According to tradition, the people of the present Swazi nation
migrated south before the 16th century from what is now Mozambique.
Following a series of conflicts with people living in the area of
modern Maputo, the Swazis settled in northern Zululand in about
1750. Unable to match the growing Zulu strength, the Swazis moved
gradually northward in the 1800s and established themselves in the
area of modern or present Swaziland.
They consolidated their hold under several able leaders. The most
important was Mswati II, from whom the Swazis derive their name.
Under his leadership in the 1840s, the Swazis expanded their
territory to the northwest and stabilized the southern frontier with
the Zulus.
Contact with the British came early in Mswati's reign, when he asked
British authorities in South Africa for assistance against Zulu
raids into Swaziland. It also was during Mswati's reign that the
first whites settled in the country. Following Mswati's death, the
Swazis reached agreements with British and South African authorities
over a range of issues, including independence, claims on resources
by Europeans, administrative authority, and security. South Africans
administered the Swazi interests from 1894 to 1902. In 1902 the
British assumed control.
In 1921, after more than 20 years of rule by Queen Regent
Lobatsibeni, Sobhuza II became Ngwenyama (lion) or head of the Swazi
nation. The same year, Swaziland established its first legislative
body--an advisory council of elected European representatives
mandated to advise the British high commissioner on non-Swazi
affairs. In 1944, the high commissioner conceded that the council
had no official status and recognized the paramount chief, or king,
as the native authority for the territory to issue legally
enforceable orders to the Swazis.
In the early years of colonial rule, the British had expected that
Swaziland would eventually be incorporated into South Africa. After
World War II, however, South Africa's intensification of racial
discrimination induced the United Kingdom to prepare Swaziland for
independence. Political activity intensified in the early 1960s.
Several political parties were formed and jostled for independence
and economic development. The largely urban parties had few ties to
the rural areas, where the majority of Swazis lived. The traditional
Swazi leaders, including King Sobhuza II and his Inner Council,
formed the Imbokodvo National Movement (INM), a political group that
capitalized on its close identification with the Swazi way of life.
Responding to pressure for political change, the colonial government
scheduled an election in mid-1964 for the first legislative council
in which the Swazis would participate. In the election, the INM and
four other parties, most having more radical platforms, competed in
the election. The INM won all 24 elective seats.
Having solidified its political base, INM incorporated many demands
of the more radical parties, especially that of immediate
independence. In 1966, the U.K. Government agreed to discuss a new
constitution. A constitutional committee agreed on a constitutional
monarchy for Swaziland, with self-government to follow parliamentary
elections in 1967. Swaziland became independent on September 6,
1968. Swaziland's post-independence elections were held in May 1972.
The INM received close to 75% of the vote. The Ngwane National
Liberatory Congress (NNLC) received slightly more than 20% of the
vote, which gained the party three seats in parliament.
In response to the NNLC's showing, King Sobhuza repealed the 1968
constitution on April 12, 1973 and dissolved parliament. He assumed
all powers of government and prohibited all political activities and
trade unions from operating. He justified his actions as having
removed alien and divisive political practices incompatible with the
Swazi way of life. In January 1979, a new parliament was convened,
chosen partly through indirect elections and partly through direct
appointment by the King.
King Sobhuza II died in August 1982, and Queen Regent Dzeliwe
assumed the duties of the head of state. In 1984, an internal
dispute led to the replacement of the Prime Minister and eventual
replacement of Dzeliwe by a new Queen Regent Ntombi. Ntombi's only
child, Prince Makhosetive, was named heir to the Swazi throne. Real
power at this time was concentrated in the Liqoqo, a supreme
traditional advisory body that claimed to give binding advice to the
Queen Regent. In October 1985, Queen Regent Ntombi demonstrated her
power by dismissing the leading figures of the Liqoqo. Prince
Makhosetive returned from school in England to ascend to the throne
and help end the continuing internal disputes. He was enthroned as
Mswati III on April 25, 1986. Shortly afterwards he abolished the
Liqoqo. In November 1987, a new parliament was elected and a new
cabinet appointed.
In 1988 and 1989, an underground political party, the People's
United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) criticized the King and his
government, calling for democratic reforms. In response to this
political threat and to growing popular calls for greater
accountability within government, the King and the Prime Minister
initiated an ongoing national debate on the constitutional and
political future of Swaziland. This debate produced a handful of
political reforms, approved by the King, including direct and
indirect voting, in the 1993 national elections.
Although domestic groups and international observers criticized the
government in late 2002 for interfering with the independence of the
judiciary, parliament, and freedom of the press, significant
improvements have been made concerning rule of law over the past few
years. Swaziland's Court of Appeals resumed hearing cases in late
2004 after a two-year absence in protest of the government's refusal
to abide by the court's decisions in two important rulings. In
addition, the new constitution went into effect in early 2006, and
the 1973 proclamation, which, among other measures, banned political
parties, lapsed at that time. |
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