Africa Point: Swaziland Travel Information
Swaziland:
Overview
The smallest country in the southern hemisphere is also one of the most easy going - laid-back Swazis are more likely to celebrate for fun than demonstrate for reform. A progressive and hands-on attitude towards wildlife preservation has endowed Swaziland with a striking bunch of national parks and game reserves, and black and white rhino, elephant, and more recently, lion, have been reintroduced. You can trek, horse ride, raft on wild rivers or cycle through many of the parks and get surprisingly close to a huge variety of wildlife. The system of reserves also protects unique and rare plants and plant communities, such as the finbos, more common in South Africa.
While one or two towns get a little rough around the edges
after dark, the tension palpably lifts if you are crossing into Swaziland from South
Africa. Some of the more important festivals turn the Ezulwini ('Heaven') Valley into a
brilliant spectacle of dancing and singing a couple of times a year, as tribespeople
decked out in flamboyant costumes reaffirm their belief in the monarchy and their culture.
There may be only one museum in the country and little in the way of night-time diversions
besides crapping on in the Casino, but the countryside's thriving and the life is wild.
When to go
Winter, from June to August, is probably the best time, especially if you want to avoid those days when you could fry eggs on your tin hat. You'll get cooler temperatures (downright cold at night) in the eastern lowlands and warmer, drier weather in the highlands.If you want to see the two most important Swazi cultural ceremonies, go in August or September for the Umhlanga (Reed) Dance, or in late December or early January for the Incwala (the 'first fruits') ceremony.
Essential Info
Visas: Most people don't require a visa, apart from citizens of Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland, who can get them free at the airport. Vaccination certificates are required if you have recently been in a yellow fever area.
Health risks: Bilharzia and malaria
Time: GMT/UTC plus 2 hours
Electricity: 220/230V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Currency: Swazi Lilangeni (pl: emilangeni) (SZL)
Relative Cost:
- Budget meal: US$3-5
- Moderate restaurant meal: US$10-15
- Top-end restaurant meal: US$15 and upwards
- Budget room: US$6-15
- Moderate hotel: US$25-35
- Top-end hotel: US$55 and upwards
Swaziland is not as cheap as some of the poorer black African nations to the north, but it still offers good value. Travellers intent on sleeping in hostels or caravan parks, eating cheap, and skipping most safaris should get by on US$25-35 a day. But there's no point skipping the safaris, because Swaziland is one of the cheapest places in southern Africa to go looking for big game. If you're seeking a few more creature comforts, the privacy of your own, air conditioned hotel room and more to choose from in meals, expect to pay around US$75, and if you want to stay in the best hotels (although they tend to be depressingly bland), don't mind what you spend on food and like to have the odd flutter at the casino, expect to spend US$120 and upwards.
Money
There's no black market in Swaziland, and the South African rand is accepted everywhere and is on a fixed, one-to-one exchange rate with the lilangeni. You should have no difficulties changing major currencies, and rand are accepted everywhere. There's no need to change rand if you're coming from South Africa, although you'll be given small change in shops in emilangeni. Several banks change travellers cheques, and ATMs have made an appearance and accept several, but not all, credit cards.
Tipping is as much the norm as it is in South Africa, and
around 10-15% is usual. Bargaining isn't unknown but you won't find many situations where
you can do it.
Full country name: Kingdom of Swaziland
Area: 17,363 sq km (10,766 sq mi)
Population: 1,031,000
Capital city: Mbabane (administrative); Lobamba (legislative)
People: Swazi, Zulu, Tsonga-Shangaan and European
Language: English, siSwati
Religion: Christian (60%), Indigenous beliefs (40%)
Government: Parliamentary Monarchy
Head of State: King Mswati III
Economy facts
GDP: US$3.8 billion
GDP per head: US$3800
Annual growth: 2.9%
Inflation: 14.7%
Major industries: Sugar, mining (coal and asbestos), wood pulp, agriculture, soft
drink concentrates
Major trading partners: South Africa, Japan, UK, US
People and History
People
Dancing and singing are features of Swaziland's main cultural ceremonies, and traditional get-togethers can be brilliant celebrations, with men and women dancing in unison in spectacular traditional gear. Although the monarchy has been criticised as illiberal, the main cultural festivals revolve around sacred ceremonies drawing the people together and reminding them of their relationship to the king. Swazi national dress is striking and you'll see it worn frequently, especially at ceremonies. Shades of ochre, pink and red are common, as is wearing bright feathers in the hair.
SiSwati and English are the official languages, and English is the official written language. In most parts of the countryside you'll have little difficulty being understood. Although indigenous religions are not widely practiced, traditional Swazi culture remains strong, and important ceremonies, such as the Incwala, Umhlanga and the Umcwasho have religious overtones. One of the Incwala's most important elements involves a pilgrimage to the sea to skim foam from the waves of the Indian Ocean, harking back to the Swazis' homeland on the coast of Mozambique. You'll meet people with the surname Dlamini all over the country, most of whom claim some sort of lineage to the royal throne, and while some may put on unwarranted royal airs, others may be struggling local farmers. (In late 1998 confusion reigned supreme in parliament when two men who shared the name Peter Dlamini arrived to be sworn in as ministers.) Most of the population is Swazi, but there is a small number of Zulu, Tsonga-Shangaan and Europeans. Mozambican refugees, of both African and European descent, form a significant minority.
Maize is the staple grain, and most people eat it as a type of porridge, often served with a fatty stew. That may sound unappetising, but it is a poor country and it suffers from chronic insecurity of food supply in regions prone to drought. Historically, Swazis have been meat eaters, but the average Swazi's diet is today more likely to be limited to maize, milk and vegetables. African home-produced beer, often made from sorghum or maize, is usually worth drinking, although its quality varies from place to place and you should ask for the best local outlet and brew.
History
In eastern Swaziland archaeologists have discovered human remains dating back 110,000 years, but the Swazi people arrived only relatively recently. During the great Bantu migration into southern Africa, one clan of the Nguni, moving down the east coast, settled around modern Maputo in Mozambique. Eventually the Dlamini family founded a dynasty there, but by the middle of the 18th century, pressure from the other clans forced a Dlamini king, Ngwane III, to lead his people south to what is now southern Swaziland, around the Pongola River. The Swazi now consider Ngwane III to be their first king.
Under pressure from the Zulu, the next king, Sobhuza I, withdrew to the Ezulwini Valley, which remains the centre of Swazi royalty and rituals today. King Mswazi, who ascended the throne next, was a gifted warrior and diplomat, and by the time he cashed his chips in 1868 the Swazi nation was secure.
The Zulus frequently clashed with the British and the Boers, which relieved pressure on the Swazis but created other problems. Swaziland attracted a ragtag bunch of great white hunters, inconsequential traders, fervent missionaries and land hungry farmers looking to feed their cattle. The kingdom's land was being gobbled up in leases granted to the Europeans, but in 1877 the British decided to run the place along their own lines and they annexed it lock, stock and barrel. The Swaziland Convention of 1881 guaranteed the nation's independence on paper, while considerably contracting its borders, and 'independence' proved to be just a word. In practice the Brits and Boers pursued their own interests with chaotic results, and after the Boer War the victors took over the reigns of power. Swaziland joined the long list of countries administered by London.
During the 20th century, land ownership grew into an issue threatening the viability of Swazi culture, given that Swazi kings are considered to hold the kingdom in trust for their subjects. With a large proportion of the kingdom in foreign hands, King Labotsibeni encouraged Swazis to buy back the farm, and many emigrated to South Africa to raise money by working in the mines. Land was gradually returned to the kingdom, both by direct purchase and by the British government, and at independence in 1968 around two-thirds of the kingdom was back in Swazi control. Britain's 66-year rule was overturned peacefully, and many streets in Mbabane retain their colonial-era names, perhaps indicative of the good will the colonial administration left behind.
Swaziland inherited a constitution largely the work of the British, and in 1973 King Sobhuza II suspended it on the grounds that it did not reflect Swazi culture. Four years later parliament reconvened under a new constitution that vested all power in the king. Sobhuza was followed in 1986 by King Mswati, who continues to maintain and represent tradition. He runs the country with the Council of Ministers, a small core of advisers. There is a little dissent in the country, although most Swazis seem committed to maintaining their culture despite external pressures of modernisation.
Opposition parties remain illegal, and in 1995 the National Assembly and the homes of the deputy prime minister and the vice-chancellor of the University of Swaziland were burned in student riots. Following a general strike later that year there was an easing in the almost total power of the king, and in 1997 the heads of Mozambique and South Africa held talks with the king on further democratisation in Swaziland.
Events
The Incwala (sometimes called Ncwala) or 'first
fruits' ceremony takes place in December or January and is the most important in the Swazi
calendar. Groups of bemanti (learned men) trek over the country, bringing back
plants, river water and foam from the Indian Ocean to the Royal Kraal at Lobamba. Finally
the king breaks his retreat, dances before the people and eats a pumpkin, a sign that
Swazis can eat the new year's crops. In the Umhlanga,held in August or September,
marriageable young Swazi women journey from all over the kingdom to help repair the queen
mother's home at Lobamba. The festival is a showcase of potential wives for the king and
draws the nation together to remind people of their relationship and obligations to him.
Activities
If time is on your side, the best way to see Swaziland is by trekking,
and several of the national parks offer excellent trails that are often generations old. Horse
riding is another way to explore inaccessible parts of the country, and at Mlilwane
Wildlife Sanctuary, not far from Mbabane, you can watch wildlife doing its thing from the
back of a horse. White-water rafting, mountain bike riding and abseiling
are growing in the popularity stakes.
Travel
International Travel
Royal Swazi Airlines operates out of Matsapha International Airport, north of Manzini, and flies to Jo'burg, Maputo, Harare, Lusaka, Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. Schedules and tickets often refer to the airport as Manzini. Lesotho Airways flies to Maseru, and Comair flies to and from Jo'burg.
Swaziland has 11 border posts with South Africa and one with
Mozambique, and the smallest posts close at 4 or 6 pm. There is a bus service from Mbabane
to Maputo in Mozambique, and buses ply the roads between Mbabane, Durban and Capetown and
Jo'burg to Mlilwane. Minibus taxis also run between Jo'burg and Mbabane, but for most
other destinations in Swaziland you'll have to take a minibus taxi to the border and then
another from there to the nearest town, then change again. This can take time. If you're
entering by car, your vehicle must have a vehicle-breakdown warning triangle, seatbelts
and official papers.
Local Travel
Swaziland has a good system of buses running regular routes,
and minibus taxis running shorter routes at slightly higher prices than the buses. Most
roads are good but there are rough ones out bush. Driving down the Ezulwini Valley in
heavy traffic can be slow and dangerous. Away from the main population centres the main
dangers are people and animals on the road. With a legal blood alcohol limit of 0.15%,
drunken drivers can be another danger!
Reading
Books specifically on Swaziland are rather thin on the ground, unless you'd like to burrow into such erudite tomes as The economic impact of the adoption of hybrid maize in Swaziland. You could, however, try the following:
- Lonely Planet's South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland and Africa on a shoestring guides supply up-to-date information on travel in Swaziland.
- Michael Brett and Alan Mountain's Touring Atlas of Southern Africa offers a short but colourful section on Swaziland.
- The Complete Guide to Walks & Trails in Southern Africa by Jaynee Levy covers all the trails and contains an extraordinary amount of information, although it is far too big and heavy to carry.
- Mammals of Southern Africa by Chris and Tilde Stuart includes a stack of information and excellent photographs.
- Kenneth Newman's Newman's Birds of Southern Africa is a comprehensive field guide with full-colour illustrations.
Published literature by black writers is in short supply, but that situation will change.