This dissertation examines centre- regional disputes which are now more than two centuries old between the Swazi royal house and the subordinate chiefdoms of the Magagula, Tfwala, and Mabuza, all located in central Swaziland, and the Fakudze of Macetjeni, located in the Lubombo region. The research report contends that these disputes have become so critical in the relationship between princes and chiefs in Swaziland that it has culminated in open defiance by chiefs deposed in favour of princes. This has led to the Swazi royal house resorting to the use of naked force in a bid to stamp its authority over the subordinate recalcitrant chiefs. The tradition of placing princes as chiefs in distant areas helped to serve two aims. One was to send princes throughout the country for purposes of surveillance of the recalcitrant chiefdoms, and the other to remove princes from the royal kraal as these could not disturb the incumbent ruler by contesting the throne. The non-Dlamini chiefdoms have struggled to regain their lost autonomy at any given opportunity. Such opportunities have been availed to the non-Dlamini chiefdoms by forces that have acted upon the Swazi society since the early 19th century. These included the Mfecane wars, colonialism, missionary activities, education and the mineral revolution in South Africa with its concomitant labour migration. These forces saw the Dlamini royal house struggling to retain its hold on the non-Dlamini chiefdoms through the invention and manipulation of tradition. Each of the Swazi kings has adhered to this old tradition of placing his brothers as chiefs, beginning with Sobhuza I up to the time of Sobhuza II and the current king Mswati III. The net effect of placing princes in the periphery has caused a lot of confusion and opposition in the country, as subordinate chiefs have openly revolted against traditional authorities who impose princes as new rulers of their principalities. The Swazi royal house has responded by evicting some of these chiefs and that the latter have been forced to seek political asylum in neighbouring South Africa. In a nutshell this thesis shows that the Swazi traditional system has failed to offer alternatives or accommodate change. Worsening matters is that the current king is encircled by people who lack vision and wisdom, as a result the traditional system has faltered and failed to embrace change and has distanced itself from the people.

<p>This study looked at socio-economic and political constraints on constitutional reform in Swaziland, an independent state with a fully autonomous government that falls under the Monarch who is Head of State. Swaziland maintains strong economic and trading links with South Africa and also maintains such ties with other states, especially in the Southern African Development Community region. Up untill 1973, the country's constitution was Westminister based. This was evoked and replaced with a system designed to facilitate the practice of both western and traditional styles of government. This system incorporated the system known as Tinkhundla and provides for the people to elect candidates to be their parliamentary representatives for specific constituencies.</p>

<p>This study looked at socio-economic and political constraints on constitutional reform in Swaziland, an independent state with a fully autonomous government that falls under the Monarch who is Head of State. Swaziland maintains strong economic and trading links with South Africa and also maintains such ties with other states, especially in the Southern African Development Community region. Up untill 1973, the country's constitution was Westminister based. This was evoked and replaced with a system designed to facilitate the practice of both western and traditional styles of government. This system incorporated the system known as Tinkhundla and provides for the people to elect candidates to be their parliamentary representatives for specific constituencies.</p>

This research assessed the state of e-government in Swaziland with special reference to government ministries and departments. The goal was to establish the extent to which the Swaziland Government has responded to the challenges and the progress made regarding the priority initiatives pertaining to e-government in the country as outlined in the work of Oyomno and Ramatlhape (2004: 45). To provide an accurate picture of e-government in the country was not an easy task due to the absence of empirical studies conducted on e-government in Swaziland. The study used the survey research strategy. The population of the study was the government ministries and departments which made 23 units of analysis. The techniques for data collection were an interview schedule, an administered questionnaire and a website evaluation form. The data was then analyzed using SPSS version 15.0 for Windows for statistical processing. The research established that the country has developed an appropriate ICT policy. This policy promises a favourable climate that would enhance the development and implementation of e-government in Swaziland. The research also disclosed that the country enjoys the requisite political will necessary to see e-government through. / Thesis (MIS)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

The thesis covers the branches of law known as Constitutional law and Customary law. It focuses on the powers of the Swazi monarch, which are based on a combination of the received Western law and Swazi custom. For the purposes of this study, therefore, Swazi law and custom shall be taken to include both the statutory law and the yet unwritten customary law. Swaziland is black Africa's only remaining traditional monarchy, ruled as it is by the Ngwenyama, an indigenous institution, whose origin is derived from custom. The resilience of this ancient system of government in a continent where modernisation and constitutional democracy among other factors have led to its extinction is phenomenal, particularly because some commentators have described traditionalism in modern Africa as an "embarrassing anachronism.' In Swaziland the monarchy continues to be a vibrant system and the nation is currently engaged in a process of not only codifying the customary law but also of drafting the constitution of the country. One of the key areas of concern is the question of the distribution of power between the monarch and the people under the proposed constitution. Traditionalists are of the view that the powers that the King currently exercises should remain intact as they are a reflection of the Swazi law and custom. Progressives, on the other hand, are of the view that the current position makes the King an absolute monarch and are thus proposing a change from an absolute to a constitutional monarch. In other words they want some kind of checks and balances in the envisaged system of government. The study will show that the constitutional evolution of Swaziland and the exigencies of synthesising modern and traditional systems of governance have over the years obscured the true nature of the powers of the monarch in terms of Swazi custom. Thus before we can consider whether the future of the monarchy in Swaziland depends on the harmonisation of modern and traditional systems of governance, it is necessary to revisit the past to determine the powers of the monarch in their embryonic form, for it is from this period that we can extrapolate the powers of the Ngwenyama in terms of Swazi custom. The thesis has been arranged as follows: The first chapter will review the precolonial political system of Swaziland with a view to establishing whether monarchical authority was founded on command or consensus. The various theories, which seek to explain the foundations of the monarchical system of government, will be outlined. The second chapter will focus on European influence on the Swazi traditional system of government. The third chapter will be an analysis of the powers of the monarch under the 1968 independence constitution. The fourth chapter will focus on the effect of the repeal of the 1968 independence constitution by the Monarch. The fifth chapter will focus on the constitutional reforms under the reign of king Mswati III. The sixth and last chapter focus on proposals for reform. The research method used was in the main, an analysis of relevant legal principles as contained in textbooks, legislation, journals, the scant case law that is available in this area of the law and other relevant materials. A comparative survey of ancient African kingdoms will be done, with emphasis on those Kingdoms, which later became British colonial possessions. It is hoped that this comparative analysis will help explain the evolution of these traditional structures alongside modern governmental institutions.

This dissertation focuses on the Liqoqo years in Swaziland and the extent to which King Sobhuza’s reign and the introduction of the 1973 Decree created the conditions that led to the crises that plagued the country after the monarch’s death in 1982. It argues that Sobhuza II’s brand of cultural nationalism, the removal of the Independence Constitution, the introduction of Tinkhundla governance and the transformation of the Liqoqo sowed the seeds for political crisis that engulfed the kingdom. This study refutes the traditionalist/modernist debate and proposes that King Sobhuza II, albeit unwittingly, was the architect of a scenario that almost destroyed the long reigning Swazi monarchy. While this dissertation focuses on events leading up to and during the Liqoqo era, the aftermath is equally fascinating witnessing unparalleled civic dissatisfaction and the emergence of more vocal and organised opposition groups during the final decade of the century. / History / M.A (History)

This dissertation focuses on the Liqoqo years in Swaziland and the extent to which King Sobhuza’s reign and the introduction of the 1973 Decree created the conditions that led to the crises that plagued the country after the monarch’s death in 1982. It argues that Sobhuza II’s brand of cultural nationalism, the removal of the Independence Constitution, the introduction of Tinkhundla governance and the transformation of the Liqoqo sowed the seeds for political crisis that engulfed the kingdom. This study refutes the traditionalist/modernist debate and proposes that King Sobhuza II, albeit unwittingly, was the architect of a scenario that almost destroyed the long reigning Swazi monarchy. While this dissertation focuses on events leading up to and during the Liqoqo era, the aftermath is equally fascinating witnessing unparalleled civic dissatisfaction and the emergence of more vocal and organised opposition groups during the final decade of the century. / History / M.A (History)