COMMONWEALTH HIGH COMMISSIONERS Britain: Mr Harold Smedley, CGM, MBE; SRI LANKA REPRESENTATIVES IN NON-COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES Afghanistan: (Ambassador) (resident in New Delhi); Austria: (Ambassador) (resident in Bonn); Belgium: (Ambassador); Brazil: (Ambassador) (resident in New York); Burma: (Ambassador); China: (Ambassador); Cuba: (Ambassador) (resident in Ottawa); Czechoslovakia: (Ambassador) (resident in Moscow); Democratic Republic of Vietnam: (Ambassador) (resident in Peking); Denmark: (Ambassador) (resident in Stockholm); Ethiopia: (Ambassador) (resident in Nairobi); Finland: (Ambassador) (resident in Stockholm); Svari SWAZILAND WAZILAND takes its name from the Swazi tribe, a composite people of various clan origins who have existed as a distinct tribe only since the beginning of the nineteenth century. The country lies to the east of the Transvaal Province of the Republic of South Africa, which bounds it on the north, west and south. On the east it borders Mozambique and the South African province of Natal. Most of the country is between latitudes 26° and 27° S. and longitudes 31° and 32° E. The area is 6,705 square miles. Swaziland has four well-defined topographic regions. These extend longitudinally north and south throughout the country in roughly parallel belts. The Highveld (westernmost), Middleveld and Lowveld are of more or less equal breadth and the Lubombo is a narrower strip along the eastern border. The Highveld is a north-eastward continuation of the Natal Drakensberg. The average elevation is 3,500 to 4,500 feet, with the highest altitudes at the summits of Emlembe (6,100 feet) and Ngwenya (6,000 feet). The area is 2,000 square miles. The Middleveld is rolling tall grass country of an average altitude of 2,000 to 2,500 feet. Its area is 1,900 square miles. The Lowveld or Bushveld is a gently undulating lowland but seldom a true plain. Isolated knolls and ridges rise above the general level of 500 to 1,000 feet to more than 2,300 feet. It covers some 2,200 square miles. The Lubombo is an impressive escarpment which rises along the whole length of the eastern Lowveld, terminating it seaward and interrupted only by the gorges of the Ingwavuma, Usutu and Mbuluzi Rivers. In their journey to the sea Swaziland's major rivers traverse all four regions. The mean discharge where the rivers leave the country would be about two million gallons a minute if no water was taken from them. However, the Lowveld and Middleveld increasingly draw on their reaches of river for supplies of irrigation water. Nearly all Highveld streams are perennial. In contrast, the water courses of the Lowveld, other than the trunk rivers, are only filled after heavy rainstorms and at other times are dry channels or wadis. From the Highveld, the Lomati, Komati, Mbuluzi, Usushwane (or Little Usutu), Usutu (or Great Usutu), Ngwempisi, and Mkhondo (or Assegai), fed by countless minor streams, flow in a generally eastward direction towards the Indian Ocean. None of the rivers is navigable in the true sense of the word. The Highveld region has a humid near-temperate climate, with 40 to 90 inches mean annual rainfall, while the Middleveld and Lubombo are sub-tropical and less humid (30 to 45 inches). The Lowveld is near-tropical but drier, receiving 20 to 35 inches of rain in an average year. Most of the rain falls in the summerfrom October to March. The winter period, April to September, is comparatively dry throughout the country. The mean annual temperature on the Highveld is just over 16°C (60°F), and in the Lowveld it is about 22°C (72°F). Seasonal and daily ranges of temperature are considerable in all areas but greatest in the Lowveld. There is a low incidence of frost, but it can be expected for a few days in most years on much of the Highveld and Middleveld and in valley bottoms throughout the country. Population censuses take place at intervals of 10 years. The last census was held in May 1966, when a de jure population figure of 395,138 was arrived at. The 1974 estimate is about 478,000 including those temporarily absent from the country. Nearly 90 per cent of the population is Swazi, the remainder being Africans from other countries, Europeans, and people of mixed race. The Swazi language, siSwati, is the main language spoken. English and siSwaati are the official languages but there are statutory provisions under which siSwati can be used in Court proceedings. In 1970 it was estimated that there were 90,400 Christians in Swaziland and about 50,000 adults holding traditional beliefs. About 40 per cent of adult Africans hold indigenous beliefs. Almost all the rest of the adult population are Christians. In 1966 the birth rate was estimated to be 48 per thousand of the total population and the death rate about 22 per thousand; the population is increasing at the rate of about 2.8 per cent per year. Government provides curative and preventive medical services, aided in the curative field by the missions, certain industrial concerns, and by private practitioners. Tuberculosis, especially pulmonary tuberculosis, is one of the main health problems and is being actively tackled by the National T.B. Control Centre, which is based in Manzini. Malnutrition is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children. This condition, together with gastro-enteritis, is the principal cause of death in young children. Skim milk powder, received from the United States through UNICEF, is distributed to the under-five-year-olds at maternity and child welfare centres to help reduce protein deficiency. Typhoid and para-typhoid fevers are prevalent and are likely to remain so until rural hygiene can be undertaken on a larger scale. Malaria, while still present, has been controlled and does not present a serious public health problem. The incidence of bilharzia is increasing slightly and the position will not improve until a relatively cheap and efficient mollusciscide and a cheap therapeutic agent are discovered. Immunisation against enteric fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, and smallpox is offered at all hospitals and health offices. The number of beds at hospitals in 1973 was: Government hospitals 1,326, subsidised mission hospitals 423; Industry and Private hospitals 116. Swaziland is divided into four districts: Manzini, Lubombo, Shiselweni and Hhohho. Estimated figures of the district populations in 1972 are: Manzini, 116,500; Lubombo, 94,800; Shiselweni, 112,400; and Hhohho, 110,300. These figures exclude some 30,000 people absent from Swaziland, during the census, most of them working in South Africa. They also excluded 8,000 Europeans and 4,000 other Non-Africans. Mbabane, situated in the Highveld, is the capital of Swaziland and administrative headquarters of the Hhohho district. The estimated population of Mbabane in mid-1973 was 20,755. The Christian festivals are observed as Public holidays in Swaziland, including Easter Monday and Ascension Day. Boxing Day and New Year's Day are also celebrated. Other Public holidays are National Flag Day (25th April), Commonwealth Day (second Monday in June), the King's Birthday (22nd July), Umhlanga (Reed Dance) Day (variable Mondays in July and August), Somhlolo Day (Independence Day) (6th September), and Newala Day (to be appointed each year). The following table shows the number of paid employees, by origin and industry, during the period 1971-73 (from "Employment in the Public and Private Sector by Industry 1970-1973" in Central Statistical Office's Annual Statistical Review 1974). *Note: From 1972 Ministry of Agriculture-Headquarters and Considering only paid employment in the public and private sectors the increase in employment between 1972 and 1973 was 5.9 per cent. The increase in paid employment in the private sector between 1972 and 1973 was 1.2 per cent. Paid employment in Government increased by 26.3 per cent over the same period. (1) All private firms regardless of number of employees are included. (2) All Government employees included, except employees of the Swazi National Administration. (3) Classification is based upon International Standard Industrial Classification List. In 1974, 9,051 Swazi were recruited for work in the Republic of South Africa. This figure was slightly higher than that for 1973 (8,090) but substantially lower than for 1970 (9,326) or 1969 (8,267). Most of the Swazi who migrate in search of employment are recruited for work in the gold mines. Such recruitment is controlled under the Employment Proclamation, 1962. At the end of 1972 there were 8 registered trade unions and a Federation of Trade Unions. Maize is the staple crop, but cotton is the most significant dryland crop. In 1972/73, maize was grown on some 7,763 hectares. Other important dryland crops are pineapples, wheat, sorghum and tobacco. Sugar is the most important irrigated crop. Citrus fruit and rice are the other main crops grown under irrigation. Most of the major crops are grown for export. In 1973, Swaziland had 602,414 head of cattle, 265,092 goats, 38,184 sheep, 2,011 horses, 16,292 donkeys, 442,990 poultry and 15,536 pigs. 68,190 head of cattle were slaughtered during 1973 and 6,281 were exported live. In 1973 there were 69,761 hectares of established pine forests, 22,450 hectares of gums and 6,567 hectares of wattle. The exploitation of timber resources plays an important part in the economy of the country. Asbestos and iron ore are the country's two most important minerals. Asbestos is produced at the Havelock Mine, near Pigg's Peak, while the Ngwenya mine, near Mbabane, is working a rich iron ore deposit. Both the Ngwenya mine and the country's only colliery, at Mpaka, started production in 1964. Swaziland's manufacturing industries are mainly concerned with the processing of agricultural, livestock and forestry products. The Usutu Pulp Company's mill at Bunya has an annual output of some 150,000 short tons of unbleached sulphate pulp, while the sugar mills at Big Bend and Mhlume produce about 180,000 metric tons (1971 figures) of sugar each year. The Swaziland Cotona cotton |