World History Paper
The Repeal of the 1968 Westminster Style Constitution in Swaziland * Lorraine D’souza
HIS 110 A
Samuel Goodfellow
March 20th 2012
World history paper
The kingdom of Swaziland gained its independence on the 6th of September 1968. Soon After independence, in 1973 king Sobhuza ІІ abolished the Westminster style constitution that Swaziland had inherited from the British colonial masters. He had in his mind to develop a uniquely Swazi system of government, in which no political parties featured. The king justified his actions as having removed alien and disruptive political practices in compatible with the Swazi way of life. In 1973 the king assumed all powers of government and prohibited all political activities and trade unions from operating, an action which constantly arouses doubts towards the need for a new constitution. The focus of this thesis poses the question; Was the 1968 Constitution repealed because it led to instability in the political system of Swaziland or because it displayed a threat to the absolute Monarchy system of the country?
To fully and accurately judge the need for a constitution many factors shall have to be taken into consideration and studied in depth. These include firstly, looking at the Swazi traditional system, then the provisions of the Westminster style constitution and what did they mean, then we shall look at opposition parties and their outcome, the response and opinions of the king, and finally the general public view of Swazi people towards the new constitution.
The Swazi Traditional political system
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The first Swazi political system emerged from Ngwane ІІІ, who crossed the wilds of the Lubombo mountains and settled in a reserve called the Ngwavuma reserve, which was at that time known to be Swaziland. After his death many of the Swazis that were inspired by him and loved him called themselves to be “bantfu baka Ngwane or the people of Ngwane”1. From there itself
HIS 110 A
Samuel Goodfellow
March 20th 2012
World history paper
The kingdom of Swaziland gained its independence on the 6th of September 1968. Soon After independence, in 1973 king Sobhuza ІІ abolished the Westminster style constitution that Swaziland had inherited from the British colonial masters. He had in his mind to develop a uniquely Swazi system of government, in which no political parties featured. The king justified his actions as having removed alien and disruptive political practices in compatible with the Swazi way of life. In 1973 the king assumed all powers of government and prohibited all political activities and trade unions from operating, an action which constantly arouses doubts towards the need for a new constitution. The focus of this thesis poses the question; Was the 1968 Constitution repealed because it led to instability in the political system of Swaziland or because it displayed a threat to the absolute Monarchy system of the country?
To fully and accurately judge the need for a constitution many factors shall have to be taken into consideration and studied in depth. These include firstly, looking at the Swazi traditional system, then the provisions of the Westminster style constitution and what did they mean, then we shall look at opposition parties and their outcome, the response and opinions of the king, and finally the general public view of Swazi people towards the new constitution.
The Swazi Traditional political system
-------------------------------------------------
The first Swazi political system emerged from Ngwane ІІІ, who crossed the wilds of the Lubombo mountains and settled in a reserve called the Ngwavuma reserve, which was at that time known to be Swaziland. After his death many of the Swazis that were inspired by him and loved him called themselves to be “bantfu baka Ngwane or the people of Ngwane”1. From there itself
Bibliography: Books. Booth, A.R. (2000 second edition) Historical Dictionary Of Swaziland. Lanham, Maryland, London: The scarecrow Press, Inc. Kuper, H. (1978) Sobhuza II Ngwenyama and King of Swaziland. London: Gerald Duckworth And Co. Ltd Levin, R. (1997) When the Sleeping Grass Awakens. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press Scutt, J.F. (1983 4th revised edition) The story of Swaziland. Mbabane, Swaziland: websters (Pty) Ltd. Yuch, R. and Chen, C. (1970) The determinants of Swaziland`s Post-Independence Relations With The Republic Of South Africa. Unpublished manuscript Newspaper Articles. Editor (Old New Paper Authors are Unknown), 1968 Constitution Is Repealed. The Times of Swaziland 1973 April 13.