History of Eswatini in Timeline

Eswatini, also known as Swaziland, is a small, landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered by South Africa and Mozambique. It is one of Africa's smallest countries, characterized by diverse climate and topography, ranging from mountainous highveld to dry lowveld.

1902: Skirmishes during the Second Boer War

In 1902, Swaziland was indirectly involved in the Second Boer War, experiencing various skirmishes between the British and the Boers.

1903: Swaziland becomes British Territory

In 1903, Swaziland became one of the British "High Commission Territories" after the British victory in the Second Boer War.

1903: British High Commission Territory

In 1903, after the Second Boer War, the kingdom, under the name of Swaziland, became a British high commission territory.

1904: Swaziland Administration Proclamation

In 1904, the Swaziland Administration Proclamation established a commission to examine concessions and define their boundaries.

1906: Administration from South Africa Ends

In 1906, much of the early administration of the territory, such as postal services, which had been carried out from South Africa, ended when the Transvaal Colony was granted self-government.

1907: Completion of Concessions Examination

By 1907, the commission completed its task of examining the concessions and defining their boundaries, resulting in the Swaziland Concessions Partition Proclamation.

1910: Land Set Aside for Swazis

In 1910, the concessions partition commissioner completed his work and set aside 1,639,687 acres, approximately 38% of Swaziland's area, for the Swazi people.

December 1921: Sobhuza II Coronation

In December 1921, Sobhuza's official coronation as king took place after the regency of Labotsibeni.

1922: Delegation to London

In 1922, Sobhuza II led an unsuccessful deputation to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in London regarding the issue of the land.

1923: Establishment of Swazi Commercial Amadoda

In 1923, Sobhuza II established the Swazi Commercial Amadoda to grant licenses to small businesses on the Swazi reserves and the Swazi National School to counter mission dominance in education.

November 1963: Constitution Promulgated

In November 1963, Britain promulgated a constitution for independent Swaziland establishing a Legislative Council and an Executive Council.

1963: Resisting Incorporation into South Africa

By 1963, the Swazi royal leadership had successfully resisted the weakening power of the British administration and the possibility of Swaziland's incorporation into the Union of South Africa.

1963: Waterford School founded

In 1963, Waterford School, later named Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa, was founded as southern Africa's first multiracial school.

September 1964: First Legislative Council

On 9 September 1964, the first Legislative Council was constituted.

1967: Elections Under New Constitution

In 1967, elections were held under a new constitution providing for a House of Assembly and Senate.

September 1968: Swaziland Regains Independence

In September 1968, Swaziland regained its full independence from Britain, having been a British high commission territory since 1903 after the Second Boer War.

1968: Regained Independence

In 1968, following the 1967 elections, Swaziland regained independence and was a protected state.

1972: Constitution Suspended

In 1972, following the elections of that year, the constitution of Swaziland was suspended by King Sobhuza II, who then ruled by decree.

1972: Mananga Management Centre established

In 1972, the Mananga Management Centre was established at Ezulwini as Mananga Agricultural Management Centre, offering training for middle and senior managers.

1972: Eswatini's first Summer Olympics

Since 1972, Eswatini has sent athletes to the Summer Olympics.

1972: Tourism development during apartheid

Tourism in Eswatini developed significantly during the apartheid era in 1972, as it attracted visitors with policies different from those in South Africa.

April 1973: King Sobhuza II annuls constitution

On April 12, 1973, King Sobhuza II annulled the Westminster-style constitution by decree, assuming supreme powers.

1978: First non-party elections

In 1978, the first non-party elections for the House of Assembly were held, conducted under the tinkhundla system with an Electoral Committee appointed by the King to supervise elections.

1981: Waterford Kamhlaba joins United World Colleges movement

In 1981, Waterford Kamhlaba joined the United World Colleges movement as the first United World College on the African continent.

1982: Death of King Sobhuza II

In 1982, King Sobhuza II died, after having been king of Swaziland for almost 83 years.

1982: Attempted Land Transfer from South Africa

In 1982, an attempt to transfer neighboring parts of South Africa to Swaziland was never realized due to popular opposition.

1982: Establishment of University of Eswatini

In 1982, the University of Eswatini was established as the national university by an act of Parliament.

1984: Removal of Queen Regent Dzeliwe Shongwe

In 1984, Queen Regent Dzeliwe Shongwe was removed by the Liqoqo and replaced by Queen Mother Ntfombi Tfwala.

1986: King Mswati III Ascended

In 1986, King Mswati III ascended to the throne.

1986: Coronation of Mswati III

In 1986, Mswati III, the son of Ntfombi, was crowned as king and ngwenyama of Swaziland.

1989: Increased tourist numbers

In 1989, tourist numbers in Eswatini rose to 257,997 due to the country's appeal during the apartheid era.

1993: Election process in Swaziland

Until the 1993 election, the ballot was not secret, voters were not registered, and they did not elect representatives directly; instead, they voted for an electoral college.

July 1996: Constitutional review commission appointed

In July 1996, King Mswati III appointed a constitutional review commission to draft proposals for a new constitution.

1996: Primary school enrollment rate

In 1996, the net primary school enrollment rate in Eswatini was 90.8%, with gender parity at the primary level.

1998: Children reaching grade five

In 1998, 80.5% of children in Eswatini reached grade five.

May 1999: Drafts released for comment

In May 1999, drafts of the constitution were released for public comment.

November 2000: Drafts criticised by civil society

In November 2000, drafts of the constitution were strongly criticised by civil society and human rights organizations.

December 2001: Team announced to draft new constitution

In December 2001, a 15-member team, with several members reportedly close to the royal family, was announced to draft a new constitution.

2001: Economic growth lags

Since 2001, real GDP growth in Eswatini has averaged 2.8%, lower than other Southern African Customs Union (SACU) member countries.

2003: Establishment of Eswatini Tourism Board

In 2003, the Eswatini Tourism Board was established to promote royal celebrations and game parks.

2005: Establishment of court system

In 2005, the constitution established a dual court system based on the Western model consisting of four regional Magistrates Courts, a High Court, and a Court of Appeal which are independent of crown control. In addition, traditional courts deal with minor offenses and violations of traditional Swazi law and custom.

2005: Constitution Adopted

In 2005, the constitution of the government was adopted.

2005: Introduction of Current Constitution

In 2005, the current Swazi constitution was introduced, culminating progress towards constitutional reforms.

2005: End of Umchwasho rite

In 2005, the rite of "umchwasho" ended in Eswatini, which involved placing all young girls in a female age-regiment.

2006: Eswatini joins Lubombo Route agreement

In 2006, Eswatini joined the Lubombo Route agreement with South Africa and Mozambique, allowing cross-border travel on a single visa.

2008: First Election Under the Constitution

In 2008, the first election under the new constitution took place, with Members of Parliament elected from 55 constituencies.

2010: Establishment of Southern African Nazarene University

In 2010, the Southern African Nazarene University in Manzini was established through a merger of several Nazarene colleges.

2011: Economic Crisis

In 2011, Swaziland suffered an economic crisis due to reduced Southern African Customs Union (SACU) receipts, leading the government to request a loan from South Africa.

July 2012: Election of Ellinah Wamukoya

On July 18, 2012, Ellinah Wamukoya was elected Anglican Bishop of Swaziland, becoming the first woman to be a bishop in Africa.

2012: Eswatini Medical Christian University established

In 2012, Eswatini Medical Christian University was established in Mbabane, focusing on medical education, and the Limkokwing University campus opened in Sidvwashini.

2012: Improvements in SACU Receipts

Starting in 2012, improvements in SACU receipts eased the fiscal pressure on the Swazi government.

2013: New Parliament Elected

In 2013, a new parliament, the second since the constitution's promulgation, was elected, and the king reappointed Sibusiso Dlamini as prime minister for the third time.

2013: Jewish families in Eswatini

In 2013, there were 14 Jewish families living in Eswatini.

2014: SNPAS Project

From 2014, Eswatini participated in the "Strengthening the National Protected Areas System" (SNPAS) project.

2015: Drought Decreased Production

In 2015, the drought decreased sugar and soft drink concentrate production export, Eswatini's largest economic export.

April 2018: Name Changed to Kingdom of Eswatini

In April 2018, the official name of the country was changed from Kingdom of Swaziland to Kingdom of Eswatini, mirroring the name commonly used in Swazi.

September 2018: Anti-Government Protests

In September 2018, Eswatini workers began anti-government protests against low salaries, leading to a three-day strike organised by the Trade Union Congress of Eswatini.

2018: Low Life Expectancy

As of 2018, Eswatini had the 12th-lowest life expectancy in the world, at 58 years, and a young population, with 35% aged 14 or younger and a median age of 22 years.

2018: Poorly developed public services

As of 2018, public services in Eswatini were very poorly developed, with limited ambulances and disappearing school canteens and pharmacies.

2018: Forest Landscape Integrity Index

In 2018, Eswatini had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 4.21/10, ranking it 142nd globally out of 172 countries.

2018: UNDP established OECMs

In 2018, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) established a new category for informal, or non-gazetted, conservation areas, called OECMs (Other Effective Conservation Measures).

2019: HIV prevalence

As of 2019, Eswatini had the highest prevalence of HIV among people aged 15 to 49 in the world, at 27.1%.

2019: UWC East Africa joins movement

In 2019, UWC East Africa in Tanzania joined the United World Colleges movement, making it the second African UWC after Waterford Kamhlaba.

June 2021: Pro-Democracy Protests

In June 2021, pro-democracy protests broke out across Eswatini, sparking riots, looting, and street skirmishes with police and soldiers due to anger over the lack of political reforms and the government's reported banning of the submission of petitions.

2021: Death of Ellinah Wamukoya

In 2021, Ellinah Wamukoya, the first woman to be a bishop in Africa, passed away after serving as the Anglican Bishop of Swaziland since 2012.

2021: SNPAS Project adopted OECM

In 2021, the SNPAS Project adopted OECM terminology and began certifying informal conservation areas in Eswatini.

2022: Vision 2022

The government of Eswatini has expressed concern that climate change is exacerbating existing social challenges and will drastically restrict the country's ability to develop, as per Vision 2022.