The Kingdom of Swaziland (1839-1978)

After King Sobhuza I died in 1839, he was succeeded by Mswati I. He quickly transformed it into a centralized monarchy. During the 1880s, Mswati’s lost about half his kingdom to Transvaal Boers. After the Boer war, the Swazi kingdom was placed under the British High Commissioner for South Africa.

Under British rule, Mswati lost his power and his rule was restricted to local civil affairs. During this time, the Swazi people lost their land to the British through the Concessions Partitions Proclamation of 1907. The proclamation gave 25% of the land to Europeans explorers who had come to southern Africa to search for gold. 33% of the land was given to the British royal family and only 38% was left for the Swazi people.

When Sobhuza II became king in 1921, he refused to recognize British authority over Swaziland. He used income derived from taxes to buy back 20% of the land from the British and reestablish political control over his kingdom. Under the Swazi National Council (SNC), the King ruled through chiefs and headmen. In 1964 and 1967, he used the newly organized Imbokodvo National Movement to secure victory in the election.  Other parties such as the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) only received 12% of the vote in 1963 and 20% in 1964. Swaziland was granted independence by the British in September 1968. The country was to be ruled by the King, a Prime Minister, cabinet and legislature.

In October 1978, Swaziland adopted a new constitution but the details were not made public. In the election that followed, candidates were not allowed to campaign. The new constitution gave more power to the King and essentially created an absolute monarchy.