Liqoqo
| Liqoqo | |
| Dissolved | 1986 |
|---|---|
| Type | Traditional advisory council |
| Headquarters | Mbabane, Eswatini |
Liqoqo was the name of a traditional council in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) that historically served as the kingdom's supreme advisory body. It was a body of senior princes, chiefs and royal advisers and was responsible for the custodian of Swazi customary law, sovereignty and kingship.
It was renamed the Supreme Council of State in 1982 from its name Swazi National Council. King Mswati III dissolved it in 1986.[1]
History
The council traces its origins to the advisory structures established by earlier Swazi kings.[2] Following the death of King Mswati II in 1868, the Liqoqo exercised authority and selected Sisile 'LaMgangeni' Khumalo as the Queen Mother.[3]
During King Bhunu's era, the Liqoqo temporarily succeeded in prohibiting the sale of European liquor in Swaziland through prime minister Tikuba Magongo.[4]
In the early 1960s, it opposed a British proposed independence constitutional reforms in Eswatini, arguing that the introduction of elected legislative institutions undermined Swazi customary governance and royal authority.[5]
The 1968 Constitution of Swaziland (now Eswatini) formally recognised Liqoqo in Article 144(1) as a council partly elected by the Swazi National Council, partly selected by the King and partly appointed according to custom, with both the King and the Queen Mother serving as members.[6]
The Liqoqo was eventually dissolved by King Mswati III in 1986,[1] as part of efforts to consolidate royal authority and replaced with the Liqoqo King's Advisory Council.[7]
References
- ^ a b Eswatini profile: A chronology of key events, BBC 3 September 2018
- ^ Matsebula, J.S.M. (1988). History of Eswatini. Longman. 3rd edition. ISBN 9780582031678
- ^ Gillis D, Hugh. The Kingdom of Swaziland: Studies in Political History (PDF), Greenwood Press. Page 26. ISBN 0313306702
- ^ Matsebula, J.S.M. (1988). pp.153
- ^ History of the Country, Eswatini Embassy, accessed 15 January 2026
- ^ Ayee, Joseph R. A. (1989). "A note on the machinery of government during the Sobhuza II era in Swaziland". Research Review. New Series. 5 (1). Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana: 54–68. ISSN 0855-4412. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ "Governance of the Kingdom of Eswatini". High Commission of the Kingdom of Eswatini in Kuala Lumpur. Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini. Retrieved 26 January 2026.