Seneleleni Ndwandwe

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Seneleleni Ndwandwe
Ndlovukati of Swaziland
Reign1975–1980 [1]
Predecessor Zihlathi Ndwandwe/Mkhatjwa [2]
Successor Dzeliwe Shongwe [2]
Died1980 [2]

Seneleleni Ndwandwe (died 1980), also known as Seneleni Nxumalo, was Ndlovukati (queen mother) of Swaziland during the reign of Sobhuza II. [2] [1] She was full sister and co-wife to her predecessor, Zihlathi Ndwandwe. [3]

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Eswatini is an absolute monarchy with constitutional provisions and Swazi law and Custom. The head of state is the king or Ngwenyama, currently King Mswati III, who ascended to the throne in 1986 after the death of his father King Sobhuza II in 1982 and a period of regency. According to the constitution of Eswatini, the king and Ingwenyama is a symbol of unity and the eternity of the Swazi nation. By tradition, the king reigns along with his mother or a ritual substitute, the Ndlovukati. The former was viewed as the administrative head of state and the latter as a spiritual and national head of state, with real power counterbalancing that of the king, but during the long reign of Sobhuza II the role of the Ndlovukati became more symbolic. The king appoints the prime minister from the legislature and also appoints a minority of legislators to both chambers of Libandla (parliament), with help from an advisory council. The king is allowed by the constitution to appoint some members to parliament for special interests. These special interests are citizens who might have been left out by the electorate during the course of elections or did not enter as candidates. This is done to balance views in parliament. Special interests could be people of gender, race, disability, business community, civic society, scholars, chiefs and so on. The Senate consists of 30 members, of which some are appointed by the king on recommendation of the advisory council and others elected by the lower house. The House of Assembly has 65 seats, of which 55 are occupied by elected representatives from the 55 constituencies around the country, and 10 are appointed by the king on recommendation of the advisory council. The attorney general is the ex-officio member. Elections are held every five years.

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Ndlovukati is the siSwati title for the female monarch of Eswatini. The title is given preferentially to the mother of the reigning king, or to another female royal of high status if the king's mother has died. The title is roughly equivalent to a queen mother, though she is jointly head of state, ruling alongside the Ngwenyama. The title can also mean doctor. When there is no king, the Ndlovukati rules as queen regent. The current Ndlovukati is Queen Ntfombi Tfwala, the mother of Ngwenyama Mswati III and wife of Sobhuza II. She was also queen regent from 1983 until 1986 when Mswati became king. The most notable queen regent was Ndlovukati Labotsibeni Mdluli who ruled Swaziland from 1899 until 1921 when she abdicated for Sobhuza II.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Succession to the Swazi throne</span>

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Dlamini III was a king or tiNgwenyama of the Swazi people who led them approximately between 1720 until 1744. He was the father to Ngwane III the first King of modern Swaziland. He is considered to be the connecting link between the Delagoa Bay Swazi settlements and the modern Swazi kingdom. His senior advisor was Chief Gadlela Mbokane. Dlamini settled his followers near the Pongola River where it cuts through the Lubombo Mountains. The early Swazi journeyed along with the Ndwandwe who are a closely related lineage. Dlamini was succeeded by Ngwane III his son with Queen LaYaka Ndwandwe. Dlamini's son Ngwane III, took over the chieftaincy and established Swazi settlements south of the Pongola River and when forced to abandon them, he moved his followers to cross back and settle on its northern banks. This marked the founding of modern Swaziland, and the first capital at Zombodze was established not very long after his ascent. Ngwane's brothers Ndlela and his uncles Shabalala and Mabuza were settled nearby.

laNgolotsheni (Lomawa) Ndwandwe was the Ndlovukati of Swaziland, the wife of King Ngwane V, and the mother of King Sobhuza II.

Nukwase Ndwandwe was the Queen Mother of Swaziland, aunt of Sobhuza II, and the sister of Lomawa Ndwandwe.

Zihlathi Ndwandwe, also known as Zilathi Nxumalo, was Ndlovukati of Swaziland during the reign of Sobhuza II. She was succeeded by her full sister and co-wife, Seneleni Ndwandwe.

References

  1. 1 2 McDonagh, Eileen (2009). The Motherless State: Women's Political Leadership and American Democracy. University of Chicago Press. p. 250. ISBN   9780226514567.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Siyinqaba (1984). "The Swazi Monarchy" (PDF). Africa Insight. 14 (1): 14–16.
  3. Ndwandwe, Joy (10 May 2015). "Happy mother's day 2015". Swazi Observer. Retrieved 29 October 2016.