Flag of Swaziland is three horizontal bands of blue (top), red
(triple width), and blue; the red
band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large
black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated
with feather tassels, all placed
horizontally.
PROFILE
OFFICIAL
NAME:
Kingdom of
Swaziland
Geography
Area: 17,363 sq. km. (6,704 sq. miles); slightly smaller than New
Jersey. Major cities: Mbabane (capital, pop.
60,000), Manzini (principal commercial city, pop.
65,000).
Terrain: Mountainous plateau to
savanna.
Climate: Near temperate to
tropical.
People
Nationality: Noun and
adjective--Swazi(s).
Population (2004): 1.1
million.
Annual growth rate (2002):
2.7%.
Ethnic groups: The overwhelming majority of the population is
Swazi. Religion: It
is estimated that the population is 35% Protestant, 30% Zionist
(indigenous), 25% Roman Catholic, 1% Islamic, with the remaining 9%
divided among other
beliefs.
Official languages: SiSwati and
English.
Education: Years compulsory--none. Attendance--65% primary and 44%
secondary.
Literacy--79%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2001)--89/1,000. Life expectancy--33
years. The prevalence of HIV in Swaziland's adult
population is 42.6%, the highest in the
world.
Work force: Agriculture and forestry--21.4%;
construction--6.1%;
distribution--10.5%; finance--8.3%; manufacturing--20.1%; mining
and quarry--1%;
services--32.6%;
transport--2.9%.
Government
Type:
Monarchy.
Independence: September 6,
1968.
Constitution: On July 26, 2005, King Mswati III ratified
Swaziland's
constitution. This is Swaziland's first constitution in over 30 years.
It went into effect February 8,
2006.
Branches: Executive--monarch (head of state), prime minister (head
of government), cabinet
(appointed by the king at the recommendation of the
prime minister). Legislative--Parliament consisting of the House of
Assembly (65 members: 55 elected, 10 appointed by the king) and
Senate (30 members: 10 appointed by the House of Assembly, 20
appointed by the king). Judicial--a dual court system of
traditional courts under chiefs and a Roman-Dutch system comprising
magistrates courts, High Court, Supreme Court (formerly Court of
Appeals).
Administrative subdivisions: 4 regions, 9 municipal governments, and
55 tinkhundla centers (traditional
administrative
units).
Political parties: None registered, though the new Constitution does
not forbid
parties.
Suffrage: Universal after
18.
Economy
GDP (2004): $2.8
billion.
GDP real growth rate (2005):
1.8%.
Per capita income (2004):
$1,553.
Inflation (2006):
5.4%.
Natural resources: Coal, diamonds, quarry stone, timber,
talc.
Agriculture (15.7% of GDP): Products--sugarcane, corn, citrus
fruits, livestock, wood,
pineapple, tobacco, rice,
peanuts.
Manufacturing (35.0% of GDP): Types--sugar refining, light
manufactured goods, wood pulp,
textiles, processed foods, consumer
goods.
Trade (2003): Exports--$920.2 million: soft drink concentrates,
sugar, pulp, canned fruits, cotton yarn. Major markets--South Africa,
EU, Mozambique, U.S. Imports--$1,018.8 million: chemicals, clothing,
foodstuffs, machinery, motor vehicles, petroleum
products.
PEOPLE
The majority of the population is ethnic Swazi, mixed with a small
number of Zulus and non-Africans. Traditionally Swazis have been
subsistence farmers and herders, but some now work in the
growing urban formal economy and in government.
Some Swazis work in the 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 (a 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 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.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
On July 26, 2005 King Mswati III ratified Swaziland's constitution.
It went into effect February 8, 2006. This is Swaziland's first
constitution in over 30
years.
According to Swazi law and custom, the monarch holds supreme
executive, legislative, and judicial
powers. In general practice, however, the monarch's power is delegated
through a dualistic system: modern, statutory bodies, like the
cabinet; and less formal traditional government structures. The king
must approve legislation passed by parliament before it becomes law.
The prime minister, who is head of government, and
the cabinet, which is recommended by the prime minister and approved
by the king, exercise executive authority. At present, parliament
consists of a 65-seat House of Assembly (55 members are elected
through popular vote; 10 are appointed by the king) and
30-seat Senate (10 members are
appointed by the House of Assembly, and 20
are appointed by the king).
House of Assembly elections were last held October
2003.
For local administration Swaziland is divided into four regions, each
with an administrator appointed by the king. Parallel to the
government structure is the traditional system consisting of the king
and his advisers, traditional courts, 55 tinkhundla
(subregional districts in which traditional chiefs are grouped), and
366
chiefdoms.
Swaziland is a member of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU),
with which the U.S. began negotiating a free
trade agreement in May 2003. The other
members of SACU are Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and South
Africa.
Principal Government
Officials
Head of State--King Mswati
III
Head of Government--Prime Minister A. T.
Dlamini
Deputy Prime Minister--Constance
Simelane
Ambassador to the United States--Ephraim
Hlophe
Permanent Representative to the UN--Phesheya
Dlamini
Central Bank Governor--Martin
Dlamini
Cabinet
Ministers
Agriculture and Cooperatives--Mtiti
Fakudze
Economic Planning and Development--Rev. Absalom Muntu
Dlamini
Education--Themba
Msibi
Enterprise and Employment--Senator Lutfo
Dlamini
Finance--Majozi
Sithole
Foreign Affairs and Trade--Senator Mathendele
Dlamini
Health and Social Welfare--Njabulo
Mabuza
Home Affairs--Prince
Gabheni
Housing and Urban Development--Mabili
Dlamini
Justice and Constitutional Affairs--Prince David
Dlamini
Public Service and Information--Sgayoyo
Magongo
Natural Resources and Energy--Dumsile
Sukati
Tourism, Environment, and Communication--Thandie
Shongwe
Public Works and Transport--Elijah
Shongwe
Regional Development and Youth Affairs--Chief Sipho
Shongwe
Swaziland maintains an embassy in the United States at 1712 New
Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009 (tel:
202-234-5002; fax: 202-234-8254). Swaziland's
UN Mission is located at 408 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022
(tel: 212-371-8910; fax:
212-754-2755).
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 are moving into middle
management positions. Although 70% of Swazis live in rural areas,
nearly every homestead has a wage earner. The
past few years have seen wavering economic
growth, which has been exacerbated by the economy's inability
to create new jobs at the same rate that new job
seekers enter the market. This is due in part to the country's
population growth rate, which strains the natural
heritage and the country's ability to provide adequate
social services, such as
health care and education. Overgrazing, soil depletion,
drought, and floods are persistent
problems.
Nearly 60% of Swazi territory is held by the Crown in trust of the
Swazi nation. The balance is privately owned,
much of it by foreigners. The
question of land use and ownership remains a very sensitive one. For
Swazis living on rural homesteads, the principal occupation is
either subsistence farming or livestock herding.
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 imports
were shipped through this port. Conflict in Mozambique in the 1980s
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 U.S. investment) is the
country's largest export earner, followed by wood pulp and lumber from
cultivated pine forests. Pineapple, citrus fruit, and cotton are
other important agricultural
exports.
Swaziland mines coal and diamonds for export. There also is a quarry
industry for domestic consumption. Mining contributes about 1.8% of
Swaziland's GDP each year but has been declining in
importance in recent
years.
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 variety of light manufactured products.
The Swaziland Industrial
Development Company (SIDC) and the Swaziland Investment Promotion
Authority (SIPA) have assisted in bringing many of these industries to
the country. Government programs encourage Swazi entrepreneurs to
run small and medium-sized firms. Tourism
also is important, attracting more than 424,000 visitors annually,
mostly from Europe and South
Africa.
From the mid-1980s, foreign investment in the manufacturing sector
boosted economic growth rates significantly. Beginning in
mid-1985, the depreciated value of the currency increased the
competitiveness of Swazi exports and
moderated the growth of imports, generating trade surpluses. During
the 1990s, the country often ran small
trade deficits. South Africa and the
European Union are major customers for Swazi
exports.
Swaziland became eligible for the African Growth and Opportunity Act
(AGOA) in 2000 and qualified for the apparel provision in 2001.
AGOA created over 30,000 jobs, mostly for women, in
Swaziland's apparel industry. However, the industry suffered in
2005-2006, due to both increased global competition as a result of the
end of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) on January 1,
2005, and the strong Rand (Swaziland's currency is linked to the
South African Rand at par), which reduced
exports.
Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, and the Republic of South
Africa form the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), where import
duties apply
uniformly to member countries. Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa
also are members of the Common Monetary Area (CMA) in which
repatriation and unrestricted funds are permitted. Swaziland issues
its own currency, the lilangeni (plural:
emalangeni).
FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Swaziland is a member of the United Nations, the African Union,
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and Southern
African Development Community (SADC). Ten accredited
ambassadors or honorary consuls are resident in the country. Swaziland
maintains diplomatic missions in
Brussels, Copenhagen,
Kuala Lumpur, London, Maputo, Nairobi, Pretoria, Taipei,
the United Nations, and
Washington.
U.S.-SWAZILAND
RELATIONS
The United States seeks to maintain and strengthen the good
bilateral relations that
have existed since the kingdom became independent in 1968.
U.S. policy stresses continued economic and political reform and
improved industrial
relations.
The United States assists Swaziland with a number of HIV/AIDS
initiatives and programs implemented through the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID), Centers for Disease
Control (CDC), the Peace Corps,
African Development
Foundation, the Department of Labor, and the Department
of Defense. In addition, the U.S.
supports small enterprise development,
education, military training, institutional and human resources
development, agricultural development, and trade capacity building.
The U.S. is also the largest bilateral donor to the Global
Fund, Swaziland's principal HIV/AIDS funding source. The
U.S. Government sends about 4 Swazi professionals to the United
States each year, from both the public and private sectors, primarily
for master's degrees, and about 5 others for three- to
four-week
International Visitor
programs.
In 2003, Peace Corps volunteers returned to Swaziland after a
nine-year absence. The current Peace
Corps/Swaziland program, Community Health Project, focuses on HIV/AIDS
and provides assistance in the execution of
two components
of the HIV/AIDS national strategy--risk reduction and mitigation
of the impact of the disease. Volunteers encourage youth to engage
in appropriate behaviors
that will reduce the spread of HIV; they work with
children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic; and they assist in
capacity building for non-governmental
organizations and community
based
organizations.
The U.S. Embassy in Swaziland is situated in the Central Bank of
Swaziland building in the Mbabane city center. The
address is American Embassy, 7th floor Central Bank
Building, Warner St., Box 199, Mbabane, Swaziland (tel.
268-404-6441/6445; fax
268-404-1695).
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS
INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information
Sheets, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry and exit requirements, currency
regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political disturbances, and
the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. Public
Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly
about terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or
unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling
abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://www.travel.state.gov, where the
current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings
can be found. Consular Affairs Publications,
which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe
trip abroad, are also available at http://www.travel.state.gov.
For additional information on international
travel, see http://www.usa.gov/
Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizenstraveling or
residing abroad to register via the State
Department's travel registration website or at the nearest U.S.
embassy or consulate abroad. Registration will make your presence and
whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an
emergency and will enable you to receive up-to-date information on
security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and
Canada or the regular toll line 1-202-501-4444 for
callers outside the U.S. and
Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S.
Department of State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S.
passport
information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer
service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight,
Eastern Time, excluding federal
holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for
regions and countries. A booklet entitled "Health
Information for International Travel"
(HHS
publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202)
512-1800.
Further Electronic
Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at
http:// www.state.gov, the Department of State web
site provides timely, global access to
official U.S. foreign policy information, including
Background Notes and daily press briefings
along with the directory of key officers of Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies
working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and
market information offered by the federal
government and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help
with the export process, and
more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides authoritative economic, business, and
international trade information from the Federal
government. The site includes current and
historical
trade-related releases, international market research, trade
opportunities, and country analysis and provides access to the
National Trade Data Bank.
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Swaziland
