History of Eswatini in Timeline

Eswatini, a landlocked country in Southern Africa bordered by South Africa and Mozambique, is one of Africa's smallest nations. Despite its size (200km north-south, 130km east-west), it features diverse climates and terrains, ranging from mountainous highlands to dry lowlands. Mbabane is the executive capital and largest city, while Lobamba serves as the legislative capital.

1902: Involvement in Second Boer War

In 1902, Swaziland was indirectly involved in the Second Boer War, with skirmishes occurring between the British and the Boers within the country until 1902.

1903: Becomes British High Commission Territory

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

1904: Establishment of a commission to examine concessions

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

1906: Transvaal Colony granted self-government

In 1906, much of the territory's early administration, including postal services, was carried out from South Africa until the Transvaal Colony was granted self-government.

1907: Completion of concession examination

By 1907, the commission established in 1904 completed its work on examining concessions and defining boundaries.

1910: Land set aside for the Swazi

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

December 1921: Sobhuza II's coronation

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

1922: Unsuccessful deputation to London

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

November 1963: Promulgation of the constitution

In November 1963, Britain promulgated the 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 the incorporation of Swaziland into the Union of South Africa.

September 1964: First Legislative Council constituted

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

1967: Elections under new constitution

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

September 1968: Regaining full independence

On 6 September 1968, Swaziland regained its full independence from Britain, having been a British high commission territory since 1903.

1968: Protected state until independence

Following the 1967 elections, Swaziland was a protected state until independence was regained in 1968.

1972: Eswatini participates in the Summer Olympics

Eswatini has sent athletes to the Summer Olympics since 1972 but is yet to win a medal.

1972: Suspension of the constitution

Following the elections of 1972, the constitution of Swaziland was suspended by King Sobhuza II.

1972: Rise in tourism

In 1972 tourist numbers rose from 89,015, because of different policies from South Africa.

1972: Mananga Management Centre established

The Mananga Management Centre was established at Ezulwini as Mananga Agricultural Management Centre in 1972 as an international management development centre offering training of middle and senior managers.

April 1973: King Sobhuza II annuls constitution

On April 12, 1973, King Sobhuza II annulled the Westminster-style constitution by decree, assuming supreme powers in all executive, judicial, and legislative matters.

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 reigning for almost 83 years, making him the longest-reigning monarch in history.

1982: King Sobhuza II's death

In 1982, King Sobhuza II died, leading to a period of regency before Mswati III's ascension to the throne.

1982: Attempt to transfer land from South Africa

In 1982, an attempt was made to transfer parts of KwaZulu and KaNgwane from South Africa to Swaziland, but the deal failed due to popular opposition.

1982: Establishment of University of Eswatini

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

1984: Queen Regent Dzeliwe Shongwe removed

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

1986: King Mswati III ascended to the throne

In 1986, King Mswati III ascended to the throne after the death of his father, King Sobhuza II.

1986: Mswati III crowned as king

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

1986: King Mswati III rule begins

Since 1986, King Mswati III has ruled Eswatini, maintaining an absolute monarchy.

1989: Rise in tourism

In 1989 tourist numbers rose to 257,997, because of different policies from South Africa.

July 1996: Constitutional review commission appointed

In July 1996, King Mswati III appointed a constitutional review commission, including chiefs, political activists, and unionists, to consider public submissions and draft proposals for a new constitution.

1996: Net 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 a new constitution were released for public comment. These drafts were strongly criticised by civil society organisations in Swaziland and human rights organizations elsewhere.

November 2000: Drafts released for comment

In November 2000, further drafts of a new constitution were released for public comment. Similar to the previous release, these drafts were strongly criticised by civil society organisations in Swaziland and human rights organizations elsewhere.

December 2001: Team announced to draft new constitution

In December 2001, a 15-member team was announced to draft a new constitution. Several members of this team were reported to be close to the royal family.

2001: Real GDP growth since 2001

Since 2001, Real GDP growth has averaged 2.8%, which is nearly 2 percentage points lower than growth in other Southern African Customs Union member countries.

2003: Establishment of the Eswatini Tourism Board

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

2005: Adoption of constitution

In 2005, Eswatini's constitution was adopted.

2005: Establishment of court system

In 2005, the constitution established a court system based on the Western model consisting of Magistrates Courts, a High Court, and a Court of Appeal (the Supreme Court), which are independent of crown control. Traditional courts also deal with minor offences.

2005: End of "umchwasho" rite

In 2005, the country was under the rite of "umchwasho".

2005: Introduction of current Swazi constitution

In 2005, the current Swazi constitution was introduced, despite objections by political activists.

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 as a merger of the Nazarene College of Nursing, College of Theology and the Nazarene Teachers College.

2011: Economic crisis and loan request

In 2011, Swaziland suffered an economic crisis and requested a loan from South Africa, but the conditions, including political reforms, were not agreed upon.

July 2012: Ellinah Wamukoya elected Anglican Bishop

On July 18, 2012, Ellinah Wamukoya was elected Anglican Bishop of Swaziland, becoming the first woman to be a bishop in Africa and served in that position until her death in 2021.

2012: Eswatini Medical Christian University established

In 2012, Eswatini Medical Christian University, which focuses on medical education, was established in Mbabane as Eswatini's newest university. The campus of Limkokwing University was also opened at Sidvwashini in Mbabane in the same year.

2012: Easing of fiscal pressure

Starting in 2012, improvements in Southern African Customs Union (SACU) receipts eased the fiscal pressure on the Swazi government.

2013: New parliament elected; Sibusiso Dlamini reappointed

In 2013, a new parliament was elected, and King Mswati III reappointed Sibusiso Dlamini as prime minister for the third time.

2013: End of five-year terms for MPs

In 2013, the five-year terms for the Members of Parliament elected in 2008 came to an end.

2013: Number of Jewish families in Eswatini

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

2014: "Strengthening the National Protected Areas System" (SNPAS) project begins

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

2015: Drought impacting sugar production

The 2015–16 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 by workers

In September 2018, workers in Eswatini began anti-government protests against low salaries, resulting in a three-day strike that caused widespread disruption.

2018: Health Issues and Population Statistics

As of 2018, Eswatini faced major health issues such as a high HIV/AIDS prevalence and had the 12th-lowest life expectancy in the world, at 58 years, also 35% of the country's population was aged 14 years or younger.

2018: Poorly developed public services

As of 2018, public services in Eswatini were very poorly developed. The country had only twelve public ambulances, elementary schools generally no longer provided canteens and pharmacies were disappearing.

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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 establishes OECMs

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

2019: Highest prevalence of HIV

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

2019: Eswatini maintains ties with Taiwan

As of 2019, Eswatini was the only country in Africa that has maintained ties with Taiwan and not the People's Republic of China.

2019: UWC East Africa joins United World Colleges movement

In 2019, UWC East Africa in Tanzania joined the United World Colleges movement.

June 2021: Pro-democracy protests erupt

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 reforms.

2021: SNPAS Project adopts OECM terminology

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

2022: Climate change concerns affecting development

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

September 2023: Last elections held

The last elections in Eswatini were held on 29 September 2023.

2023: Democracy indices ranking

According to the 2023 V-Dem Democracy indices, Eswatini is ranked as the 9th lowest worldwide and the 2nd lowest electoral democracy in Africa.

2024: Global hunger index

In 2024, Eswatini scored 15.7 on the global hunger index, with a rank of 74th.

July 2025: United States deports men to Eswatini

In July 2025, the United States deported 5 men to Eswatini with the agreement of the Eswatini government. These deportees were detained in solitary confinement.

October 2025: Additional deportees sent to Eswatini

By October 2025, ten additional deportees had been sent from the United States to Eswatini, and the Eswatini Finance Minister confirmed that the government had received $5.1 million from the United States as part of an agreement to serve as a third-country deportation location.