Aerial View of the Sidwashini Bypass
Click on the image to view high res. A photograph taken August 2008.
This Weekend’s AFCON 2012 qualifying wrap
Zimbabwe get their Group A campaign under way at Liberia’s SKD Sport Complex. The Warriors have included in their squad the Mamelodi Sundowns trio of Method Mwanjali, Lionel Mtizwa and Nyasha Mushekwi as well as Thomas Sweswe and Knowledge Musona from Kaizer Chiefs. Meanwhile, the Lone Star have also named a powerful squad led by SuperSport United forward Anthony Laffor. European-based players George Baysah, Gizzie Dorbor, Jimmy Dixon, Dulee Johnson, Theo Weeks and Patrick Doeplah are also in the fray. In the group’s other fixture, Mali travel to Cape Verde.
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In Group B, Ethiopia take on Guinea while Nigeria will hope to put a dismal World Cup behind them when then host African lightweights Madagascar in Calabar on Sunday. The Super Eagles are without the services of the injured duo Dickson Etuhu and Joseph Akpala while local-based players Ahmed Musa, Bassey Akpan, Emmanuel Anyanwu and Valentine Nwabili are included in the squad.
A Brief History of Swaziland
In eastern Swaziland archaeologists discovered human remains dating back 110, 000 years, but the ancestors of the modern Swazi people arrived relatively recently.
During the great Bantu migrations into southern Africa, one group, the Nguni, moved down the east coast. A clan settled near what is now Maputo in Mozambique, and a dynasty was founded by the Dlamini family. In the mid-18th century increasing pressure from other Nguni clans forced King Ngwane III to lead his people south to lands by the Pongola River, in what is now southern Swaziland. Today, Swazis consider Ngwane III to have been the first king of Swaziland.
The next king, Sobhuza I, withdrew under pressure from the Zulus to the Ezulwini Valley, which today remains the centre of Swazi royalty and ritual. When King Sobhuza I died in 1839, Swaziland was twice its present size. Trouble with the Zulu continued, although the next king, Mswazi (or Mswati), managed to unify the whole kingdom. By the time he died in 1868, the Swazi nation was secure. Mswazi’s subjects called themselves people of Mswazi, or Swazis, and the name stuck.
European interference
The arrival of increasing numbers of Europeans from the mid-19th century brought new problems. Mswazi’s successor, Mbandzeni, inherited a kingdom rife with European carpetbaggers – hunters, traders, missionaries and farmers, many of whom leased large expanses of land.
The Pretoria Convention of 1881 guaranteed Swaziland’s ‘independence’ but also defined its borders, and Swaziland lost large chunks of territory. ‘Independence’ in fact meant that both the British and the Boers had responsibility for administering their various interests in Swaziland, and the result was chaos. The Boer administration collapsed with the 1899–1902 Anglo-Boer War, and afterwards the British took control of Swaziland as a protectorate. Read more
Spring Fair at Portuguese Club
Come along to the All Saints’ Cathedral Sprig Fair on Saturday 2 October at the Portuguese Club in Mbabane. Buy a raffle ticket for E10 (you could win a two year old bull and/or one of many other valuable prizes). There will be secondhand books and clothes, flowers, plants, fresh produce, jumping castles and games for kids, home bake, hot dogs, cool drinks and many other activities. Come along and join in the fun!
How do you buy Prepaid Airtime via Cellphone Banking
- Dial *120*321# and press the green /dial button on your cellphone
- You will receive a Welcome to Cellphone Banking message. Press reply/answer button.
- Key in your 5-digit Mobile PIN (MOPIN) selected at registration. Then press Send.
- Select ‘Prepaid’
- Select ‘Recharge’
- Select ‘Mobile Airtime’
- Select the account you want to use to pay from
- Enter the cellphone number to be recharged.
- Select the airtime amount or specify your own amount
- Confirm all the detail
You will be prompted at each step in the process. Follow the instructions on your cellphone. If you have no airtime, you can still buy airtime for yourself or for someone else who is on the same network as you, by dialling *130*321#.
Buy Swazi MTN Airtime with FNB Online Banking
FNB and MTN Swaziland recently launched Cellphone banking which allows financial transactions by use of shot codes over cellphones. Another feature that was immediately activated was that of buying airtime using the same codes or using online banking
Access Online Banking on www.fnb.co.zaor www.fnbswaziland.co.sz
Foresters Arms taking advantage of Adwords
Foresters Arms Hotel, in Mhlambanyatsi, seems to be the only hotel, if not the only establishment in Swaziland taking advantage of Google’s Adwords Program. A search query of “Hotels in Swaziland” reveals foresters arms as the only competitor in that particular keyword (at least whilst in Swaziland). 
Google Adwords is the brand name for Google’s popular pay per click advertising. It is perceived as the best value Pay Per Click on the market, allowing low start up costs and many features to allow maximisation of budget spend.
Another plus is their choice of domain name , .co.za after probably studying the distribution of their major clientelle !!! Congrats FA !!!! .
Swaziland Weather this weekend
Not looking Good I tell you
Border posts and opening hours
Swaziland has thirteen entry points or border posts. Eleven of the border posts are shared with South Africa and two with Mozambique, Lomahasha and Mhlumeni. The most popular entry point is the Oshoek/Nwenya Border connecting South Africa and Swaziland. Border posts are open every day, but operating hours vary, as follows (names by which the border gate is known in South Africa/Mozambique are given in brackets):
Border gates with South Africa:
Bulembu (Josefsdal): 08h00-16h00
Gege (Bothashoop): 08h00-16h00
Lavumisa (Golela): 07h00-22h00
Lundzi (Waverly): 08h00-16h00
Mahamba (Mahamba): 07h00-22h00
Mananga (Border Gate): 07h00-18h00
Matsamo (Jeppes Reef): 07H00-20H00
Ngwenya (Oshoek): 07h00-22h00
Salitje (Onverwacht): 08h00-16h00
Sandlane (Nerston): 08h00-18H00
Sicunusa (Houdkop): 08h00-18h00
Border gates with Mozambique:
Lomahasha (Namaacha): 07h00-20h00
Mhlumeni (Goba): 07h00-20h00
VISA FOR TRAVELLING TO SWAZILAND
Passports
Passport valid for at least six months upon entry required by all.
Visas
Required by all except the following:
(a) nationals of Australia, Canada, Japan and the USA for stays of up to two months;
(b) nationals of the EU for stays of up to two months* (except nationals of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovak Republic and Slovenia who do require a visa);
(c) nationals of Commonwealth countries for stays of up to two months (except nationals of Antigua & Barbuda, Bangladesh, Belize, Brunei, Cameroon, Dominica, India, Kiribati, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tuvalu and Vanuatu who do require a visa);
(d) nationals of Iceland, Israel, Korea (Rep), Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino, Turkey, Uruguay and Zimbabwe for stays of up to two months.
Note *
Nationals of Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Portugal ca also obtain a visa free of charge upon arrival and may remain in Swaziland longer than two months, at the discretion of the Immigration department. Nationals of the UK may also remain in Swaziland for an undisclosed amount of time.
Types of visa and cost
Single-entry: US$27 Multiple-entry: US$41 (three months); US$65 (six months); US$100 (nine months); US$103 (12 months).
Note
Transit passengers should consult their carrying company when making reservations for up-to-date advice on whether a visa is required.
Validity
Three to six months from date of issue for stays of up to two months each. Applications for extensions should be submitted to the Chief Immigration Officer in Swaziland.
Application to
Consulate or Consular section at Embassy or High Commission.
Application requirements
(a) Application form.
(b) Two passport-size photos.
(c) Fee.
(d) Valid passport.
(e) Proof of means of support during stay.
(f) Letter on headed paper confirming that the visitor holds return or onward tickets.
(g) For all visitors except tourists, a letter of invitation from a Swazi national or for business trips, a letter from applicant’s company giving details of the business and confirming the financial responsibility for the applicant.
Processing time
One or two days unless authorisation is required, in which case the application could take several weeks.
Temporary residence
Apply to Chief Immigration Officer if staying longer than two months in Swaziland.
