Urban Land Management and its Discontents: A Case Study of the Swaziland Urban Development Project (SUDP)

Whilst much has been written about land contests in rural settings in sub-Saharan Africa, less attention has been paid to land disputes between traditional and formal authorities in urban areas. Using the Swaziland Urban Development Project as a case study, this article examines jurisdictional conflicts over land that occur between traditional leaders and formal structures such as Swaziland’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and city councils. The focus is on local residents, who are caught in the middle of the land contests and use various strategies to hold onto their land. Employing qualitative methodology and the conceptual lens of institutional multiplicity, the article concludes that rival jurisdictional claims negatively affect residents and impede development.     

Labour migration and rural transformation in post-colonial Swaziland

This article describes the effects of labor migration in rural southern Swaziland. It is argued that wages from rural migration to mining areas were invested in agricultural implements such as tractors, in education of children, and in cattle. These effects are improvements in rural quality of life and involve women in agricultural production. Male labor migration in southern Swaziland contributed to progress and rural development for rich and poor families at the individual level. Community level changes from labor migration were not evident. The author does not suggest that all changes were due to labor migration or unique. Negative effects are recognized, such as life style changes or changes in social customs. It is stated that southern Swaziland benefited little post-independence from national development. The Lowveld benefitted from sugar and citrus plantations. The central region experienced development of industry and commerce. The northern region had sugar plantations and mining development. The western region established commercial forests. The south only had export labor, which was attracted to higher wages in South Africa. Data and arguments in this article pertain only to male labor migration to mining areas. The literature on development tends to associate male labor migration with underdevelopment. Women are left to plough the fields in traditional agricultural production. Evidence is presented for southern Swaziland, which showed periods of low agricultural production and poor health conditions. During the 1940s this was the case and male absence was very high. Although women had limitations, it is argued that the most important factor was unavailability of new technology. By the 1970s, women were able to hire private or government tractors for tilling the soil.