How did British and Boer competition affect Swaziland in the 1800s?

During the 19th century, competition between the British and the Boer republic of the Transvaal significantly undermined Swazi sovereignty. As these powers sought to manipulate the region—the Boers desiring a route to the sea and the British aiming to contain them—Swaziland became a strategic obstacle.12

This geopolitical pressure facilitated a massive influx of European prospectors and concession hunters. By 1890, the country was overwhelmed by overlapping land and mineral concessions, which the Swazi mistakenly believed were temporary leases but which effectively stripped them of their independence.12

The two powers further eroded Swazi authority through a series of conventions. In 1890, they established a provisional government, and by 1894, they signed a convention that unilaterally granted the South African Republic administrative and legislative powers over the territory, despite Swazi opposition. Following the South African War, control passed to Great Britain, leading to the formal administration of Swaziland by the British in 1903.12