Mbabane

The city of Mbabane is named after Chief Mbabane Kunene, a local Swazi headman who resided in the area during the late 19th century. As British colonial administrators moved to establish a protectorate, they adopted the name of the local leader for their new settlement. This followed a common toponymic tradition in the region of identifying locations by their founding or dominant local figures.

Established in 1902 following the Second Boer War, Mbabane was selected as the administrative headquarters due to its high altitude in the Mdimba Mountains. At 1,243 meters above sea level, the cooler climate offered colonial officials a reprieve from the malaria-prone and humid lowlands. This selection created a unique dual-capital system: while Mbabane became the center for executive government and commerce, Lobamba remained the traditional royal and legislative capital, housing the monarchy and the Houses of Parliament.

Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) is an absolute monarchy, ruled by the Ngwenyama (King) and Ndlovukati (Queen Mother). The kingdom maintained its separate status from South Africa during the colonial era and achieved independence on September 6, 1968. In 2018, King Mswati III officially renamed the country from Swaziland to Eswatini to reclaim the nation's indigenous identity. Mbabane continues to serve as the gateway for the country's administration and its primary link to the South African and Mozambican economies.