Swaziland - The Kingdom Of Eswatini - Where A Small Fire Burns Brightly

Eswatini, formally known as the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the birthplace of the Swazi nation, has always been shrouded in mystery to me. The small, landlocked country is wedged between South Africa (Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal) and Mozambique on its northeastern border. Eswatini is as colourful or bland as a cameleon; it just depends on how the visitor sees it or how it is camouflaged.

A featherweight by comparison to its neighbours, the country measures 200km north to south and 130km east to west or 17,364 square kilometres and is slightly smaller than the state of Massachusetts.

My knowledge of the country was mainly based on a few families, expats who found themselves in rural areas surrounded by large sugar cane estates, vast plantations producing timber and farms producing crops like maize, pineapples, cotton, and cattle ranching, which are central to the lives and diverse cultures of Africa’s people. One girl lived in Mbabane, and we were fascinated by her version of the casino there. At the time (1970s), South Africans was illegal in South Africa, except for horse racing, which was a very lucrative industry.

Cattle are central to the lives and diverse cultures of Africa’s people. In Eswatini, cattle husbandry has a social, cultural, economic and environmental importance.

Eswatini might be one of the smallest countries in Africa, but it packs a punch, with a diverse climate and topography. The landscape ranges from a cool and mountainous highveld, where the peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains can be seen, to a hot and dry lowveld, where the country’s wildlife reserves are situated.

Our destination would not take us to the executive capital and largest city, Mbabane, nor to the legislative and second capital of Lobamba.

We follow a winding road through a golden landscape where the pastures have been scuffed to nothing by grazing sheep, cattle and goats. Everyone is waiting for the summer rains to begin. But clear blue skies do not indicate anything of the sort as yet.

The drier Middleveld favours both red grass and drought-resistant species of grasses. These grasses are less luxuriant and the ground cover less complete than those of the Highveld. As the aridity increases, the cover becomes sparser, and grassveld gradually loses ground to thornveld (consisting of such types as thorny acacias and aloes), dwarf, drought-resistant bushes, and desert scrub. 

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The Kingdom and the Swazis take their names from Mswati II, the 19th-century king under whose rule the country was expanded and unified; its boundaries were drawn up in 1881 in the midst of the Scramble for Africa.

 

After the Second Boer War, the kingdom, then known as Swaziland, was a British high commission territory from 1903 until it regained its independence on 6 September 1968. 

In April 2018, the official name was changed from Kingdom of Swaziland to Kingdom of Eswatini, mirroring the name commonly used in Swazi. This name reflects the country’s cultural identity and history.

Eswatini is a developing country with a lower-middle-income economy. As a member of the Southern African Customs Union and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, its leading trading partner is South Africa; ensuring economic stability, Eswatini’s currency, the lilangeni, is pegged to the South African Rand.

Eswatini produces around 500,000 broiler chickens per week, with around 60 per cent of these in the commercial slaughter market and 40 per cent in the live market, where small-scale growers dominate.

Eswatini’s overseas trading partners are the United States and the European Union. The majority of the country’s employment is provided by its agricultural and manufacturing sectors.

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Side Note: In The News

US deports five ‘barbaric’ migrants to Eswatini (BBC reported on 16 July 2025)

“The US has deported five people whom it described as “criminal illegal aliens” to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini.

On board the flight were five deportees from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen who have been convicted of crimes ranging from child rape to murder, US Homeland Security Department Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an online post.

“This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,” McLaughlin wrote on X.

Eswatini, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, said it acknowledged “widespread concern” within the country regarding the deportations.”

Thankfully, these prisoners do not pose any danger to the Swazi’s while they’re incarcerated, waiting to be deported to their countries of origin!

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Yes, the government is a monarchy and the last of its kind in Africa, currently ruled by King Mswati III since 1986.

Although elections are held every five years to determine the House of Assembly and the Senate majority, political parties are prohibited from running the country. Swaziland’s constitution was adopted in 2005.

But enough of politics, we are on our way to the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Manzini district is our destination, and the largest town we’d pass through.

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Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is Eswatini’s oldest protected area, owned and managed by a non-profit trust, and that was where we would find ourselves for three nights. I was “a bubble of excitement waiting to burst”, Butch said when I started pestering him with questions like “how far to go?” or “when will we be there?”

I had heard of the expression “the little fire” and the astonishing log fire that has been burning in the park since 1961.

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A Brief History of Mlilwane or “Valley of Heaven”

Swaziland’s wildlife had been plundered during the early 1900s under the guise of “development and taming the land”. Many losses were incurred due to disease, hunting and poisoning.

The owner of the land at that time, Ted Reilly (21 years old), realised there was an urgent need to conserve what remained of the wildlife and approached the colonial government with a proposal to form a National Park system. The proposal was declined as an extravagance.

At the time, Mlilwane was a highly productive farm producing beef, citrus, rice, maize, sorghum, timber, and tin mining, but Reilly had no choice but to use this land for a conservation dream.

With the support of King Sobhuza II, the restoration of the Kingdom’s wildlife and habitats began in 1959.

Mlilwane was officially opened by Hilda Stevenson-Hamilton (Skukuza’s widow) in 1964 and became a non-profit Trust. Mlilwane has grown from 460ha to 4650ha.

A beautiful success story and a legacy to the power of conservation.

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The sanctuary serves as a headquarters for the Big Game Parks, including Mlilwane’s sister reserves, Hlane Royal National Park and Mkhaya Game Reserve.

On our bikes, Butch and I explored the park and saw firsthand how the area has been rehabilitated. By the number of walkers, hikers, and groups of tourists hanging about, we saw why this land is now Eswatini’s most frequently visited reserve.

Abundant wildlife graces the plains, including impala, zebra, and our favourite, the adorable warthog. The southern section is predominantly open grassland plains with middleveld vegetation, stretching up onto Nyonyane Mountain.

Tourist activities are concentrated in the southern section, which can be explored on foot, horseback, mountain bikes (bikes can be hired by the hour) or by open safari vehicle.

The northern section includes one of the highest points in the area at Luphohlo. Only guided tours are permitted to enter that section of the sanctuary.

In passing, we heard a guide telling his group of guests that Mlilwane means "Little Fire", a reference to the many fires started when lightning strikes the Mlilwane Hill.

When a lightning bolt strikes a tree or dry brush, the intense heat can ignite the surrounding area, especially if the vegetation is parched due to drought conditions. Many regions face periodic drought, which dries out grasses, shrubs, and trees.

The camp is found in the southern corner of the reserve, where tall indigenous trees overlook a wetland system which is home to hippopotamus, crocodile and a variety of water birds, including visiting fish eagles.

The Rest Camp, shaded by tall trees, the odd warthog and impala wandering through, is where we were camping, but there are other options: 

The traditional Swazi round huts, called beehives, are really impressive and so original. In another life, I could’ve picked up sticks and moved right on over. There are several self-catering units too, and I spotted a few Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal registration plates on vehicles there.

Sondzela Backpackers and Reilly’s Rock Hilltop Lodge, along with its up-market accommodation option, are where International guests typically find themselves.

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Note to any wannabee poachers: Game rangers in Eswatini have unique legal powers, including the authority to shoot (to kill) suspected poachers and search without a warrant, a testament to the country’s commitment to wildlife conservation.

The statue depicting Petros Ngomane is a tribute to his life as a guide, conservationist and ranger. During his lifetime, he brought many poachers to book and was a formidable educator.

It is said that the statue guards the warthogs which live underneath it.

I believe the warning on the plaque – “careful – warthogs can blast out of their holes at up to 60km per hour” has not been added in jest.

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One evening, we walked over to the central boma where guests were gathered for the evening. Some were telling their adventure stories around the fire while others were enjoying sundowners on the deck.

We all had one mission. To see the evening’s entertainment. A display of traditional music and dance by the local community.

Butch and I aren’t always inclined to join these events, but that night we thought we would. We would have had no other way of experiencing local traditions, and we agreed that an evening of Swazi song and dance was exactly what the doctor ordered— storytelling, dance, music and a perfect setting under the trees and a diamond-encrusted sky was a fitting way to end our day and round off our stay. 

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The next morning, Butch hired a mountain bike, which he found to be very nice, light as a feather, easy to navigate, and significantly lighter than his punctured eBike.

He hopped on and we cruised around the reserve as we’d done the day before, this time adding a few kilometres as we went along.

Although I do not have the same fear of crocodiles as I do of the other reptilians, the slithery snakes, I am not particularly fond of crocodiles. The reason being that they have evolved so little over millions of years, being the ultimate killing machines that they are, I find them rather cold-blooded.

Because we’d seen so few in East Africa, and especially since there were none to be found on the banks of the River Nile, the ones lying sunning themselves on the sandbank in Mlilwane were of particular interest to us and worthy of a photograph.

That afternoon, while Butch watched the rugby on his iPad, I  went on a walkabout to inspect the Beehive huts (Guca Sithanthaze) that depict historical Swazi dwellings.

These have been modified and fitted with en-suite bathrooms, one of the housekeepers told me proudly. Modern they are.

She continued and said, “The simple construction requires 1000 saplings, tightly woven, to prevent enemy spears, and covered with grass skirts which are bound by a net of braided grass rope and secured from the apex.

Traditionally, the floors are made of cow dung and mud, compacted and polished to a sheen, but these, in keeping with modern methods, are concrete.

This form of architecture, using natural materials, ensures that the temperatures indoors is pleasantly comfortable.

In rural Hhohho, traditional beehives are still built, but the majority of homeowners prefer to use brick and mortar.

The thatching requires regular maintenance, as an infestation of termites can be the ruin of these buildings.

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Once again, I couldn’t resist the centuries-old trees planted on the estate. To make matters even better, there are plaques with excellent descriptions of the species and special interest points about a few trees.

As we well know, plants often compete for sunlight, space, water and nutrients and frequently a war to survive ensues. Here, a wild fig and a fever tree are locked in battle, and the fever tree has literally strangled the life out of the wild fig tree.

Interestingly, in the past, it was believed that fever trees caused Malaria, when, in fact, it was the location where they were planted, near water that often stagnated. This water served as the breeding ground of mosquitoes.

Sibusiso, a gardener, often taught us about plants when I was growing up, and one of his cautions was that we should always be wary of milky plants and trees. The milkiness can frequently be toxic, causing blindness and skin rashes. On one of the plaques I photographed, this warning was confirmed.

The age-old medicinal and toxic uses of the flora all around us can be noted. What we might consider a weed could be used as a poultice for a broken bone, like Comfrey or Devil’s Claw and yet the ever-popular Delicious Monster, Syringa or Arum lily are poisonous. Be warned, the Moon Flower, which is ingested for its hallucinogenic effects, is highly toxic.

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Before we knew it, our time in the park drew to an end. I believe the fire of Eswatini will burn forever, providing warmth to its people and the odd warthog seeking comfort. For us, it was time to pack up and head north—this time to Komatipoort and then to the Kruger National Park.

Swaziland surprised and enchanted us, leaving us with a desire to return one day and explore even more.

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Here are two insightful home truths from Eswantini: The Elders had sage advice.

Umntfwana longakhali ufela embelekweni

Translation: A baby that never cries dies on its mother’s back
Meaning: If you don’t speak out about your problems, you may never get help and

Sala kutjelwa sibona ngemopho

Translation: The one who refuses to take advice will learn by the flow of their blood
Meaning: If you don’t take the advice of those who know better, you’ll learn from the consequences of your actions, which can be troublesome.

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Coincidentally, since commencing with writing this Blog Post, I have received a ton of positive comments about Swaziland.

This morning, Bertus said, "I have done a lot of work in Swaziland, and I love the place. The people are kind, friendly, and so helpful. Unfortunately, their technology is a bit behind (2015)"

Gillian said, "We loved our visit to Eswatini and Hlane Park a couple of years ago....."