Mbabane, Eswatini
Mbabane is the administrative capital of Eswatini, a landlocked country in southern Africa that was previously known as Swaziland. Established as the administrative center in 1902 under British control, Mbabane serves a crucial role in the governance and economy of the nation. The city is located in the highveld plateau, at an altitude of 1,200 meters, and features a temperate climate with distinct summer and winter seasons. As of 2018, Mbabane had a population of approximately 68,000, predominantly composed of Swazis, and is known for its cultural diversity, including a mix of Christians and practitioners of African indigenous religions.
While Mbabane lacks prominent tourist attractions, it is characterized by its central business district along Allister Miller Street and a vibrant local market. The economy is heavily reliant on government activities and has historically engaged in mining, though this sector has declined. The city is also connected to major wildlife reserves, which represent the primary attractions for tourists. The political landscape of Eswatini is marked by an absolute monarchy, with recent pro-democracy protests highlighting ongoing tensions regarding governance and civil rights. The combination of cultural, economic, and political factors makes Mbabane a significant yet complex city within the context of Eswatini's national identity.
Subject Terms
Mbabane, Eswatini
Mbabane is the administrative capital of the Kingdom of Eswatini, formerly the Kingdom of Swaziland, a landlocked country in southern Africa. The city began to thrive in 1902, when the British government assumed control of Eswatini and established the nation's administrative center there. The city of Lobamba, only sixteen kilometers (ten miles) south of Mbabane, remains the traditional capital of the country and is home to its legislative seat, the Parliament (Libandla), as well as the residence of the ndlovukati (queen mother, literally "she-elephant"), the king's mother and joint head of state.
Landscape
Mbabane is located in the highveld plateau of western Eswatini, which is bordered by South Africa to the north, west, and south and Mozambique to the east. It is situated in the northern end of the Ezulwini Valley in the Dlangeni Hills at an altitude of 1,200 meters (3,937 feet). Mbabane is positioned along the Mbabane River and its tributary, the Polinjane River, which flows into the nearby Mdimba Mountains.
The Kingdom of Eswatini covers a total area of 17,363 square kilometers (6,704 square miles) and is one of the smallest countries on the African continent. The country is divided into four districts, and Mbabane is the largest city in its district of Hhohho.
Mbabane has a temperate and often humid climate. Average temperatures range from a high of 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to a low of 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) in July. Due to the city's location in the Southern Hemisphere, Mbabane experiences summer between the months of October and May and winter between the months of June and September.
People
Mbabane had a population of 68,000 in 2018. Approximately 97 percent of the population of Eswatini is African, with the remaining 3 percent European. Overall, nearly 90 percent of the population is made up of Swazis, with Zulu, Tonga, Shangaan, and European ethnicities constituting the remaining population.
Christianity is the predominant religion in Eswatini, and roughly 40 percent of the population practices African Zionism, which blends Christianity with the indigenous ancestral worship of the region. Twenty percent of the population claims Roman Catholicism and 10 percent practices Islam. Religions practiced by the remaining 30 percent include Anglicanism, Bahaism, Methodism, Mormonism, and Judaism.
The two official languages of Mbabane are English and Swati (or Swazi), though English is the exclusive language of business and government in Eswatini. Due to British influence in the region, the most popular sports in Mbabane are rugby, tennis, squash, and cricket.
Eswatini has the highest known national HIV/AIDS prevalence rate, with about 25.9 percent of adults aged fifteen to forty-nine infected with HIV as of 2022.
Economy
The economy of Mbabane is directly related to its status as the administrative capital of Eswatini. About 30 percent of the city's revenue is based on government-related business. Mbabane also has a close relationship with its sister city, Lobamba, only a short distance away.
Tin, coal, and ore have traditionally been important natural resources for Eswatini, with Mbabane serving as a primary distribution center into neighboring South Africa and Mozambique, but the mining industry has experienced a decline since 1997. The nation's last iron ore mine closed in 2014. Sugar and wood pulp are also important exports, although a drought in 2015 and 2016 hampered sugar production and exports. Given Eswatini's location and economic concerns, the country is nearly entirely dependent on its relationship with South Africa, which supplied more than 81 percent of the country's imports and accounted for 94 percent of its exports in 2017. Unemployment is high--25.76 percent in 2021--and the majority of the population lives below the poverty line--nearly 59 percent in 2016.
Subsistence agriculture also plays a key part in the economy of Eswatini, employing approximately 70 percent of the population. However, overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and floods have all contributed to instability in the agricultural industry throughout the country. In 2006 and 2007, over 25 percent of the national population needed emergency food assistance.
Despite Mbabane's status as a capital city, tourism is virtually nonexistent. The city is highly functional, with banks, post offices, and a retail sector, but has little to offer in the way of attractions. Generally, tourism in Eswatini is isolated to the rural wild game reserves and surrounding hill country. In an effort to increase tourism, Eswatini built a number of casinos during the 1990s, including the Piggs Peak Hotel and Casino.
Eswatini's high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is a source of economic instability and financial strain. However, as of 2022, 95 percent of those infected were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Landmarks
The heart of the city of Mbabane lies along Allister Miller Street, named after South African aviation pioneer and electrical engineer Lieutenant Colonel Allister Miller (1892–1951). The street includes the central business district of Mbabane as well as the colonial administrative buildings. At the southern end of the street is the Swazi Market, an outdoor market where local crafts, fruits, vegetables, and other goods are sold. Some of the crafts include beadwork, stone and wood carvings, grass weavings, and colorful cloths.
Down the hill from Allister Miller Street is the capital's primary modern shopping district, consisting of malls, financial institutions, and other service industries. As the city is generally lacking in historical and cultural landmarks, these shopping malls are often filled with tourists who stay in Mbabane and travel on day trips to other parts of Eswatini.
Some of the most popular tourist attractions near Mbabane are the game reserves, including the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and the Malolotja Nature Reserve. The Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Ezulwini Valley east of Mbabane, between the cities of Mbabane and Manzini. It covers over 4,560 hectares (11,268 acres) of land and is the oldest wildlife sanctuary in Eswatini. The Malolotja Nature Reserve covers an area of over 18,000 hectares (44,479 acres). It is home to over 280 species of birds as well as baboons, warthogs, leopards, lynxes and various species of antelope.
History
The indigenous people of the area of Mbabane were the Bantu clans of southern Africa. They originally migrated west from Mozambique in the eighteenth century and settled in the area that became known as Swaziland as is now known as Eswatini. In the nineteenth century, the various Bantu clans organized together into a tribe to battle the rival Zulu people of South Africa. In the 1840s, they appealed to the British government for assistance, and the area of Swaziland was subsequently granted independence from South Africa in 1881. It continued as a South African protectorate until 1889.
From 1889 to 1902, the area of Swaziland was caught in the Second Boer War between the British and the Boer Republics of southern Africa, which were self-governed states established by Dutch-speaking South Africans. The British won the war in 1902 and began to rebuild the region of Swaziland. At this time, the British leaders moved the administrative capital of Swaziland from the city of Manzini to Mbabane due to the devastation left in Manzini at the end of the Boer War. Over time, Manzini rebuilt and grew to become one of the largest and most populated cities in Swaziland.
During the twentieth century, Mbabane developed into a commercial and governmental hub for Swaziland. Infrastructure, including electricity, schools, medical facilities, roads, and factories, grew to support the city's role as a governmental seat, and from 1902 to 1963, Swaziland remained under British rule. In 1963, the territory was constituted as a South African protectorate, and on September 6, 1968, the protectorate became the independent nation of Swaziland.
Since 1986, Swaziland has been ruled as an absolute monarchy from the royal seat in Lobamba. In 2005, the nation passed a constitution, but the effects of this legislation have been minimal. Despite the kingdom's independence and its member status in the Commonwealth of Nations, the country is tightly ruled by the monarchy, and this balance of power is often criticized as safeguarding a select few while oppressing the poorer majority. The king, called the ngwenyama, is seen as powerful and tough and attends to the administrative aspects of governance. The queen mother, or ndlovukati, balances this hardness with softness and is the spiritual leader of the nation. Pro-democracy demonstrations began in 2021 when anger about years without political reform bubbled over. Authorities responded with force and hundreds of demonstrators were killed. The protests continued into 2023, when an election was held, but critics denounced it as a sham, noting that the king appoints all legislators, judicial figures, and the executive branch. Political parties have been illegal for years.
In April 2018, King Mswati III renamed the country Eswatini in honor of King Mswati II, who expanded and unified Swazi territory in the nineteenth century.
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