The road to independence started in 1947
The road to Eswatini’s independence started irreversibly on March 25, 1947, when the King of Britain, King George VI on this day brought his entire apex of the crown - his wife, Queen Elizabeth and his heir, Crown Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II and mother of King Charles IIO) on a visit to Eswatini.
The British Royal Family had boarded a steamship that sailed to Cape Town, then travelled by train to Ermelo to complete what must be a bone-jarring journey by car on a gravel road through Piet Retief, and to Eswatini.
They were not on safari to admire the wildlife of Africa. They had come to visit an important historical partner, the King of Eswatini and the helpful emaSwati in a relationship that stretched through almost a century through three generations of leaders on both sides.
During the Second World War which had ended two years earlier, the emaSwati had been impressive. King George Vl had asked for military support from the people of Eswatini to help defeat the German dictator, Adolf Hitler who was terrorizing Europe. Once again, King Sobhuza II had been unflinching. He accepted the request and sent a contingent of strong Swati men under the leadership of Prince Dabede, deputized by Prince Bhekimpi.
War Effort
It was not the first time that Eswatini had supported Britain without reservation. In 1914, the Regents had sent 114 men to fight for Britain. They had also contributed almost E140 000 (£7,000) to the war effort. This money was used to buy two warplanes for the British Air Force – which gives an idea of the size of the donation.
The relationship with Britain was not one-sided. King Mswati II had appealed to Britain in September 1852 to prevent the troublesome Zulu King, Mpande from impoverishing Eswatini by raiding its cattle. Mpande carried an excuse that his brother, Dingane had taken cattle into Eswatini during an abortive colonization of the Eswatini Kingdom.
The adventure, in which Dingane had sent three divisions to build him a new home on Eswatini territory had been a disaster. In the battle of Lubuya near Bhanganoma just north of the town of Hlathikhulu, the Eswatini Army under Prince Sonyezane defeated the Zulus and threw them out of the country.
Mswati had used the age-old Eswatini diplomatic gesture and sent his sister, Tifokati in marriage to the British agent in
Natal, Theophilus Shepstone Snr.
Thirty-seven years later, the Eswatini returned the favour and helped the British complete their dominance of South Africa by winning the battle against Sekhukhune of the Pedi.
The British were also grateful to Eswatini for their selfless contribution to Britain overseas.
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, King George VI sent a similar request to King Sobhuza II. Britain and Germany had faced off on opposing sides. King Sobhuza II had sent a fighting force under his paternal uncle, the senior Prince Masumphe, the youngest son of King Mbhandzeni.
Eswatini contributed the personnel, 47 officers and 93 other ranks. The Eswatini contingent fought bravely and 14 were decorated for their contribution in the various theatres of war.
EmaSwati were represented by a small contingent of 67 men who were attached to the Native Labour Contingent in Flanders. Generous responses were made to appeals for War Relief Funds, and a total amount of E134,000 (£6,735) was collected and distributed.
The Chief Regent and Chiefs raised a fund on their initiative as a contribution to the expenses of the War. A total of E60,000 (£3,000) was contributed by the Swazi Nation, and was, by His Majesty’s Command, devoted to the purchase of two aeroplanes for the Royal Air Force.
King George Vl’s visit had special significance as very few African countries can claim a similar distinction. It was also prophetic and showed the British remained consistent in ultimately restoring Swazi sovereignty long before the Suez Canal crisis that forced both the British and French Governments to reconsider their colonial enterprises.
Very few British colonies or protectorates can claim to have hosted the head of the British Empire and his successor together. This underscored British recognition of Eswatini’s independence by the British monarch.
Indeed, since the undertaking to respect Swazi independence made by Field Marshal Sir Henry Evelyn Woods, no document is known that assigned Swaziland the status of a vassal state. At the end of the First Anglo-Boer War, Woods had made sure that the assurance of Eswatini’s independence was respected as documented in the First Swaziland Convention of 1881. This was one of three agreements that Britain and South Africa signed between themselves in discussion on the future of the then Kingdom of Swaziland which the South African Republic assumed it would annex.
The fact that the King of Great Britain has come to Swaziland to express gratitude for Swazi support when he could have simply instructed Whitehall to send a cable to Mbabane instructing the British High Commissioner to say thank you suggests significant regard for the small territory.
Britain was not the first to ask for military help from Eswatini. In 1876, Burghers who were settled in Ohristad by King Mswati II had requested for military support from King Mbhandzeni.