How did British colonial rule affect Swaziland between 1906 and the late 1940s?

Between 1906 and the late 1940s, Swaziland (now Eswatini) became a neglected backwater of the British Empire. Because the South Africa Act of 1909 allowed for the potential transfer of the territory to the Union of South Africa, the British administration prioritized little to no socioeconomic development during this period.12

Politically, the British undermined traditional authority by downgrading the title of the king to that of a paramount chief, relegating his role to mere native administration. While the British recognized these leaders under a system of indirect rule, the struggle for the restoration of the monarchy served as a form of anticolonial resistance.123

Regarding land, one of the British administration's first actions in 1907 was to address land concessions granted to foreigners in the 19th century. They reserved one-third of the country for Swazi use while allowing concessionaires to retain two-thirds, a division that saw little progress until after World War II. It was not until 1945 that Britain began to actively address the territory's socioeconomic challenges.412