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 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 in the past two 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.
