Swaziland Timeline -- Part 2: Independence to Present Day
A Chronology of Key Events in Swaziland
By Alistair Boddy-Evans, About.com
| 6 September 1968 | Swaziland achieves independence from Britain within the Commonwealth. Sobhuza II becomes constitutional monarch. Prince Makhosini Dlamini becomes the country's first Prime Minister. |
| May 1972 | First post-independence elections. INM receive three-quarters of the vote, which gives them 21 of 24 seats in parliament (not all seats are by election). Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) gains around 20% of vote (three seats in parliament) and becomes opposition party. |
| 1972 | General outcry when it is revealed that South African businesses were urging the Swaziland government to prevent the building of a fertilizer company and tyre plant, fearing the competition. |
| April 1973 | Upset by the 20% vote for an opposition party, political parties are banned by King Sobhuza II. Constitution repealed and Sobhuza II takes direct control of the country as absolute monarch. Sobhuza II claims that political parties are 'alien' to Swazi traditions of government. |
| September 1974 | Swaziland issues its own currency, the lilangeni. It is hoped that this will give the country some financial independence from South Africa. |
| November 1975 | Sobhuza II bans the NNLC. |
| 31 March 1976 | Colonel Maphevu Dlamini replaces Makhosini Dlamini as Prime Minister. |
| 1977 | King Sobhuza II abolishes parliament and installs a traditional tribal advisory panel, the Supreme Council of State, or Liqoqo. The Liqoqo is made up from members of the royal family who were previously members of the Swaziland National Council which advised the king on Swazi tradition. Additionally, a new tribal community system, the tiNkhulda, is introduced to provide 'elected' representatives to a House of Assembly. |
| October 1977 | The Swaziland National Teacher's Organization, which is campaigning against pay structures imposed by the government, is declared a political party and promptly banned. |
| 1978 | King Sobhuza II's control of Swaziland extended to executive and legislative branches of government under new constitution. |
| Dr Ambrose Zwane, leader of the NNCL which was banned in 1975, flees the country to Mozambique. He is reported to have founded the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) whilst in exile. | |
| October 1978 | King Sobhuza responds to pressure and appoints a new, partially elected, legislature, but retains a power of veto. The tiNkhulda holds elections to a 80-member Electoral College, which appoints 40 of its members to the House of Assembly (the other 10 are directly appointed by King Sobhuza II) and 10 members to the Senate (with 10 more appointed by Sobhuza). No political campaigning was allowed. |
| January 1979 | New legislative body, the Libandla, begins work. |
| July 1979 | Dr Ambrose Zwane granted amnesty and returns to Swaziland. However a substantial number of NNCL leaders still remain in detention in Swaziland. |
| June 1980 | 40 buildings in the second city, Manzini, are destroyed by bomb blasts. South African newspapers suggest that these had been ANC bases in Swaziland. |
| 1981 | King Sobhuza II celebrates his Diamond Jubilee. |
| 1982 | It is revealed that in return for the chance to regain land lost to South Africa before independence, King Sobhuza II signed secret security agreements with the Apartheid government in south Africa, giving them the opportunity to pursue the ANC camped in Swaziland. |
| 21 August 1982 | King Sobhuza dies and the Queen Mother, Dzeliwe Shongwe, becomes regent for Prince Makhosetive. Power struggle erupts between traditionalists supporting the royal clan, Dlamini, and modernists in the government. Traditional advisors, the Liqoqo, try to maintain power over the regent. |
| 9 August 1983 | Queen Mother Dzeliwe Shongwe is ousted as regent and Prince Sozisa Dlamini takes over as regent. |
| 18 September 1983 | Prince Sozisa Dlamini is replaced by Queen Ntombi Thwala, Prince Mahjosetive's mother, as regent. |
| Formation of the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO). | |
| 1984 | State university is closed after students protest. |
| October 1985 | Queen Regent Ntombi dismisses leading figures in the advisory Liqoqo. |
| 25 April 1986 | Prince Makhosetive crowned as King Mswati III as he reaches 18 years of age. |
| 1987 | Voting for the House of Assembly is particularly low as the people voice their dissatisfaction with the tiNkhulda system. |
| 1988 | People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) openly criticize King Mswati III and demand democratic reforms. A call for reformation of the legislative structure of Swaziland is rejected by the Prime Minister, despite it receiving support in the House of Assembly. |
| 1990 | PUDEMO once again calls for democratic reform. |
| 1991 | King Mswati III sets up a commission to review the tiNkhundla system. The commission is rejected by PUDEMO. |
| 1992 | King Mswati sets up another commission to look at electoral reform, which is again rejected by PUDEMO. In response King Mswati III suspends the legislature and begins rule by decree. |
| 1992 | Partial electoral reforms are passed, but political parties are still banned. |
| 1993 | Directly elected members of parliament are appointed to the legislature. |
| 1995 | Swaziland Youth Congress members burn down the parliament buildings. |
| Strikes arranged by the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU). | |
| 1996 | PUDEMO begins a campaign of civil disobedience to highlight Mswati III's failure to implement democratic reform. Further strikes are held. |
| Constitutional Review Commission appointed to consider a plan to introduce democracy. | |
| 1997 | Roughly half Swaziland's work force takes part in a SFTU strike. The strike is declared illegal by the Swaziland government. |
| September 1997 | Mswati III dissolves the existing House of Assembly in order to create a new National Assembly. |
| November 1997 | New elections for the National Assembly are held. |
| 1998 | Major environmental restoration program announced by King Mswati III. |
| April 2001 | Constitutional Review Commission appointed to investigate democratic reform. |
| September 2001 | In an attempt to reduce the impact of HIV-AIDS on young people, King Mswati III imposed a five year ban on sex for young girls. |
| King Mswati III marries his eight wife, a 17 year old schoolgirl. | |
| 2002 | Pro-democracy protests in Swaziland. |
| 40% of Swaziland population believed to be on verge of starvation following poor harvests. | |
| November 2002 | Mswati III takes delivery of a $45 million jet whilst an increasing number of Swazi fall below the poverty line. |
| May 2003 | Committee investigating democratic reform releases its report. Rather than move towards democracy, Mswati III's selected advisors suggest that opposition political parties should be banned and that the king be given absolute rule. |
| October 2003 | Pro-democracy activist Obed Dlamini gains a seat in parliament. |
| February 2004 | Following three years of drought the Prime Minister highlights an ongoing humanitarian crisis. |
| March 2004 | According to a UN representative, Swaziland now has the highest rate of HIV-AIDS infection in the world. |
| July 2004 | Whilst the country faces austerity, King Mswati III announces he will build new palaces for his wives. |
| March 2005 | Swaziland High Court rules that political parties can not exist under Swazi law. |
| August 2005 | New constitution signed by King Mswati III introducing human rights follows eight years of negotiation. |
| March 2006 | Opposition activists from PUDEMO (a banned political organization) are charged over petrol bomb attacks which took place at the beginning of the year. |
| 2006 | Swazi protestors block border crossing with South Africa in protest at the lack of democratic reform. South African police mount armed response. |
| April 2007 | Six PUDEMO members are charged with sedition following protests on the anniversary of King Sobhuza II's royal decree banning political parties (back in 1973). |
| July 2007 | Protests held in Swazi capital of Manzini calling for democratic reform. |
| February 2008 | Boycott of National Assembly elections is called by opposition groups. |
| September 2008 | Elections for National Assembly are held, but the turn out is small. |
| 22 September 2008 | Two people die attempting to plant a bomb near one of Mswati III's royal palaces. |
| November 2008 | PUDEMO blamed for a bomb attack on the royal palace. PUDEMO leader, Mario Masuku detained under anti-terror laws. |
| September 2009 | PUDEMO leader Mario Masuku released. |
| September 2010 | Pro-democracy rally in Manzini. |
Timeline of Swaziland
• Part 1: Prehistory to Independence
Swaziland Leaders
• Sobhuza I
• Mswati II
• Sobhuza II
Related Glossary Terms
• Ngwenyama
• tiNkhulda
• Gaza Kingdom
