Swaziland: Political System
According to CANCERMATTERS.NET, Swaziland is a parliamentary monarchy in the Commonwealth. The bicameral parliament consists of the National Assembly with 65 members, 55 of whom were directly elected and 10 appointed by the King, and the Senate with 30 members, 20 of which were appointed by the King and 10 were elected by the National Assembly. The new constitution came into force in February 2006. Despite the ban on political parties issued by the king in 1973, some parties are now public. See AbbreviationFinder for more information about Swaziland politics, and acronyms as well.
The official name of the country is:
| Kingdom of Eswatii (since 2018) |
Note
On the occasion of his 50th birthday on April 19, 2018, King Mswati III. declared in a speech that the name of the country should in future be the Kingdom of Eswatini.
National anthem
Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso tema Swati has been the national anthem of Swaziland since 1968. Andrease Enoke Fanyana Simelane wrote the lyrics and David Kenneth Rycroft wrote the music.
| In English | In the English translation |
| O Lord our God, bestower of the blessings of the Swazi;We give Thee thanks for all our good fortune;
We offer thanks and praise for our King And for our fair land, its hills and rivers. Thy blessings be on all rulers of our Country; Might and power are Thine alone; We pray Thee to grant us wisdom without deceit or malice. Establish and fortify us, Lord Eternal. |
O Lord our God, blessers of the Swazi;We thank you for all our luck;
We offer thanks and honor for our King and our shining land, its hills and rivers. Your blessings be over all rulers of our country, power and strength are yours only. We pray to you to grant us wisdom without deceit or malice. Give us constancy and strength, Eternal Lord. |
National flag
The national flag (country flag) of Eswatini (Swaziland until 2018) was officially introduced on October 30, 1967. Based on flag descriptions by Countryaah.com, the colors and the shield have the following meanings:
– Blue stands for peace and the sky
– Yellow symbolizes the wealth of mineral
treasures – Red stands for the blood that was shed during the battles of the past
– The shield is the symbol of the Emasotsha regiment, which is also found in the coat of arms of Swaziland.
- Check top-mba-universities for public holidays, sports events, UNESCO world heritage sites and major places to visit in Swaziland.
Swaziland: Known People
Absalom Themba Dlamini (born 1950)
Dlamini is a Swaziland politician who served as Prime Minister of his country from 2003 to 2008. From King Mswati III. he was awarded the Royal Medal of the Supreme Adviser to the Royal Decree of King Sobhuza II.
Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini ( born 1942)
The Swaziland politician was Prime Minister of his country from 1996 to 2003. Since October 2008 he has been filling this office again. He is considered a loyal supporter of King Mswatis III.
Mswati III. (born 1968)
Mswati III. Makhosetive was born in Manzini in 1968 and has been the King of Swaziland since 1986. His father was King Sobhuza II. Mswati’s bill of 2002 is noteworthy, which prohibits any political activity and punishes violators with up to 20 years in prison. Mswatis III. Regency is characterized by a lavish lifestyle, which seems like a mockery in one of the poorest countries in the world. By 2005 he had ten palaces built for his wives. In 2018 he was married to a total of 15 women, three of whom are in exile in South Africa and his eighth wife has died. (As of 2019)
Nggwane V. (1876-1899)
Nggwane V (also King Bhunu) was allowed to call himself King of Swaziland from 1895 to 1899. His rule was riddled with tensions that opened the door to war between Great Britain, the Transvaal Boers and the Orange Free State. Nggwane V. died at the age of just 23 during the sacred Incwala ceremony, which was ended, which is why his death was initially kept a secret.
Sobhuza II. (1899-1982)
Sobhuza II. Was the longest reigning ruler of Swaziland with 83 years of reign as chief chief (since 1982 king). Already at the tender age of four months he was proclaimed ruler, with his grandmother, Labotsibeni Gwamile Mdluli, taking over the reign. With the independence of Swaziland in 1968 he opposed the democratic constitutional approach of the English, declared a state of emergency in 1973 and abolished parliament and all parties. From then on he ruled as an absolute monarch. Sobhuza is said to have had 120 wives with whom he fathered around 600 children.
Swaziland: animals
Mammals
In Swaziland and/or you can find various species of monkeys, elephants, giraffes, leopards, lions, black rhinos, roan antelopes and zebras. Many of the animals live in the national parks or nature reserves, such as in the Hlane Royal National Park, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary or in the Malolotja nature reserve
Reptiles
Note
The linked reptiles are shown in detail and illustrated by Goruma
African house snake
The African house snake (Boaedon fuliginosus) – also known as the brown house snake – is a non-poisonous snake with an average length of 95 cm.
Mountain otter (Bitis atropos)
Boomslang (Dipholidus typus)
Banded cobra (Naja annulifera)
Common puff adder (Bitis arietans)
Marbled tree snake
The marbled tree snake (Dipsadoboa aulica) is not poisonous.
The males of the snake are up to 70 cm long while the females are smaller. They feed on frogs, geckos, but also toads, skinks and small rodents such as mice.
Mozambique spitting cobra (Naja mossambica)
Black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis)
Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus)
Swaziland: plants
Extensive pine forests and eucalyptus trees cover part of Swaziland. In the east of the mountains there are grass plains and grass steppes with bushes and shrubs. In addition, forests and farm landscapes alternate. Most forests, however, are the result of extensive reforestation. The largest contiguous forest area is the Usutu Forest with an area of 400 km².
