Swaziland

Because of you…

The Youth for Christ team in Swaziland desires to reach the majority of youth for Christ by taking one region at a time. Their current ministries include youth camps with Lifeskill training and Worth Waiting For campaigns, leadership development in churches and schools, sports clinic evangelism, and Dance and Dawing clinics.

Prayer Needs

Increase in volunteers and staff, as well as passion for ministry
Financial provisions to do the ministry.
Continual removal of the traditional beliefs that have infiltrated the church and the culture, including witchcraft.
Building and establishing church partnerships.
Mobilization of volunteers to effectively carry out Youth for Christ ministry activities.

About Swaziland

Introduction

Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III, the world's last absolute monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006, but political parties remain banned. The African United Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully to register as an official political party in mid 2006. Talks over the constitution broke down between the government and progressive groups in 2007. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.

Geography

Location

Location: Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa

Geographic Coordinates: 26 30 S, 31 30 E

Area

Total Area: 17,364 sq km Rank: 158

Land Area: 17,204 sq km

Water Area: 160 sq km

Comparison: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land Boundaries: 535 km

Bordering Countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Climate

varies from tropical to near temperate

Terrain

mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains

Elevations

Lowest Point: Great Usutu River 21 m

Highest Point: Emlembe 1,862 m

Natural Resources

asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc

Land Use

Arable land: 10.25%

Permanent Crops: 0.81%

Other: 88.94% (2005)

Irrigated Land: 500 sq km (2003)

Renewable Water Resources: 4.5 cu km (1987)

Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 1.04 cu km/yr (2%/1%/97%)

Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 1,010 cu m/yr (2000)

Environment

Natural Hazards: drought

Environmental Issues: limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion

Environmental Agreements: Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection

Geography Notes

landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa

People

Population: 1,337,186 Rank: 152

Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 years: 38.6% (male 260,840/female 254,781)

15-64 years: 57.9% (male 383,236/female 391,478)

65 years and over: 3.5% (male 19,857/female 26,994) (2010 est.)

Median Age: 19.7 years

Population Growth

Growth Rate: 1.307% (2010 est.) Rank: 101

Birth Rate: 28.09 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 53

Death Rate: 15.03 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 16

Net Migration Rate: NA

Urbanization

Urban Population: 25% of total population (2008)

Rate of Urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Life and Death

Infant Mortality Rate: 69.74 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 23

Life Expectancy at Birth: 47.85 years Rank: 214

Fertility Rate: 3.19 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 60

Health and Disease

HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 26.1% (2007 est.) Rank: 1

People living with HIV/AIDS: 190,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 33

HIV/AIDS Deaths: 10,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 32

Degree of Risk for Major Infectious Diseases: high

Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

Vectorborne disease: malaria

Water Contact Diseases: schistosomiasis (2009)

Nationality and Culture

Noun: Swazi(s)

Adjective: Swazi

Ethnic Groups: African 97%, European 3%

Religion: Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30%

Languages: English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official)

Education

Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 81.6% Male: 82.6% Female: 80.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 10 years Male: 10 years Female: 10 years (2005)

Education expenditures: 7% of GDP (2005) Rank: 23

Government

Country Name

Conventional Long Form: Kingdom of Swaziland

Conventional Short Form: Swaziland

Local Long Form: Umbuso weSwatini

Local Short Form: eSwatini

Government Type: monarchy

Capital: Mbabane Geographic Coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E

Note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)

Administrative divisions

4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni

Independence: 6 September 1968 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 6 September (1968)

Constitution: signed by the King in July 2005; went into effect on 8 February 2006

Legal system: based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age

Executive Branch

Chief of State: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)

Head of Government: Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso DLAMINI (since 16 October 2008)

Cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch

Elections: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly

Legislative Branch

bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; members to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members to serve five-year terms)

Elections: House of Assembly - last held on 19 September 2008 (next to be held in 2013)

Election Results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round

Judicial branch

High Court; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch

Politics

Political Parties and Leaders: the status of political parties, previously banned, is unclear under the 2006 Constitution and currently being debated; the following are considered political associations; African United Democratic Party or AUDP [Stanley MAUNDZISA, president]; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president]

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders: Swaziland Democracy Campaign; Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions; Swaziland and Solidarity Network or SSN

International Organization Participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Flag Description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally; blue stands for peace and stability, red represents past struggles, and yellow the mineral resources of the country; the shield, spears, and staff symbolize protection from the country's enemies, while the black and white of the shield are meant to portray black and white people living in peaceful coexistence

Economy

Economy Overview: In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies approximately 70% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. In 2007, the sugar industry increased efficiency and diversification efforts, in response to a 17% decline in EU sugar prices. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives more than nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports. Swaziland's currency is pegged to the South African rand, subsuming Swaziland's monetary policy to South Africa. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) account for two-thirds of Swaziland's government revenues, and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. Customs revenues plummeted during the global economic crisis and Swaziland has appealed to SACU for assistance. With an estimated 40% unemployment rate, Swaziland's need to increase the number and size of small and medium enterprises and attract foreign direct investment is acute. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2006-07 because of drought, and more than one-quarter of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS.

Gross Domestic Product

GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.857 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 154

GDP - real growth rate: 0.4% (2009 est.) Rank: 107

GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,400 (2009 est.) Rank: 152

GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 8.4% Industry: 42.4% Services: 49.2% (2009 est.)

Labor Force

Labor Force: 457,900 (2007) Rank: 156

Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: NA Industry: NA Services: NA

Unemployment Rate: 40% (2006 est.) Rank: 185

Poverty

Population below poverty line: 69% (2006)

Transnational Issues

International Disputes: in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Swaziland is a source, destination, and transit country for women and children trafficked internally and transnationally for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and forced labor in agriculture; Swazi girls, particularly orphans, are trafficked internally for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude, as well as to South Africa and Mozambique; Swazi boys are trafficked for forced labor in commercial agriculture and market vending; some Swazi women are forced into prostitution in South Africa and Mozambique after voluntarily migrating to these countries in search of work

tier rating: the government of Swaziland does not comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government believes that trafficking probably does occur, but does not know the extent of the problem; the government does not judge trafficking to be an "important" problem and chooses to direct its limited resources towards other issues, a judgment which significantly limited the government's current efforts to eliminate human trafficking, or to plan anti-trafficking activities or initiatives for the future (2009)

Breaking News from Swaziland