| Queen Mother ofEswatini | |
|---|---|
| Ndlovukati | |
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| Incumbent | |
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| Ntfombi since 10 August 1983 | |
| Details | |
| Style | Her Majesty |
| First monarch | LaYaka Ndwandwe |
| Formation | 1745; 281 years ago (1745) |
| Residence | Ludzidzini Royal Village,Lobamba |
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Monarchy |
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Queen Mother of Eswatini, officiallyNdlovukati (lit. 'She-Elephant', pl.tiNdlovukati; also spelledIndlovukazi), is the title of the female monarch ofEswatini.[1] The title is given preferentially to the mother of the reigningking (styled theNgwenyama, "Lion ofSwaziland"), or to another female royal of high status if the king's mother has died. The Ndlovukati serves as a joint head of state, ruling alongside the Ngwenyama. When there is no king, the Ndlovukati rules as queen regent. The current Ndlovukati is QueenNtfombi Tfwala, the mother of NgwenyamaMswati III and wife ofSobhuza II. She was also queen regent from 1983 until 1986 when Mswati became king. The most notable queen regent was NdlovukatiLabotsibeni Mdluli who ruled Swaziland from 1899 until 1921 when she abdicated for Sobhuza II.
The Queen Mother is traditionally joint monarch of Eswatini with the King. The king is seen as the administrativehead of state, while the Ndlovukati is seen as the spiritual and national head of state. During the reign ofSobhuza II the title became more ceremonial.[2] Several of the Ndlovukati's functions are to control important ritual substances (sometimes called medicines) and knowledge necessary for inaugurating of the rule of a Ngwenyama,rainmaking, and the annual renewal of national and kingly strength in theincwala rites.[3] The Ndlovukati also leads the nation as queen regent following a king's death and during the youth of the crown prince. Other notable Tindlovukati areTsandzile Ndwandwe,Lojiba Simelane,Tibati Nkambule, andLabotsibeni Mdluli from nineteenth century Swaziland.
Historically, there have been a number of Ndlovukati with great substantial power as well as influence, especially (though not exclusively) in periods ofregency. The power of the Ndlovukati was explicitly understood as a counterweight to that of the Ngwenyama and also to potentially rival royal princes. This was the case especially during the reign ofMswati II andTsandzile Ndwandwe. Like royal governors who were not from the royalHouse of Dlamini, the Ndlovukati could not accede to the throne, thus offering an alternative source of power to rein in overweaningTingwenyama who could not challenge directly to be the Ngwenyama.
During the long reign ofSobhuza II (1899–1982), his grandmother NdlovukatiLabotsibeni Mdluli (also known as "Gwamile") was the last great bearer of the title, being the primary Swazi political power from Sobhuza's accession as an infant in 1899 until his accession to full power in 1922. However, over the following 60 years the practical power and influence of the office ofndlovukati became greatly overshadowed, in part because the British chose to recognize the powers of the king (whom they called the "Paramount Chief") over those of the senior, in part because of the force of Sobhuza's personality in contrast to thetindlovukati who succeeded his own mother after she died in 1938, and in part because of conservative aristocratic Swazi male reactions to colonialism, which created a new and more rigid form of patriarchy now called and argued by some to be mischaracterised as "traditional". The office ofNdlovukati suffered a further blow after the death of Sobhuza II, when a holder of the office was implicated in the political machinations of PrinceMfanasibili aimed at usurping the kingship. Thus the political-cultural ideals and historical meanings of the office expressed above do not really characterise theNdlovukati today, whose position has become much weaker than that of theNgwenyama.
At any time where there is both anIngwenyama and aNdlovukati, which is most of the time, there are two royal villages. Even during a regency when the king is a minor, a proto-form of his headquarters is prepared. The King's headquarters is where he carries out his administrative duties; theNdlovukati's, which is calledumphakatsi, (meaning "the inside," and a term also applied to the royal insiders and close allies as a group) is the national capital and spiritual and ceremonial home of the nation. The king resides at his own royal village or kraal calledlilawu. The present umphakatsi is at Ludzidzini Royal Kraal and lilawu is at Ngabezweni Royal Kraal.
The list oftiNdlovukati:[4][5][6][7][8]
| No. | Portrait | Name | Reign | Regency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LaYaka Ndwandwe | 1745–1780 | 1780 | |
| 2 | Lomvula Mndzebele | 1780–1815 | 1815 | |
| 3 | Lojiba Simelane | 1815–1840 | 1836–1840 | |
| 4 | Tsandzile Ndwandwe (LaZidze) | 1840–1875 | 1868–1875 | |
| 5 | Sisile Khumalo (Lamgangeni) | 1875–1881 | ||
| 6 | Tibati Nkambule (Madvolomafisha) | 1881–1895 | 1889–1895 | |
| 7 |  | Labotsibeni Mdluli (Gwamile, Lamvelase) | 1895–1921 | 1899–1921 |
| 8 | Lomawa Ndwandwe | 1921–1938 | ||
| 9 | Nukwase Ndwandwe | 1938–1957 | ||
| 10 | Zihlathi Ndwandwe/Mkhatjwa | 1957–1975 | ||
| 11 | Seneleleni Ndwandwe | 1975–1980 | ||
| 12 |  | Dzeliwe Shongwe | 1980–1983 | 1982–1983 |
| 13 | | Ntfombi Tfwala | 1983–present | 1983–1986 |
| Pre-modern Swaziland (until 1745) |
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| Modern Swaziland (1745–1906) |
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| Paramount Chiefs under British rule (1903–1968) |
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| Kings of Swaziland (1968–2018) |
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| Kings of Eswatini (2018–present) |
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| tiNdlovukati (Queen Mother/Doctor) |
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