Colonialism and Economic Change in Swaziland 1940-1960

This book illustrates how Swaziland experienced fundamental economic changes under British rule. Pre-colonial economic structures were transformed to suit local requirements for revenue generation, and the demands of post-war British imperialism and shifts in imperial interests as a result of the restructuring of international capitalism during the course of the war. It illustrates how new economic enterprises came about; and how a combination of private and state capital dramatically altered the level and structure of the country's economy, meaning that Swaziland's economy effectively became a product of large-scale capital investment. The book further demonstrates how land and labour relations were transformed, examining labour mobilisation in post-war Swaziland. It shows that the economic changes revised the status of the country as a labour catchment area for South African gold and coal mines, as the country developed a strong labour market itself, able to compete with recruitment from the South African mines. Finally the author discusses how the Swazi labour force was progressively socialised and developed a new political consciousness, and how this in turn fuelled confrontation between labour and capital.