National Trade Data Bank ITEM ID : ST BNOTES SWAZILAN DATE : Oct 28, 1994 AGENCY : U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE PROGRAM : BACKGROUND NOTES TITLE : Background Notes - SWAZILAND Source key : ST Program key : ST BNOTES Update sched. : Occasionally Data type : TEXT End year : 1993 Date of record : 19941018 Keywords 3 : Keywords 3 : | SWAZILAND BACKGROUND NOTES: SWAZILAND PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS US DEPARTMENT OF STATE APRIL 1993 Official Name: Kingdom of Swaziland PROFILE People Nationality: Noun and adjective--Swazi(s). Population (1992 est.): 860,000. Annual growth rate (1991 est.): 3.4%. Ethnic groups: The great majority is Swazi, the remainder Zulu and non-African. Religions: Christian and indigenous beliefs. Languages: English and SiSwati (both official). Education: Years compulsory--none. Attendance--99% primary school; 44% secondary school. Literacy--64%. Health: Infant mortality rate--98/1,000. Life expectancy--53 yrs. males; 60 yrs. females. Work force (12% of population): Agriculture and forestry--30%. Financial and social services--26%. Mining and manufacturing--18%. Transport and communications--8%. Construction--7%. Geography Area: 17,363 sq. km. (6,704 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than New Jersey. Cities: Capital--Mbabane (pop. 55,000 est.). Principal commercial city--Manzini (pop. 66,000 est.). Terrain: Mountainous, plateau. Climate: Near-temperate, subtropical, semi-arid. Government Type: Monarchy. Independence: September 6, 1968. Constitution: No written constitution in effect. Branches: Executive--Monarch (chief of state), prime minister (head of government), cabinet. Legislative--parliament consisting of House of Assembly (50 members) and Senate (20 members). Judicial--Court of Appeals, high court, subordinate and traditional courts. Administrative subdivisions: 4 regions, 4 municipal governments, and 40 Tinkhundla (traditional administrative units). Political parties: None permitted by law. Suffrage: Universal. Flag: Five horizontal stripes--blue, yellow, crimson, yellow, blue--with shield, two spears, and staff centered on wide crimson band. Economy GDP (1990 est.): $704 million. Real growth rate (1991): 7%. Per capita income (1990): $900. Natural resources: Asbestos, coal, diamonds, timber, hydroelectric power, clay. Agriculture (20% of GDP): Products--sugar cane, corn, citrus fruit, livestock, wood, pineapple, cotton, tobacco. Cultivated land--16% (crops plus commercial forests). Manufacturing (18% of GNP): Types--sugar refining, light manufactured goods, woodpulp, textiles, ginned cotton, processed foods, beverages, consumer goods. Trade (1991 est.): Exports--$575 million: sugar, soft drink concentrate, woodpulp, wood products, manufactures, canned fruit, asbestos, citrus, vegetables, meat and meat products. Major markets--South Africa, Canada, EEC, US. Imports (1991 est.)--$637 million: motor vehicles, heavy machinery, fuel and lubricants, foodstuffs, clothing. Major suppliers--South Africa, UK, Japan, Germany. Official exchange rate: 1 lilangeni (pl. emalangeni)= 1 South African rand; 3.1 emalangeni=US$1 (1992 average). PEOPLE Traditionally, Swazis have been subsistence farmers and herders; a number are now working in the growing formal economy and in government. Some work in mines in South Africa. Christianity in Swaziland is sometimes mixed with traditional beliefs and practices. Most Swazis ascribe a special spiritual role to the monarch. The country's official languages are SiSwati (an Nguni language related to Zulu) and English. Government and commercial business is conducted mainly in English. HISTORY According to tradition, the people of the present Swazi nation migrated south before the 16th century to 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 early 1800s and established themselves in the area of modern 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. Swazi 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. During Mswati's reign, 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. The Swazi interests were administered from 1894 to 1903 by South Africans. In 1903, the British assumed control. In 1921, Swaziland established its first legislative body--an advisory council of elected white representatives mandated to advise the British High Commissioner on non-Swazi affairs. In 1944, the high commissioner conceded that the council had 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 1921, after more than 20 years of rule by Queen Regent Labotsibeni, Sobhuza II became Ngwenyama (the lion) or head of the Swazi nation. In the early years of colonial rule, the British 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 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 and his council, formed the Imbokodvo National Movement (INM), a political group that capitalized on its close identification with the traditional Swazi way of life. Responding to pressures for political reform, 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, the INM incorporated many demands of the more radical parties, especially that of immediate independence. In 1966, the UK 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 first post-independence elections were held in May 1972. The INM received about 75% of the vote. The Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) received slightly more than 20% of the vote and 3 seats in Parliament. In response to the NNLC votes, King Sobhuza repealed the 1968 constitution on April 12, 1973, and dissolved parliament. He assumed all powers of government and prohibited all political parties 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 died in August 1982, and Queen Regent Dzeliwe assumed the duties of Head of State. In 1983, an internal dispute led to the replacement of the prime minister and the eventual replacement of Dzeliwe by a new Queen Regent Ntombi. Ntombi's son, Prince Makhosetive, was named heir to the Swazi throne. Real power at this time was concentrated in the Liqoqo, a traditional advisory body which 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 the throne and help end the continuing internal disputes. He was enthroned as Mswati III in April 1986. Shortly afterward, he abolished the Liqoqo. In November 1987, a new parliament was elected and a new cabinet appointed. The present Prime Minister, appointed in 1989, is Obed Dlamini, a former trade unionist. In 1988 and 1989, an underground political party, the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) emerged and clandestinely criticized the King and the government, calling for democratic reforms. In response to this political threat and to growing popular calls for greater accountablity in government, the King and the Prime Minister , in 1990, initiated an ongoing national debate on the constitutional and political future of Swaziland. This debate produced a number of political reforms, approved by the King, including direct and secret election of legislative representatives. These reforms, an incremental advance for democracy in Swaziland, were incorporated into preparations for national elections scheduled for June/July 1993. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS According to Swazi law and custom, the monarch holds supreme executive, legislative, and judicial power. In general practice, the monarch's power is delegated through a dualistic system: modern, statutory bodies, like the cabinet, and less formal, traditional governmental structures. At present, parliament consists of a 50-member House of Assembly (40 chosen through indirect election and 10 appointed by the King) and a 20-member Senate (10 elected by the House of Assembly and 10 appointed by the King). Legislation passed by the parliament must be approved by the King. Executive authority is exercised by a royally appointed prime minister (head of government) and cabinet. For local administration, Swaziland is divided into four regions, the administrators of which are appointed by the King. Manzini, Mbabane, and two other towns have municipal governments. Parallel to this statutory government structure is a traditional system consisting of the King and his traditional advisers, traditional courts, and 40 Tinkhundla (subregional districts in which the traditional chiefs are grouped). In 1992, the King appointed a committee to represent a cross-section of Swazi political opinion, including comments from the public at large. The committee recommended (and the King approved) a number of significant reforms of the electoral process (to include direct election of parliament in mid-1993), the Tinkhundla system, and the national government. Several measures remain in force, however, that could stifle further political liberalization. Chief among them are the arbitrary detention powers of the government and the ban on political parties. Principal Government Officials Head of State--King Mswati III Prime Minister--Obed M. Dlamini Foreign Affairs--George Mamba Ambassador to the United States--Absalom Vusani Mamba Ambassador to the United Nations--Dr. Timothy Dlamini Swaziland maintains an embassy in the US at Suite 441, Van Ness Center, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 (202-362-6683). Swaziland's UN Mission is at 866 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017 (212 371-8910). ECONOMY Swaziland ranks among the more prosperous countries in Africa. Most of the high-level economic activity is in the hands of non-Africans, but ethnic Swazis are becoming more active small entrepreneurs and are moving into middle-management positions. Although about 70% of Swazis live in rural areas, nearly every homestead has a wage earner. Despite several years of strong economic growth, however, the economy has been unable to create jobs at the same pace that new job seekers enter the market. This is due in large measure to the country's high 3.4% population growth rate, which also strains the country's natural heritage and its ability to provide adequate social services, such as health care and education. About 57% of Swazi territory is held by the Crown in trust for the Swazi nation. The balance is privately owned, much of it by foreigners. The question of land use and ownership remains a sensitive one. For Swazis living on rural homesteads, the principal occupation is subsistence farming (principally maize) and livestock herding. Cash crops such as cotton are also grown. Culturally, cattle are important symbols of wealth and status, but they are being used increasingly for milk, meat, and profit. Swaziland enjoys well-developed road links with South Africa. It also has railroads running east to west and north to south. The older east-west link, called the Goba Line, makes it possible to export bulk goods from Swaziland through the port of Maputo in Mozambique. Until recently, most of Swaziland's exports were shipped through this port. Conflict in Mozambique over the past few years has diverted many Swazi exports to ports in South Africa. A north-south rail link, completed in 1986, provides a connection between the eastern Transvaal rail network and the South African ports of Richard's Bay and Durban. The sugar industry, based solely on irrigated cane, is Swaziland's leading export earner and private-sector employer. Soft-drink concentrate (a US investment) is the country's second largest export earner, followed by woodpulp and lumber from cultivated pine forests. Pineapple, citrus fruit, and cotton are other important agricultural exports. Swaziland currently mines asbestos, coal, and diamonds, almost all for export. There is also a quarry industry for domestic construction. Mining typically contributes just under 3% to Swaziland's GDP each year. Recently, a number of industrial firms have located at the industrial estate at Matsapha, near Manzini. In addition to processed agricultural and forestry products, the fast-growing industrial sector at Matsapha also produces garments, textiles, and a surprising variety of light manufactures. The Swaziland Industrial Development Corporation (SIDC) has assisted in bringing many of these industries to the country. Government programs encourage Swazi entrepreneurs to run small and medium-sized firms. Tourism is also important, attracting more than 270,000 visitors annually. From the mid-1980s onward, foreign investment in the manufacturing center has boosted economic growth rates significantly. Moreover, since mid-1985, the depressed value of the currency has increased the competitiveness of Swazi exports and moderated the growth of imports, generating trade surpluses. The country has run small trade deficits for the past 3 years, however. South Africa and the European Community are major customers for Swazi exports, and the US is a significant market for Swazi sugar, with purchases of 32,500 metric tons in 1991. Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, and the Republic of South Africa form the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), in which import duties apply uniformly to member countries. Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa are also joined in the Common Monetary Area (CMA), in which the free transfer and unrestricted use of funds are permitted. Swaziland issued its own currency, the lilangeni (emalangeni in the plural) in September 1974. The lilangeni, while not tied to the rand, at present trades at par with it. FOREIGN RELATIONS Swaziland is a member of the UN and the Organization of African Unity. More than 40 countries have accredited ambassadors to the Kingdom, although only 6 have resident representatives. Swaziland maintains diplomatic missions in Brussels (EEC), London, Denmark, Seoul, Ottawa, Maputo, Nairobi, New York (UN), and Washington, DC. Because of its location, Swaziland has close economic ties with South Africa; 15-20,000 Swazis work there in mines, industries, and farms. Roughly 90% of Swaziland's imports either originate in or transit through South Africa. Although diplomatic representatives have not been exchanged, a South African Trade Commissioner is resident in Mbabane. US-SWAZI RELATIONS The United States seeks to maintain and strengthen the good bilateral relations that have existed since the Kingdom of Swaziland became independent in 1968. US policy there stresses continued economic and political development. In the past, the US has assisted Swaziland in institutional and human resource development, agricultural development, and the expansion of the rural health and rural water systems. Presently, it continues to focus on education and job-training but has expanded into other important areas, such as private sector development, family planning, and the development of a more job-relevant primary school curriculum. The US brings an average of 22 Swazi students and professionals to the US each year, from both the private and public sectors, primarily for master's and doctorate degrees. Some 70 Peace Corps volunteers work in Swaziland, principally as secondary school science and math teachers. Principal US Officials Ambassador--Stephen H. Rogers Deputy Chief of Mission--Philip M. Jones Director, AID Mission--Valerie Dickson-Horton Director, Peace Corps--James Kelley The US embassy in Swaziland is in the Central Bank Building, Warner Street, PO Box 199, Mbabane. Travel Notes Customs: US citizens do not need visas to enter Swaziland. Climate: Swaziland's climate is moderate, similar to that of the middle Atlantic states but drier and with the seasons reversed. Health: Adequate medical care is available in Swaziland for routine illnesses. Serious illnesses and accidents must be treated in South Africa or elsewhere. Tapwater should be boiled or filtered. The climate is basically healthful. Travelers should consult most recent information. Telecommunications: International and local telephone and telegraph services are available. Mbabane is seven time zones ahead of eastern standard time. Transportation: Regular air service to and from Matsapha Airport, near Mbabane and Manzini, links Swaziland with major international routes. Taxis and rental cars are available at the airport and in Mbabane. Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of Public Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington, DC -- April 1993 -- Editor: Anita M. Stockman Department of State Publication 8174 Background Notes Series -- This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted without permission; citation of this source is appreciated. For sale by the Superindendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office, Washington , DC 20402.