini king's 16th wife (The Guardian).)

1968 - 1982

King since 1899, under the 'Protectorate of Swaziland'.

1968

Having been granted formal independence from British oversight under the 'Protectorate of Swaziland', and within the Commonwealth, the newly-independent nation state of Swaziland adopts a new constitution. Authority is vested in the new parliament, with a proportion of members being nominated by the monarch.

Born on 22 July 1899, Sobhuza II Ngwenyama became an infant king on 10 December 1899 at the age of four months, albeit with a regent in the form of his grandmother until he reached maturity, eventually becoming the world's longest-reigning historical monarch

1973

King Sobhuza Ngwenyama ('the lion') suspends the constitution and bans political parties. In doing so he becomes absolute monarch, ruling the country by decree and answerable to no one. He later moves the country towards a degree of rule which is dominated by tribal elements.

1982

Sobhuza dies and the queen mother, Dzeliwe, is authorised to act as regent until Prince Makhosetive reaches adulthood at the age of eighteen, which he will do so in 1986 under the name Mswati III. Dzeliwe appoints fifteen members to the liqoqo, a traditional advisory body which Sobhuza had sought to establish as the supreme council of state.

1982 - 1983

Queen mother and regent. Deposed 9 Aug 1983.

1982 - 1983

The protracted power struggle behind the scenes means that Dzeliwe's regency does not last the full term. The liqoqo's authority is not made clear, and the prime minister attempts to assert the superior authority of his own cabinet. Dzeliwe is deposed and, after a brief period under a stand-in regent, Queen Ntombi becomes the new regent.

King Mswati III in 1986 was a fresh-faced youth who would cling to the absolute monarchy his father had created

1983

'Authorised person' (regent) (9-18 Aug only).

1983 - 1986

Mother of Mswati III and regent.

1986 - 2018

Son, crowned aged 18. Renamed country eSwatini in 2018.

2001

The king implements a ban on sex for and with girls who are under the age of eighteen as part of the country's fight against HIV/Aids. Two months later Mswati fines himself a cow for breaking his own rule by taking a seventeen year-old as his ninth wife.

2003

Mswati's new, tenth wife, the eighteen year-old Zena Mahlangu, had been abducted by the king's men while preparing for her A-level exams. Her mother, Lindiwe Dlamini, has already fought an unsuccessful legal battle to have her daughter returned to her home.

2007 - 2011

Thousands of people protest in 2007 in the commercial capital of Manzini as they press for democratic reform. The discontent does not go away. Even 2011 sees thousands protesting against Africa's last absolute monarchy.

Zambia's Kafue National Park sets the scene for the general South African landscape of scrub and grassland

Popular discontent focuses on Mswati III, now on the throne for twenty-five years with at least a dozen wives, twenty-seven children, and a fortune which is estimated to be worth $200 million US dollars.

2018

The king of Swaziland takes the decision in April 2018 to ditch the country's semi-colonial name, just fifty years after independence had been achieved. A more authentic native name is selected instead, in the form of eSwatini.